Tokyo, 26 January, /AJMEDIA/
U.S. eyes “potent” export controls against Russia if Ukraine invaded
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government said Tuesday it plans to impose “potent” export controls against the supplying of sophisticated technologies to Russia in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, while seeking ways to address Europe’s vulnerability due to energy reliance on Moscow.
The export control measure is being considered as part of what the United States calls “massive consequences” Russia would face as a result of aggression toward its neighbor country. President Joe Biden said later in the day he would also consider personally sanctioning Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
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Toyota plans to lift FY 2022 global output 22% to record 11 mil. units
NAGOYA – Toyota Motor Corp. plans to rev up global production to a record 11 million vehicles in the next fiscal year beginning in April, up 22 percent from the volume projected earlier for the current fiscal year, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
The production plan compares with 9 million vehicles projected in September for the year through March 2022. But it is unclear whether the automaker can proceed with output as planned, as the projection assumes that a global semiconductor shortage caused amid the coronavirus pandemic will be resolved and the coronavirus pandemic will come under control, the sources said.
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Pfizer starts clinical study on safety of Omicron-targeted vaccine
WASHINGTON – U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE said Tuesday they are starting a clinical study to evaluate the safety of an experimental vaccine targeting the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The study will be conducted in adults aged 18 to 55 and will involve up to 1,420 participants.
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China ready to hold safe, splendid Beijing Olympics, Xi tells Bach
BEIJING – President Xi Jinping told International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach in a meeting on Tuesday that China is all set to hold a simple, safe and splendid Winter Games in Beijing, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Xi’s remarks come as community infections with the coronavirus have been expanding in China, while some democratic nations including the United States have announced that they will stage a “diplomatic boycott” of the Beijing Olympics.
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IMF slashes global growth forecast to 4.4% amid U.S., China slowdown
WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday slashed the global growth forecast for 2022 by 0.5 percentage point from its earlier estimate to 4.4 percent, with disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation weighing on the world’s two largest economies.
Japan, meanwhile, saw its year-on-year growth projection revised upward by 0.1 point from the October projection to 3.3 percent, following the rollout of additional fiscal stimulus.
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Japan widens COVID quasi-emergency to 34 prefs. amid record new cases
TOKYO – Japan on Tuesday expanded a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency to 34 of the nation’s 47 prefectures with the addition of 18 more areas, as the country continues to battle record coronavirus infections amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
Effective from Thursday to Feb. 20, the quasi-emergency is intended to reduce the strain on the health care system and prevent a shortage of essential workers that could result from a surge in infections and close contacts.
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Japan FY 2020 net liabilities grows at fastest pace amid pandemic
TOKYO – The Finance Ministry said Tuesday the debt of the Japanese government exceeded its assets at the fastest pace in fiscal 2020, as spending increased for stimulus to support the coronavirus-hit economy.
At the end of March 2021, the government posted a record net liabilities of 655.2 trillion yen ($5.7 trillion), worsening 63.4 trillion yen from a year earlier, which was the quickest pace since comparable data became available in fiscal 2003.
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TikTok paid 20 influencers to spread videos without informing viewers
TOKYO – The Japan operator of the popular Chinese video-sharing app TikTok said Tuesday it paid 20 social media influencers to spread certain videos on Twitter between July 2019 to December last year, using a strategy that could be considered as stealth marketing.
The amount of the payments is being looked into, according to the Japan office of ByteDance Ltd. The company is believed to have used influencers to spread handpicked TikTok videos to raise recognition levels of the app without informing viewers about the payments.