Tokyo, 27 May, /AJMEDIA/
Japan to slowly resume accepting foreign tourists from June 10
TOKYO – Japan will begin accepting foreign tourists in stages starting June 10, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday, as the country continues to ease its COVID-19 border controls after suspending inbound traveler entries for around two years.
The government will initially limit eligible tourism arrivals to guided tours as a means to reduce the potential spread of infections, and will authorize two more airports in addition to five already approved to accept international flights.
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U.S. to remain focused on China in the midst of Russia’s war: Blinken
WASHINGTON – The United States views China as posing “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order” and will remain focused on Beijing even in the midst of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday.
The United States, however, is not seeking to block China from its role as a major power, nor is it looking for conflict or a new Cold War, the top U.S. diplomat said amid growing tensions over Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island Beijing views as its own.
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Japan, U.S. defense chiefs rap N. Korea missile launches
TOKYO – Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday criticized North Korea’s ballistic missile launches the day before as an act of provocation and a threat to international security.
During their phone talks, Kishi and Austin agreed to keep working closely toward reinforcing their alliance’s deterrence and response capabilities in dealing with Pyongyang’s military activities, and to further promote trilateral cooperation involving South Korea, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry.
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Japan eases travel advisory for 36 nations, allows nonessential trip
TOKYO – Japan on Thursday eased its travel warning for 36 countries and areas, including the United States, Britain, Canada and Hong Kong, over the coronavirus pandemic, no longer asking Japanese citizens to avoid nonessential trips to the areas.
The Foreign Ministry lowered its travel advisories for those countries, which also include Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, from the third-highest Level 2 on its four-point scale to Level 1, which advises Japanese nationals traveling those regions to “stay fully alert.”
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WHO raps Russia’s attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine
GENEVA – The World Health Organization adopted a resolution Thursday condemning “in the strongest terms” Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, including its attacks on hospitals and other health care facilities.
The Ukraine-led resolution does not contain any concrete measures such as suspending Russia’s voting rights in the world health body. It calls on Moscow to stop the attacks on health facilities while urging protection for medical workers and people involved in humanitarian areas.
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Sunken Hokkaido tourist boat raised to surface in 2nd salvage attempt
SAPPORO – A tourist boat that sank off Hokkaido last month, leaving 14 people dead and 12 missing, was successfully raised to the surface Thursday after an initial attempt to salvage the vessel earlier this week resulted in it sinking to greater depths.
Nippon Salvage Co., hired by the Japan Coast Guard, lifted the 19-ton Kazu I from the seabed at a depth of 182 meters, with its hull breaking the surface at around 6:55 p.m.
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Japan, Thailand oppose bid to change status quo by force in Ukraine
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha agreed Thursday they will never tolerate the attempt to change the status quo by force in Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion of the country.
Kishida told the Thai prime minister in their summit in Tokyo that the international community needs to be “on the same page in raising the voice of opposition against Russia,” according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
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Nagasaki not to invite Russian envoy to A-bomb anniversary event
NAGASAKI – Nagasaki will not invite Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin to an Aug. 9 event marking the 77th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the southwestern city in response to Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine, Mayor Tomihisa Taue said Thursday.
“While the event is a good opportunity to make a direct appeal for peace, we must also anticipate unforeseen circumstances” such as possible anti-Russia protests, Taue said.