Tokyo, 14 January, /AJMEDIA/
Kishida, Biden vow to boost Japan defense capabilities, eyeing Taiwan
WASHINGTON – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden pledged Friday to develop the Asian nation’s defense capabilities, confirming the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, a joint statement released after their summit showed.
Kishida, who made his first trip to the U.S. capital since taking office in October 2021, and Biden also agreed the two countries will deepen security ties and cooperate to secure semiconductor supply chains to counter China’s military and economic clout in the region.
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Japan university exams begin with stricter rules to prevent cheating
TOKYO – Japan’s unified university entrance exams started Saturday across the country as organizers implemented stricter rules to prevent cheating after a photographed image of a question was leaked during the test last year.
Organizers have also implemented coronavirus measures, such as requesting examinees planning to take makeup exams to check if they have body temperatures of 38 C or more, as the country grapples with an eighth wave of infections, according to the National Center for University Entrance Examinations.
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FOCUS: Japan PM’s trip tackles China-Taiwan tensions ahead of G7 summit
WASHINGTON – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s weeklong trip to Europe and North America laid the groundwork for tackling China-Taiwan tensions ahead of May’s Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima.
Kishida agreed with his French, Italian, British, Canadian and U.S. counterparts that their nations will expand security ties after Tokyo made a major shift in its defense policy in December in the face of China’s widening military presence in the Asia-Pacific.
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Biden to deliver State of Union address on Feb. 7
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden is due to deliver his second State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 7, the White House said Friday.
Biden accepted the invitation to do so from House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The yearly speech given by a U.S. president to explain political achievements and legislative goals is considered one of the most important events in the country’s political calendar.
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Japan’s PM urges U.S. to “come back” to Trans-Pacific free trade pact
WASHINGTON – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday urged the United States to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact to establish a “fair economic order” for prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region amid China’s rise.
The TPP had originally been signed in February 2016 by 12 countries including Japan and the United States, but a new U.S. administration in 2017 under then President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact to pursue an “America First” economic policy aimed at protecting the domestic job market.
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Japan retailers post improved 9-month earnings as COVID effects ease
TOKYO – Major Japanese retailers reported improved earnings for the nine months through November, with some posting record net profits and sales as eased pandemic restrictions helped revive consumption.
Aeon Co. said Friday that its operating profit rose 26.3 percent from a year earlier to 112.68 billion yen in the March-November period as sales grew 4.2 percent to an all-time high of 6.72 trillion yen on strong sales of food products under affordable private brands. Many retailers in Japan close their books in February.
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JR East employee sexually harassed visually impaired female passenger
TOKYO – A male employee of East Japan Railway Co. repeatedly made comments deemed to be of a sexually harassing nature to a visually impaired female passenger at a Tokyo station for three months until earlier this month, company officials said Friday.
The railway operator, commonly known as JR East, is considering disciplinary action against the employee, who made comments such as, “Isn’t your chest heavy? I can carry it for you,” while guiding her to the platform from the ticket gate, the officials said.
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Asahi tops as 3 of 4 major Japan brewers mark sales rise in 2022
TOKYO – Three of four major Japanese brewers posted a rise in sales of beer and beer-like drinks in 2022 from a year earlier, with Asahi Breweries Ltd. apparently taking the top spot for the first time in three years, their data showed Friday.
The results suggest more people are going out drinking amid the easing of coronavirus restrictions. The total sales volume of the four companies, also including Kirin Brewery Co., Suntory Spirits Ltd. and Sapporo Breweries Ltd., likely expanded by around 3 percent for the first increase in 18 years.
