Tokyo, 2 January, /AJMEDIA/
Record 235 COVID-19 cases reported from U.S. forces in Okinawa
NAHA, Japan – A single-day record of 235 COVID-19 cases among U.S. forces in Okinawa Prefecture were confirmed Saturday, local officials said, following a cluster infection that broke out last month at one of the U.S. bases there.
Whether the cases were of the Omicron variant, a highly transmissible strain, was unknown, as was the breakdown of the U.S. bases affected. The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases related to the U.S. military has now reached 3,613.
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Over 230 flights canceled in Hokkaido due to heavy snow
TOKYO – Over 230 flights connecting Hokkaido to other parts of Japan were canceled Saturday after the country’s northernmost main island was hit by another day of heavy snow.
The cancellations at New Chitose airport, the region’s main air gateway, were equivalent to 60 percent of flights arriving or departing at the airport in a day, according to its operator.
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Taiwan’s president urges Beijing to abandon “military adventurism”
TAIPEI – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen warned Beijing in her New Year’s address on Saturday against trying to take Taiwan by force and said that only by upholding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait can regional tensions be reduced.
“We want to remind the Beijing authorities that they should not misjudge the situation, and that they should stop the spread of military adventurism within their ranks,” Tsai said.
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FOCUS: Mental health issues show women bear brunt of Japan monarchy system
TOKYO – The diagnosis of former princess Mako’s post-traumatic stress disorder prior to her controversial marriage in October has once again highlighted the intense pressure that women in the Japanese imperial family face, with some other members also plagued by mental health issues.
The former princess, 30, who is a niece of Emperor Naruhito, came under massive public scrutiny after it became known that the family of her commoner husband Kei Komuro was involved in a financial dispute.
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Japan research body, Mitsubishi to collaborate on U.S. fast reactor
TOKYO – The Japan Atomic Energy Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with a U.S. venture firm to provide technical support for its fast reactor development project, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
The agency, which has a history of operating sodium-cooled fast reactors such as the Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor in central Japan’s Fukui Prefecture and the Joyo experimental fast reactor in Ibaraki Prefecture, is considering providing operational data and designs to TerraPower, a company co-founded by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates.
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European nations, U.S. report record COVID-19 cases as Omicron spreads
LONDON/WASHINGTON – European countries reported their highest daily COVID-19 infection figures yet on Friday, with the U.S. daily average also marking a record high, as the Omicron variant continues its spread.
There were 232,200 cases reported in France and 189,846 in Britain, while Italy confirmed over 144,243 and Greece 40,560.