Tokyo, 30 January, /AJMEDIA/
N. Korea fires what may be ballistic missile: Japan
TOKYO – North Korea fired what may be a ballistic missile on Sunday, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.
It marked the seventh time Pyongyang has launched missiles this month.
South Korea’s military also confirmed the launch of what it described as an unidentified projectile by the North toward the Sea of Japan, according to Yonhap News Agency
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Japan’s daily COVID cases hit record high at over 84,000
TOKYO – Japan confirmed more than 84,000 daily coronavirus infections on Saturday, reaching a record high for the fifth straight day, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant continues to spread across the country.
The nationwide tally came to 84,936, according to a tally based on reports by prefectural governments. The number has more than tripled from two weeks ago.
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Cambodia mulls rescheduling ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting mid-Feb.
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia is considering rescheduling the annual ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting for Feb. 16-17 following its postponement earlier this month, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
Cambodia, the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for this year, is planning to exclude the foreign minister of Myanmar from the meeting as the country’s ruling military has not stopped violence against protesters, sources close to the matter said.
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British PM Johnson eyeing visit to Japan in mid-Feb.
TOKYO – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to visit Japan in mid-February for talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
During Johnson’s planned trip on Feb. 15 and 16, the two leaders are likely to agree to enhance security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, where China has become increasingly assertive in its territorial claims in the East and South China seas, the sources said.
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China envoy warns of “conflict” if U.S. promotes Taiwan independence
WASHINGTON – China’s Ambassador to Washington Qin Gang warned of “military conflict” if the United States continues to take moves which Beijing perceives as encouraging Taiwan’s independence, in an interview with U.S. media aired Friday.
“If the Taiwanese authorities, emboldened by the United States, keep going down the road for independence, it most likely (will) involve China and the United States, the two big countries, in a military conflict,” Qin told National Public Radio, referring to the self-ruled democratic island which China views as its own.
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China allows U.N. rights chief to visit Xinjiang
HONG KONG – China will allow U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet to visit the far western region of Xinjiang, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Bachelet received Beijing’s approval to visit the region with the understanding that it would be a “friendly” trip rather than an investigation into alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims, according to The South China Morning Post.