Tokyo, 6 October, /AJMEDIA/
North Korea fires ballistic missiles toward Sea of Japan again
TOKYO – North Korea fired two ballistic missiles early Thursday, the sixth round of launches by Pyongyang since late September, the Japanese government said.
The projectiles fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone and flew between 350 and 800 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 50 to 100 km, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters.
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Japan set to extend maximum lifespan of nuclear plants beyond 60 yrs
TOKYO – The head of Japan’s nuclear regulator said Wednesday a rule that limits the operating life of nuclear power plants to a maximum of 60 years is expected to be removed from the country’s regulations.
The possible change is in line with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s goal of extending the lifespan to reduce carbon emissions and provide a stable electricity supply. Still, public concern over the safety of nuclear facilities is deep-seated in Japan following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
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Japan, S. Korea leaders to hold phone call on Oct. 6 over N. Korea
TOKYO/SEOUL – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold phone talks on Thursday afternoon, two days after North Korea launched a ballistic missile in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, South Korea’s government said Wednesday.
The leaders of the two nations are expected to confirm close cooperation in response to Pyongyang’s military threat, rekindled Tuesday by the first firing of a ballistic missile over the Japanese archipelago in five years, according to Japanese government sources.
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Myanmar to skip ASEAN summit, related meetings in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH – Myanmar’s military government will not attend the summit or other related meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to be held in Cambodia next month, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.
The Cambodian government requested Myanmar, which has been under military rule since February 2021, to send non-political representatives to the biannual summit, but the country replied that it will not send anyone to the event, the sources said.
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WTO forecasts global trade growth to slow sharply in 2023
GENEVA – Global trade in goods is expected to slow more sharply than previously projected in 2023, hit by higher prices for almost everything from energy, commodities and food, the World Trade Organization said Wednesday.
The Geneva-based international body predicted that world merchandise trade volumes will only grow 1 percent next year, down from the 3.4 percent projected in April, weeks after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Japan approves Pfizer’s BA.5-tailored COVID-19 vaccine
TOKYO – Japan’s health ministry on Wednesday granted special fast-track approval to U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.’s updated coronavirus vaccine tailored to protect against the now-prevalent BA.5 subvariant.
The ministry also approved the administration of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine targeting the original strain to children aged between 6 months and 4 years old, making it the first COVID-19 vaccine available in Japan for the age group.
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Japan’s PM Kishida plans to visit Australia in late Oct. for summit
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to visit Australia late this month to talk with his counterpart Anthony Albanese, a government source said Wednesday, amid mounting concern over China’s growing assertiveness.
The two leaders are expected to confirm cooperation toward the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific, the source said, as Japan and Australia compose the Quad, a four-way security framework involving India and the United States.
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Wakata embarks on 5th space mission, a record for Japan astronaut
WASHINGTON – Koichi Wakata embarked on his fifth space mission, marking a new record among Japanese astronauts, aboard a U.S. SpaceX ship that was successfully launched from Florida on Wednesday.
The 59-year-old is one of the four astronauts taking part in NASA’s fifth crew rotation mission to the International Space Station using the U.S. commercial spacecraft. The team will travel to the orbiting laboratory for a six-month science and technology research mission.