Tokyo, 11 October, /AJMEDIA/
Japan scraps COVID border controls in hopes of reviving tourism boom
TOKYO – Japan removed on Tuesday its cap on daily arrivals and its ban on individual, non-prearranged trips as it seeks to revive the country’s struggling inbound tourism sector by easing its COVID-19 border controls.
In addition to lifting the 50,000-person entry cap and ending the requirement that tourists travel on package tours, Japan will no longer require visitors to obtain a visa if they are citizens of a country with which Japan had a waiver agreement before the pandemic.
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Taiwan leader says armed conflict with China not an option
TAIPEI – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said Monday she is committed to boosting the self-ruled island’s defense capabilities, but armed confrontation with China is “absolutely not an option” despite escalating tensions in cross-strait relations.
In a speech to mark the 111th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China, as Taiwan calls itself, Tsai said her administration is willing to work with Beijing and what they need is mutual respect.
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Malaysia PM dissolves parliament for early general election
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Monday that the king has consented for parliament to be dissolved, setting the stage for a general election in the coming weeks, as his ruling party seeks to strengthen its position.
Ismail Sabri’s United Malays National Organization, which has ruled since independence, hopes to redeem itself after its spectacular defeat in the last election in 2018.
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Ex-Fed chief Bernanke, others win Nobel economics prize
STOCKHOLM – Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and two other U.S.-based economists won this year’s Nobel Prize in economics on Monday for their research on the role of banks during financial crises, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
Bernanke, a distinguished senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, showed how bank runs were a decisive factor in creating the Great Depression of the 1930s, the worst economic crisis in modern history, according to the academy.
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Australian PM says Kishida to visit Perth in 2 weeks
SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday that his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida will be in Perth in about two weeks to hold talks with him.
A Japanese official said Kishida is planning to make a three-day trip to Australia from Oct. 21, and the meeting between the two leaders is expected to take place the following day.
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Renault, Nissan in talks over reorganization
PARIS – A car-making alliance involving France’s Renault SA, Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Monday that Renault and Nissan are engaged in talks while working to “drive structural improvements to ensure sustainable Alliance operations and governance.”
The statement was, in effect, an admission that the two automakers are involved in reorganization talks, as reported by some news media. Renault is reportedly considering reducing its roughly 43 percent stake in the Japanese carmaker to 15 percent.
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Kagoshima, Miyazaki named winners of Japan’s “Wagyu Olympics”
KAGOSHIMA, Japan – Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures on Monday won the top prizes at the close of a five-day Japanese wagyu beef competition, also known as the “Wagyu Olympics,” held in southwestern Japan.
The prime minister’s award for best breeding bull based on physique and coat was given to Kagoshima, the host of the 12th run of the event while neighboring Miyazaki scored the top prize for beef quality.
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Baseball: Hanshin edges DeNA to reach CL playoff finals
YOKOHAMA – Hanshin reliever Atsuki Yuasa got in and out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Tigers eliminated the DeNA BayStars with a 3-2 come-from-behind win in Game 3 of the Central League Climax Series’ first stage Monday.
The Tigers, who finished the regular season in third place, will face batting Triple Crown winner Munetaka Murakami’s Yakult Swallows in the final stage beginning Wednesday at Jingu Stadium.