Tokyo, 25 November, /AJMEDIA/
Japan PM Kishida eyes U.S. trip for talks with Biden in Jan.
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to visit the United States in January for talks with President Joe Biden, government sources said Thursday, with deepening the bilateral security alliance likely to top the agenda.
The trip is being arranged for Jan. 7-9, or sometime around then, in what would be his first visit to Washington since taking office in October last year, the sources said.
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Shionogi applies for COVID-19 vaccine approval, 1st as Japan-made
OSAKA – Japanese pharmaceutical firm Shionogi & Co. said Thursday it has applied with the health ministry for approval of its novel coronavirus vaccine.
It has marked the first application of a COVID-19 vaccine developed in Japan. Only two days after the ministry granted emergency approval for its coronavirus oral drug Xocova, the first for a domestic drugmaker, Shionogi is now seeking authorization to manufacture and sell the recombinant protein-based vaccine.
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U.S. military poised to return to Subic Bay, counter China’s presence
SUBIC, Philippines – The U.S. military will likely return to Subic Bay 30 years after relinquishing what was once their largest military base in Asia due to concerns over China’s increasing maritime assertiveness, a top official of the local body overseeing the free port zone said.
The former U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay, which faces the South China Sea, has become a bustling free port that employs about 150,000 locals, administered by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.
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Tokyo court disposed of records linked to AUM cult dissolution order
TOKYO – The Tokyo District Court has disposed of records related to a 1995 request for an order to dissolve AUM Shinrikyo after the cult committed a series of crimes, including a deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, an official said.
As one of the few cases in Japan in which the court issued a dissolution order under the Religious Corporations Law, the disclosure is likely to boost calls for the proper preservation of official records.
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China sees record daily COVID cases of nearly 30,000 amid lockdowns
BEIJING – China reported record daily coronavirus cases of nearly 30,000 in the mainland Thursday, as the government continues to implement its stringent “zero-COVID” policy involving lockdowns in some 20,000 areas.
New cases, including asymptomatic ones but excluding international arrivals, stood at 29,754 on Wednesday, according to the National Health Commission, the highest figure since it began releasing the number in the spring of 2020.
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Opposition leader Anwar sworn in as Malaysia’s PM
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as prime minister Thursday after the palace named the former deputy prime minister the country’s new leader following Saturday’s general election that resulted in a hung parliament.
Anwar’s multiethnic Pakatan Harapan, or Alliance of Hope, is expected to form a government with the National Front coalition popularly known as BN, the former ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
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Japan keeps economic recovery assessment in Nov. despite inflation
TOKYO – Japan on Thursday maintained its view that the economy is recovering moderately, as solid pent-up demand for services following the lifting of COVID-19 curbs continued to support private consumption despite accelerating inflation.
The Cabinet Office retained the assessment for the fifth straight month in its economic report for November, while continuing to warn of volatility in financial markets following the yen’s sharp decline relative to the U.S. dollar.
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MUFG to buy Asian units of Dutch consumer lender for 596 mil. euros
TOKYO – Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. said Thursday it will acquire two Southeast Asian subsidiaries of Netherlands-based consumer finance company Home Credit B.V., located in the Philippines and Indonesia, for a total of about 596 million euros ($622 million).
The Japanese bank group, together with its local subsidiaries, will buy a 100 percent stake in HC Consumer Finance Philippines Inc. and hold an 85 percent share in PT Home Credit Indonesia, it said. The deal is expected to be completed in 2023.