Tokyo, 10 November, /AJMEDIA/
Control of U.S. Congress still unclear amid tight midterm races
WASHINGTON – The results of the U.S. midterm elections were not yet clear enough Wednesday to know which party will control Congress from January, although local media continues to bet on the Republicans retaking the House of Representatives by a narrower margin than expected.
Control of the Senate has come down to a few races, with Democrats scoring a crucial win in Pennsylvania by flipping a seat previously held by a Republican. Georgia, another key state, is heading to a runoff slated for Dec. 6, according to U.S. media.
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Japan’s 8th COVID wave could surpass previous wave’s peak
TOKYO – With coronavirus cases quickly rebounding throughout Japan, the country’s eighth pandemic wave may match or exceed the previous wave’s peak of more than 260,000 daily cases seen in August, the health ministry’s experts panel said Wednesday.
Countrywide cases confirmed during a seven-day period to Tuesday jumped 40 percent from the week before, ministry data showed, while new daily cases reached above 87,000 on Wednesday.
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Japan, U.S. eye “2-plus-2” security talks in January
TOKYO – Japan and the United States eye holding “two-plus-two” security talks between their foreign and defense ministers soon, possibly in January, diplomatic sources said Wednesday, with the allies facing greater security challenges from China, North Korea and Russia.
The first talks being held in that format between the two nations in about a year would follow a planned revision to Japan’s National Security Strategy by the end of the year. The nation’s long-term security and diplomacy policy guidelines are slated to be updated along with two other key defense documents.
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Suspected Chinese rocket debris found off Philippines
MANILA – Debris likely from a Chinese rocket has been retrieved off the Philippines for a second time this year, its authorities said Wednesday, fueling criticism that China is not taking sufficient steps to reduce the risk of accidents.
China said Friday the wreckage of its Long March 5B rocket re-entered the atmosphere and fell into the sea the same day, underscoring that most of it burned up on reentry. The rocket was launched last month to transport a module to the country’s space station.
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Japan justice minister under fire for gaffe on death penalty
TOKYO – Japan’s justice minister came under fire Wednesday for remarks widely seen as making light of his role in providing the final authorization for each use of the death penalty in the country.
Yasuhiro Hanashi, a ruling party lawmaker who took the post in August, told a political gathering that the justice minister is an “obscure” job that makes big headlines “only” after approving a decision to hang inmates.
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Honda lifts profit outlook to 725 bil. yen on windfall from weaker yen
TOKYO – Honda Motor Co. on Wednesday raised its full-year net profit outlook to 725 billion yen ($4.9 billion) from the previously projected 710 billion yen, as a greater impact of a weaker yen will offset the impact of its lower sales volume outlook.
The latest net profit project for the year to March 2023 represents a 2.5 percent rise from the previous year when the automaker was also helped by the depreciation of its home currency.
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M4.9 quake hits eastern Japan, no damage reported
TOKYO – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 struck Ibaraki Prefecture in eastern Japan on Wednesday, the weather agency said, though no tsunami warning was issued and there have been no reports of serious injuries or damage.
The quake occurred at around 5:40 p.m. at a depth of 51 kilometers. It measured an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Shirosato, Ibaraki.
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Football: Veteran Nagatomo ready to drive Japan to new heights in Qatar
TOKYO – Set to be the first Japanese field player to see four straight World Cups, evergreen Yuto Nagatomo needs no extra encouragement to express his pride in representing Japan once again in Qatar.
The 36-year-old former Inter Milan man is likely to retain the starting fullback berth he has made his own since his 2010 tournament debut in South Africa, especially after the withdrawal of the injured Yuta Nakayama this month.
