Tokyo, 7 September, /AJMEDIA/
Japan raises daily arrival cap to 50,000 as tourism sector sluggish
TOKYO – Japan increased its daily entry cap on arrivals from 20,000 to 50,000 on Wednesday, as the country’s tourism sector has been languishing in the face of strict COVID-19 border controls imposed for more than two years.
Starting on the same day, incoming travelers who have been vaccinated at least three times do not need to take coronavirus tests within 72 hours of departure and show proof they are not infected.
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Yen briefly breaches 143 line vs. U.S. dollar for 24-yr low in N.Y.
NEW YORK – The Japanese yen hit a fresh 24-year low against the U.S. dollar, briefly breaching the 143 line in New York on Tuesday amid solid yen-selling and dollar-buying momentum on the rise of long-term U.S. Treasury yields.
The yen was traded at 142.74-84 to the dollar at 5 p.m. in New York after temporarily trading at 143.08, marking a fresh low since August 1998 following the longer Labor Day weekend.
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Japan SDF faces harassment probe after sexual assault claim
TOKYO – Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and Defense Ministry will undergo a comprehensive harassment investigation, the ministry said Tuesday, in a rare move taken by its chief after an allegation by a former female SDF member of sexual assault by colleagues.
The investigation of various kinds of harassment by a defense watchdog was ordered by Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada about a week after Rina Gonoi, 22, submitted a petition of over 100,000 signatures to the ministry last Wednesday, demanding a thorough independent probe into the case that occurred while she was a member of the Ground Self-Defense Force in August 2021.
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Japan gov’t website hit by cyberattack, pro-Russia group claims role
TOKYO – The Japanese government’s web portal e-Gov was hit by a cyberattack and became inaccessible Tuesday, its cybersecurity response center said, with a pro-Russian hacker group appearing to claim responsibility for the incident.
The National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity said the website came under a so-called DDoS attack, in which a network is overwhelmed by hackers sending floods of data from multiple sources over a short period. It became inaccessible from around 4:30 p.m. and remained disrupted into the night.
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Truss becomes new Britain leader, vows to shore up economy
LONDON – Liz Truss became British prime minister Tuesday after being appointed by Queen Elizabeth, pledging to shore up the country’s inflation-plagued economy.
Truss, 47, the former foreign secretary, won the ruling Conservative Party leadership race on Monday after securing 57.4 percent of party member votes, beating her opponent Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, who received 42.6 percent.
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Japan to cut COVID isolation period to speed up economic recovery
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday that Japan will shorten the period of isolation for COVID-19 patients with symptoms to seven days from the current 10 days, signaling it will accelerate efforts to lift the economy out of a downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The recuperation period will also be cut for those infected but showing no symptoms to five days from seven days if they test negative for the virus. Kishida said his government will finalize the revisions after hearing opinions at a meeting of health experts on Wednesday.
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Russia turns to N. Korea artillery amid Ukraine war: U.S. officials
WASHINGTON – Russia is seeking to buy millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea, a sign that President Vladimir Putin is becoming “desperate” as sanctions hit Moscow in the wake of its war in Ukraine, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday.
The announcement followed reports that Russia has received initial shipments of drones from Iran, which the U.S. government believes is part of Moscow’s plan to import hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles of various types for use in Ukraine.
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Biden “sure” to see Xi, if Chinese leader travels to G-20 summit
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday expressed eagerness to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit of the Group of 20 major economies scheduled for November in Indonesia.
“If he’s there, I’m sure I’ll see him,” Biden told reporters, referring to what would potentially become the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Biden took office in January last year.
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Japan eyes 50,000 yen handouts for each low-income household to fight inflation
TOKYO – The Japanese government is planning to distribute 50,000 yen ($351) each to low-income households as part of a relief package to mitigate the blow from accelerating inflation, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
Households that are exempt from resident taxes will be eligible to receive the money, the sources said, as they are seen as more vulnerable than others to higher energy and food prices largely caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
