Tokyo, 10 June, /AJMEDIA/
Japan restarts process to accept foreign tourists as COVID worries wane
TOKYO – Japan resumed travel-related procedures to accept foreign tourists on Friday, taking the first step toward increasing inbound tourism to help turn around its economy as worries about the COVID-19 pandemic wane.
The government is initially limiting eligible tourist arrivals to guided tours from 98 countries and regions deemed as having the lowest risk of infection, including the United States, Britain, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand.
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Japan secures record 12th nonpermanent seat on U.N. Security Council
NEW YORK – Japan secured a nonpermanent seat on the U.N. Security Council for a record 12th time in a General Assembly election on Thursday, with its two-year term set to start next January.
Tokyo’s return comes as the council, in charge of ensuring international peace and security, has appeared dysfunctional, particularly with Russia, one of the five permanent members, exercising its veto power over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
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FOCUS: Businesses pin hopes on foreign tourists as Japan set to reopen border
TOKYO – Japan’s businesses are pinning hopes on an inbound tourism recovery as the country resumed the process of accepting foreign tourists for the first time since suspending it more than two years ago due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While the economic impact of easing border measures may not be so large at first due to the limited number of tourists allowed in, economists said the recent weakening of the Japanese yen could encourage visitors to spend more.
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Japan, Singapore eye talks on defense equipment transfer deal
TOKYO – The leaders of Japan and Singapore are expected to agree on the launch of negotiations to reach a deal on the transfer of defense equipment and technology, Japanese government sources said Thursday.
The agreement, expected at a summit on Saturday in Singapore, is part of Tokyo’s drive to deepen security cooperation with Southeast Asian nations as China is bolstering its economic and military power in the Indo-Pacific region.
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NASA to launch months-long scientific study on UFOs from early fall
WASHINGTON – NASA said Thursday it is launching a scientific study on unidentified aerial phenomena, more commonly known as UFOs, calling them of interest for both national security and air safety.
The study will start early in the fall and is expected to take about nine months to complete, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. There is no evidence that the phenomena are extra-terrestrial in origin, it said.
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U.S. agrees to $120 mil. deal to help Taiwan maintain naval vessels
TAIPEI – The Taiwanese government said Thursday that the United States has agreed to sell $120 million worth of parts and technical assistance to Taiwan to maintain its military vessels in the face of China’s continuing military expansion.
It is the fourth arms sale by the United States to Taiwan under the administration of President Joe Biden, the Foreign Ministry said, welcoming the move as signaling that Washington “continues to help us obtain the equipment necessary for our self-defense capabilities.”
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South Korea’s foreign minister eyes Japan visit after mid-June: source
SEOUL – South Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin is planning to visit Japan as early as this month, a government source said Thursday, as relations between the two countries remain frayed over wartime issues.
Park’s visit to Japan, which would be the first by a South Korean foreign minister since November 2019, is believed to take place after he returns from a trip to the United States running from Sunday to Wednesday.
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Indonesian villagers shocked at Japanese COVID fund fraud suspect’s arrest
SRI DADI, Indonesia – An Indonesian business partner of a Japanese COVID-19 subsidy fraud suspect said Thursday he felt sorry and shocked over the man’s sudden arrest earlier this week.
The arrest of Mitsuhiro Taniguchi, who is suspected of swindling hundreds of millions of yen from a Japanese subsidy program for small companies hit by the coronavirus pandemic, has destroyed the hopes of continuing fish farming in the village of Sri Dadi in Indonesia’s Lampung Province, according to Masduki, his business partner.