Tokyo, 27 June, /AJMEDIA/
G-7 leaders to ban Russia gold imports, monitor assertive China
MUNICH – Group of Seven leaders on Sunday looked set to tighten sanctions on Russia over its war on Ukraine after U.S. President Joe Biden said the group will ban Russian gold imports in a show of unity as the forum navigates the broader consequences of the prolonged war.
In a three-day summit that opened Sunday in the German mountain resort of Schloss Elmau, the leaders also launched a global infrastructure program that will access $600 billion by 2027 to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
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Japan issues power usage warning for Tokyo area amid heatwaves
TOKYO – The Japanese government issued a power usage warning for the first time Sunday as sweltering temperatures in Tokyo and surrounding areas are expected to put pressure on the system as businesses reopen Monday.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is particularly urging the public in Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s service area to save electricity via measures including turning off unnecessary lights in the demand-intensive 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. period on Monday.
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Japan PM warns G-7 of danger of “wrong lessons” from Russian invasion
MUNICH – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday stressed the need for the Group of Seven leaders to show a united front to prevent other countries from drawing the “wrong lessons” from Russia’s war on Ukraine, in an apparent reference to Chinese muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific.
Kishida highlighted the severity of the security situation surrounding Japan during a G-7 summit in southern Germany, citing Beijing’s dispatch of ships to waters around the Senkaku Islands and its gas field explorations in the East China Sea as attempts to change the status quo by force.
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M4.7 quake jolts southwestern Japan, no tsunami warning issued
TOKYO – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 shook Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan on Sunday, but no tsunami warning was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The quake, which occurred at around 9:44 p.m. with its focus at a depth of around 9 kilometers, registered lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the town of Misato, the agency said.
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WHO says monkeypox outbreak not yet global emergency
GENEVA – The World Health Organization decided on Saturday not to declare the outbreak of monkeypox a global emergency for the time being, even as the number of confirmed cases in non-endemic countries continues to grow.
WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was advised in his decision by a committee of international health experts that convened for an emergency meeting on Thursday, Tedros said in a statement.
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Less than 3% of Japan firms exiting Russia, lowest among G-7: survey
TOKYO – Less than 3 percent of Japanese companies operating in Russia have decided to withdraw following its invasion of Ukraine, the lowest proportion among the Group of Seven nations, a recent survey shows.
A considerable number of Japanese companies were cautious about exiting from Russia, with many only suspending operations in the hope of resuming business in the future, the analysis of the survey said.
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Japan households becoming less tolerant of surging food prices: study
TOKYO – Japanese households are becoming increasingly less tolerant of surging prices of food and daily necessities, according to a recent analysis of Bank of Japan surveys by a research company.
The Mizuho Research & Technologies Ltd. analysis of the household spending surveys runs counter to BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s remark in early June that consumers had become “tolerant” of rising prices.