Tokyo, 5 January, /AJMEDIA/
North Korea fires what could be ballistic missile toward Sea of Japan
TOKYO – North Korea fired what appears to be a ballistic missile, the Japanese government said Wednesday.
North Korea test-fired a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile in October, adding to concerns over the nuclear-armed nation’s technological advances in hard-to-intercept weapons.
———-
U.S. sees Omicron variant accounting for 95% of COVID-19 cases
WASHINGTON – The United States continues to see a rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, with the highly contagious strain making up over 95 percent of new cases, data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Tuesday.
Daily COVID-19 cases in the United States have been skyrocketing around the holiday season, with a tally by Johns Hopkins University showing that on Monday the figure topped 1 million for the first time.
———-
Japan’s daily coronavirus cases top 1,000 for 1st time in 3 months
TOKYO – Japan’s daily count of coronavirus cases exceeded 1,000 on Tuesday for the first time in three months as an uptrend continues amid the spread of the Omicron variant in the country.
The nationwide cases stood at 1,268, according to a Kyodo News tally. In Tokyo, the metropolitan government confirmed 151 cases, marking the second consecutive day the count has hit triple digits.
———-
Teenager 1st to use Japan hospital’s “confidential birth” system
KUMAMOTO, Japan – A southwestern Japan hospital where women can give birth anonymously said Tuesday that a teenage girl who gave birth in December has become the first person to use the system, the only one of its kind in the country.
Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto Prefecture, which became the first facility in Japan to offer so-called confidential births in December 2019, said the girl only disclosed her identity to the head counselor of the hospital and has already been discharged.
———-
Motorcycle shipments in Japan appear to have hit 23-yr high amid pandemic
TOKYO – Japan’s domestic shipments of motorcycles appear to have hit a 23-year high in 2021 as the coronavirus pandemic led to surging demand for the vehicles that allow people to practice social distancing when riding.
People of different age groups have been riding two-wheelers as a leisure activity or transportation method, even though such vehicles had become less popular before the pandemic partly due to restrictions on exhaust gases.
———-
Japan PM won’t go to U.S., Australia before mid-Jan., to focus on COVID
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday he has given up on visiting the United States and Australia for in-person summit talks before the start of a regular parliamentary session in mid-January and will focus on the COVID-19 response at home instead.
Kishida said he had been seeking to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as he aims to step up summit diplomacy this year.
———-
5 nations including U.S., Russia, China vow to prevent nuclear war
WASHINGTON – The United States, Russia, China and two other countries with nuclear weapons on Monday issued a joint statement affirming that nuclear war must be avoided and that the role of such armaments should be limited to defensive purposes and to deter aggression.
China hailed the statement, which also vows to continue to seek diplomatic approaches to avoid military confrontations and prevent an arms race, as the first of its kind released by the leaders of the five so-called nuclear-weapon states.
———-
Sumo: Former ozeki Takayasu, Tagonoura stable to miss New Year tourney
TOKYO – Former ozeki Takayasu will miss the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament starting Sunday after four people at his Tagonoura stable have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Japan Sumo Association announced Tuesday.
The four infected included the stablemaster, sumo elder Tagonoura and two low-ranked wrestlers.
