Tokyo, 18 March, /AJMEDIA
3 dead, over 180 injured after M7.4 quake hits northeastern Japan
TOKYO – A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake off northeastern Japan late Wednesday left three people dead and more than 180 injured across 12 prefectures, and caused a high-speed shinkansen to derail.
Workers on Thursday rushed to repair damage to railway tracks after the derailment, while about 34,000 homes in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, where the temblor was strongly felt, remained without water.
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M7.4 quake in northeast Japan likely caused by 2021 temblor: experts
TOKYO – The magnitude-7.4 earthquake which struck northeastern Japan on Wednesday is likely to have been caused by the temblor at the same location in February 2021, experts say, warning that strong seismic activity should continue in the area.
The powerful quake off the Fukushima coast is considered to be an aftershock of the M9.0 quake in 2011 which devastated the same northeastern region and triggered the nuclear disaster, but its focus was much deeper at 57 kilometers below the seabed than 24 km 11 years ago.
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Biden, Xi to hold phone talks Fri. over Ukraine, other concerns
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden will speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping by phone on Friday and warn of the “costs” Beijing will face if it takes actions supporting Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
The two leaders will hold talks for the first time since Russia launched the invasion of its neighboring country on Feb. 24, amid growing concerns in Washington that Beijing is considering directly assisting Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine.
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G-7 foreign ministers agree to keep up pressure on Russia
TOKYO – Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrial powers on Thursday agreed to keep up pressure on Russia and provide more humanitarian assistance to Ukraine as the war between them has entered its fourth week, Japan’s foreign minister said.
The ministers also agreed to strengthen support for Moldova and other countries near Ukraine as they try to deal with a flood of refugees from the war-torn country, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters after meeting his counterparts virtually.
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Japan, Saudi Arabia to work toward stabilizing crude oil markets
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed Thursday to bolster cooperation on stabilizing global crude oil markets after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent prices surging.
Kishida expressed hope for Saudi Arabia’s “strong leadership” in bringing calm to the markets amid supply concerns, the prime minister told reporters after speaking by phone with the crown prince.
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Japan’s February core consumer prices up 0.6% on year
TOKYO – Japan’s core consumer prices rose 0.6 percent in February from a year earlier for the sixth straight month of increase, government data showed Friday.
The nationwide core consumer price index excluding volatile fresh food items was up from a 0.2 percent rise in January, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
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Japan formally decides to end COVID-19 quasi-emergency next week
TOKYO – The government formally decided Thursday to lift all remaining coronavirus quasi-state of emergency curbs in Japan as scheduled next week as the number of new infections has recently been on a downtrend.
Tokyo and the nearby prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama are among the 18 areas that will see the restrictions end on Monday. Other areas include Aichi, Osaka and Kyoto.
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Princess Aiko vows to fulfill duties as adult in 1st news conference
TOKYO – Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, reiterated Thursday her aspirations to fulfill her duties “to the best of my ability” at her first press conference since coming of age last December.
Speaking at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, the 20-year-old princess said she would “value each and every one of my duties,” as she offered “heartfelt gratitude” to all those who had supported her journey up till now.
