Tokyo, 16 January, /AJMEDIA/
Japan’s Pacific coast hit by tsunami after Tonga eruption
TOKYO – Japan’s Pacific coast was hit early Sunday by a tsunami following a massive underwater volcanic eruption in the South Pacific island country of Tonga the previous day, prompting the weather agency to issue a tsunami warning and advisories while over 210,000 residents were urged to move to high ground.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said a 3-meter tsunami may hit some of Japan’s southwestern islands including Amami Island as well as the northeastern prefecture of Iwate.
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3 knifed outside Univ. of Tokyo before entrance exams, teenager held
TOKYO – Two high school students and a man were wounded in a knife attack on Saturday just outside the University of Tokyo ahead of nationwide entrance exams and a teenager apparently frustrated with his academic performance has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said.
The 72-year-old man was seriously injured after he and the two students, aged 17 and 18, were slashed in the back around 8:30 a.m. in front of one of the gates to the university’s main campus, according to the police.
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Beijing reports 1st case of Omicron coronavirus variant
BEIJING – The Beijing government said Saturday that it has detected its first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, just weeks ahead of the Winter Olympics in the capital.
In recent months, community infections with the highly contagious variant were confirmed in Tianjin with a population of 14 million, known as a key gateway to Beijing.
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Sumo association probe found 2 wrestlers gambled illegally: source
TOKYO – A Japan Sumo Association probe has found that a pair of wrestlers from the top tiers of the ancient sport has taken part in illegal gambling, a source with knowledge of the matter said Saturday.
The JSA’s compliance committee has reached that conclusion after holding hearings with the pair, elite makuuchi division wrestler Hidenoumi and second-tier juryo division wrestler Shiden, and their stablemaster, sumo elder Kise.
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Sumo: Unbeaten sekiwake Mitakeumi takes sole New Year tourney lead
TOKYO – Sekiwake Mitakeumi scored an easy win to take the sole lead with a 7-0 record at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday.
Two wrestlers, yokozuna Terunofuji, who is seeking his third straight championship, and No. 6 maegashira Abi, are a win back at 6-1 in the 15-day meet at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Chasing his third career championship, Mitakeumi was forced back at the get-go, but got a fistful of veteran No. 3 Tamawashi’s belt in the process, shoved his opponent back across the straw and forced him out to his second loss.
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Japan’s daily COVID-19 cases top 25,000, near record high
TOKYO – Japan’s confirmed daily coronavirus cases on Saturday topped 25,000 for the first time since Aug. 26, inching closer to a record-high number, as the Omicron variant rapidly spreads.
The tally, based on data provided by local governments across the country, stood at 25,742. Some prefectures reported all-time high numbers of infections, with Osaka and Okinawa confirming 3,692 and 1,829 cases, respectively. Hiroshima reported over 1,000 cases for the first time.
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Tennis star Novak Djokovic detained as he fights 2nd visa cancellation
SYDNEY – Tennis star Novak Djokovic was detained again by Australian authorities on Saturday in an immigration facility in Melbourne, following a second cancellation of his visa on Friday evening.
The men’s world No. 1 was driven to the designated immigration hotel Saturday afternoon, a report by Melbourne newspaper The Age said. He will spend the night there ahead of a court hearing on Sunday to decide whether he can remain in the country to play in the Australian Open starting on Monday.
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IPC vows to build on Tokyo success by delivering safe Beijing Games
TOKYO – With the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics approaching, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons has vowed to deliver a safe event amid the pandemic by making the most of lessons learned from the successful staging of last summer’s Tokyo Games.
“I think we have learned a lot from Tokyo, and this will help us navigate through the situation, protecting the athletes and everyone involved,” Parsons told Kyodo News in an online interview ahead of the March 4-13 Winter Paralympics.