Tokyo, 27 July, /AJMEDIA/
IMF cuts global growth to 3.2% amid Ukraine war, China slowdown
WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday projected global economic growth will slow to 3.2 percent in 2022, cutting the outlook by 0.4 percentage point from its April forecast as Russia’s war against Ukraine drives up inflation worldwide and China’s COVID-19 lockdowns lead to a worse-than-expected slowdown.
With the United States, China and other major economies facing downgraded outlooks, Japan’s growth in 2022 and 2023 was also expected to be 0.7 point and 0.6 point lower than earlier estimated as the latest figures showed 1.7 percent for both years, according to an update of the semiannual World Economic Outlook report.
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Russia to withdraw from int’l space station project: reports
TOKYO – Russia has decided to withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024 and the country’s space entity notified President Vladimir Putin of the plan on Tuesday, local media reports said.
The reports came amid uncertainties about whether the operation of the ISS, which also involves more than 10 countries such as the United States and Japan, can be maintained after the current agreement expires in 2024.
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Osaka to raise COVID-19 alert to highest level amid record cases
OSAKA – Japan’s western prefecture of Osaka is set to raise its coronavirus alert to the highest of three levels, officials familiar with the plan said Tuesday, as the area’s daily infection count hit a record 25,762 amid a fresh wave of COVID-19.
The alert level will be raised to red from yellow, possibly on Wednesday, as Osaka’s hospital bed occupancy rate has climbed to 49.6 percent. The prefectural government had said it would raise the level if the rate reached 50 percent.
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China vows cooperation for successful G-20 summit in Indonesia
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed Tuesday to increase cooperation for a successful summit of the Group of 20 major economies to be held in November in Indonesia as he met with his counterpart from the Southeast Asian country in Beijing, state media reported.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo extended an invitation to Xi to attend the summit in Bali, and Xi “expressed his thanks and wished the summit a complete success,” according to their joint statement. Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been invited to the gathering.
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Former Emperor Akihito on mend after heart failure diagnosis: palace
TOKYO – Former Emperor Akihito has been diagnosed as suffering heart failure, the Imperial Household Agency said Tuesday, but he is on the mend after receiving treatment, and there are no plans for him to be hospitalized.
The 88-year-old received the diagnosis after undergoing a heart examination at University of Tokyo Hospital on Sunday, according to the agency. The exam found that a valve in his heart did not close sufficiently to prevent blood backflow.
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Japan executes assailant in fatal 2008 rampage in Tokyo’s Akihabara
TOKYO – Japan executed a man on Tuesday over a 2008 rampage in Tokyo’s Akihabara district in which seven people were killed and 10 others injured, the justice minister said, marking the country’s first hanging since last December.
Tomohiro Kato, 39, ran down pedestrians with a truck in a vehicle-free pedestrian zone in the district on June 8, 2008, killing three people and injuring two. After exiting the vehicle, he fatally stabbed four other people with a dagger and injured another eight, according to the ruling finalized in 2015.
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Taiwan’s Tsai inspects largest military drill simulating China attack
TAIPEI – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen observed a joint naval exercise on Tuesday as part of the live-fire phase of the annual Han Kuang military exercises amid recurrent Chinese incursions around the self-ruled island.
Boarding a warship in Yilan County, northern Taiwan, Tsai inspected the Han Kuang exercises featuring naval vessels and air force fighters, marking the first time for her to do so since taking office in May 2016.
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Baseball: Kiyomiya walk-off homer lifts PL in NPB All-Star Game 1
FUKUOKA – Kotaro Kiyomiya’s walk-off solo home run lifted the Pacific League to a 3-2 win over the Central League on Tuesday in the first of two Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star games.
The Nippon Ham Fighters infielder connected on Hiroshima Carp ace Masato Morishita’s 1-2 fastball with two outs in the ninth inning as the PL edged a tight game before a crowd of 35,534 at PayPay Dome.