Tokyo, 7 January, /AJMEDIA/
Plane makes emergency landing at Japan airport after bomb threat
NAGOYA – A domestic flight operated by budget carrier Jetstar Japan Co. made an emergency landing on Saturday morning at an international airport in central Japan following a bomb threat, according to the transport ministry and local police.
There were reports of injuries upon escape from the aircraft following its arrival in Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture at around 7:40 a.m.
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2-day service suspension on Tokyo’s busy Yamanote loop line begins
TOKYO – Services were suspended on a portion of Tokyo’s busy Yamanote loop line Saturday due to track-switching construction work at the busy Shibuya Station, with the disruption to last the whole weekend.
Services on the “outer loop,” or clockwise direction, between Osaki and Ikebukuro stations, were halted from the first train, affecting around 530,000 passengers, according to train operator East Japan Railway Co.
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U.S. regulators OK Alzheimer’s drug developed by Japan’s Eisai
WASHINGTON – U.S. regulators on Friday approved an Alzheimer’s drug developed by Japanese drug maker Eisai Co. and U.S. firm Biogen Inc. for treatment in the early stage of the fatal, brain-robbing disease.
The new drug, lecanemab, removes a type of protein called amyloid beta, considered the cause of the disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted fast-track approval to the drug as it awaits further data to confirm the treatment’s clinical benefits, a step paving the way for full-fledged approval.
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BOJ mulls raising Japan inflation forecasts amid policy speculation
TOKYO – The Bank of Japan is considering revising its inflation forecasts upward, sources familiar with the central bank’s thinking said Friday, in a move that could fuel market speculation that the BOJ is set to shift away from its aggressive monetary easing.
The revisions would include raising its core consumer inflation outlook for fiscal 2022 to the 3 percent level, the sources said. This compares with the October projection of a 2.9 percent rise. The BOJ would also raise forecasts for the following two years close to its 2 percent target from its earlier forecasts of 1.6 percent.
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Japan’s Jan.-Nov. farm, fisheries exports already hit annual record
TOKYO – Japan’s exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food products totaled 1,243.3 billion yen ($9.3 billion) for the 11 months through November, hitting an annual record with one month left, the farm ministry said Friday.
The result comes as the restaurant industry has been recovering in the United States, Europe and China following a sharp drop in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ministry said. The weak yen against other major currencies also helped lift Japanese exports.
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Japan, Ecuador vow to strengthen U.N. Security Council as new members
TOKYO – Japan and Ecuador on Friday pledged to work together closely to strengthen the U.N. Security Council as new nonpermanent members, the Japanese government said, as the world body struggles to deal with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At their meeting in Ecuador’s capital Quito, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Ecuadorian counterpart Juan Carlos Holguin also agreed to cooperate in realizing a rules-based, free and open global order, according to the Foreign Ministry.
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Baseball: Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish headline Japan’s roster for WBC
TOKYO – Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish and Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki were among the first 12 men named to Japan’s World Baseball Classic roster Friday by manager Hideki Kuriyama.
“Of all the great players from Japan, we’re considering what will be the group best suited to take on the best players in the world and see how well our baseball translates,” Kuriyama said. “We want to demonstrate the quality of Japanese baseball.”
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U.S., Japan launch task force to tackle forced labor in supply chains
WASHINGTON – The United States and Japan on Friday agreed to accelerate efforts to address forced labor and other human rights violations in supply chains through the launch of a task force between the governments of the two countries.
The task force, to be co-chaired by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, is expected to serve as a platform for information sharing between the two countries and facilitate dialogue with businesses as the United States increasingly moves to crack down on forced labor in China.
