Tokyo, 13 September, /AJMEDIA/
Japan aims to remove daily arrival cap in October to spur tourism
TOKYO – Japan is aiming to remove its cap on daily arrivals by the end of October, government sources said Monday, as it looks to revive the world’s third-largest economy hit hard by the absence of tourists amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration, facing pressure from business circles to loosen strict COVID-19 travel regulations, is likely to judge how to ease its border control measures as early as next week, the sources said.
———-
South Korea mulls meeting between Yoon, Japan’s Kishida in N.Y.
SEOUL – South Korea is considering a meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in New York on the fringes of an upcoming U.N. General Assembly, a high-ranking South Korean government official said Monday.
Yoon has yet to hold official bilateral talks with Kishida since his presidential election win in March. There have been signs of a thaw in bilateral ties under the leadership of Yoon, who has called for a future-oriented approach to bilateral relations.
———-
Japan OKs distribution of Omicron booster shots from this month
TOKYO – Japan’s health ministry on Monday approved the production and sale of vaccines against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, with the government to send the shots to local municipalities from Sept. 19.
The additional inoculation, believed to be effective against the BA.5 subvariant of COVID-19 now prevalent in Japan, will initially be targeted toward the elderly and medical workers.
———-
Japan must not “obscure” stance on Taiwan issue: China’s Wang
TOKYO – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday that Japan must not “obscure” its stance on the Taiwan issue, demanding that Tokyo respect the principle that Beijing is the sole legitimate government of China.
The remarks in a video message at a symposium held in Tokyo came as tensions have grown over Taiwan following a trip in early August by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the third-highest-ranking U.S. official, to the self-ruled democratic island, which China views as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
———-
Typhoon Muifa brings rain, strong winds to Okinawa islands
TOKYO – Typhoon Muifa brought heavy rain and strong winds to islands in Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa on Monday, the weather agency said, with its sluggish progress expected to cause disruptions to the islands into Wednesday.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of powerful winds and rough seas, as well as landslides and overflowing rivers due to the heavy rainfall. It also said strong winds and stormy conditions capable of damaging homes could continue into Tuesday.
———-
Sony withdraws from music business in Russia amid Ukraine invasion
TOKYO – Sony Group Corp. has withdrawn from its music business in Russia, sources familiar with the matter said Monday, as the humanitarian impact of the country’s invasion of Ukraine made continuing operations there untenable.
The Japanese electronics and entertainment giant, which had suspended operations in the country earlier this year, sold its Russian music business unit and transferred artists signed to it to a local company, the sources said, though the value and other details of the transaction are not known.
———-
Sapporo to restart brewing Yebisu beer in Tokyo’s Ebisu after 35 yrs
TOKYO – Sapporo Breweries Ltd. said Monday it will start brewing its flagship Yebisu beer at the brand’s birthplace of Tokyo’s Ebisu district for the first time in 35 years.
The beer company will set up around the end of 2023 Yebisu Brewery Tokyo, a facility that contains a brewery and a museum where customers can enjoy Yebisu beer while learning about the history of the popular brand.
———-
China’s Xi to visit Central Asia in 1st trip abroad since pandemic
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping will make an official visit to two Central Asian nations from Wednesday, in what will be his first trip abroad since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Xi’s three-day trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will be closely watched as he is expected to meet bilaterally with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin — the first meeting between the two leaders since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine — when they attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand.
