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TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The Tokyo 2020 torch relay, which was put on hold when the Olympics were delayed over the coronavirus, will start next March from Japan’s Fukushima region, organizers said Monday. The Olympic flame had already arrived in Japan from Greece and the relay was days from beginning earlier this year when organizers and Olympic officials took the historic decision to postpone the Games by 12 months. The flame is currently on […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday called for better ties with South Korea in talks with President Moon Jae-in, the first in months between leaders of the countries. Suga, who took office last week, said he told Moon in a phone call that the countries must repair their “difficult” bilateral relations, which are mired in a long-running dispute over issues dating back Japan’s occupation of the Korean peninsula. “To […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan is considering easing strict coronavirus border restrictions from October to allow more foreign nationals to enter, local media reported Wednesday. Tourists would still be banned and only longer-term visas approved, the reports said, as the nation looks to rebuild its economy and prepare for the postponed Olympics next year. Japan currently bans entry for foreigners from most countries, but has been negotiating the gradual resumption of cross-border business travel. Business […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The maker of anti-influenza drug Avigan said Wednesday it will apply for the medication to be approved for treating coronavirus patients after trials showed it can shorten recovery time. In a statement, manufacturer Fujifilm Toyama Chemical said its phase III trial in Japan, which began in March, was now complete. Of 156 individuals described as “analysis targets”, the median recovery time was 11.9 days in those receiving Avigan compared with 14.7 […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Sunday spoke to Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, to congratulate him on taking office and to discuss a “free and open Indo-Pacific” region, which is increasingly dominated by China. Beijing’s expanding military presence in the region has worried several of its neighbors, and Washington has vowed to stand up against its territorial claims. China is locked in disputes with neighbors including Japan and […]
by Hiroshi HIYAMA / Sara HUSSEIN TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Yoshihide Suga became Japan’s new prime minister on Wednesday, with the former chief cabinet secretary expected to stick closely to policies championed by Shinzo Abe during his record-breaking tenure. Suga, 71, won an easy victory in a parliamentary vote, where his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) holds a commanding majority. He bowed deeply as lawmakers applauded his win, but made no immediate comment. He is […]
by Kyoko HASEGAWA / Sara HUSSEIN TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s ruling party on Monday elected chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga its new leader, making him all but certain to replace Shinzo Abe as the country’s next prime minister. Suga easily won the vote, taking 377 of the 534 valid votes cast by Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and regional representatives, significantly ahead of his two rivals. Given his party’s legislative majority, he is expected to […]
by Kyoko HASEGAWA / Sara HUSSEIN TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s ruling party votes Monday for its next leader, with top government adviser Yoshihide Suga all but certain to win and replace Shinzo Abe as the country’s new prime minister. Chief cabinet secretary Suga is heavily tipped to win the Liberal Democratic Party ballot, with a parliamentary vote Wednesday set to elevate him to the country’s top job. Even before he formally announced his run, […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Naomi Osaka’s victory in the US Open was hailed Sunday by media and officials in Japan who broadly welcomed her campaigning for victims of racial injustice and against police brutality. Public broadcaster NHK broke into its regular news programme to flash the news of the 22-year-old’s latest Grand Slam triumph, after she beat Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to add to winning the 2018 US Open and the 2019 Australian Open. […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s two major opposition parties merged Thursday and elected a new leader as they try to strengthen their standing ahead of a possible snap national election. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will pick a successor to outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next week, and several top political figures have suggested the next leader may call a quick election. The opposition parties and several independent lawmakers formally cemented an alliance in response, […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The active search for dozens of sailors from a cargo ship that sank in a typhoon last week was called off Wednesday, Japanese authorities said, with two crewmen the only known survivors. The Gulf Livestock 1, which was carrying 6,000 cows, issued a distress call last week as Typhoon Maysak passed through the area, launching a desperate search for the 43 crew on board. The Japan Coast Guard had been […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s economy shrank slightly more than initially thought in the April-June quarter, official data released Tuesday showed, deepening a contraction that was already the worst in the nation’s modern history. The world’s third-largest economy shrank 7.9 percent in the second quarter of this year from the previous quarter, more than the initial 7.8 percent in the preliminary data, the Cabinet Office said. The downward revision comes with corporate investment weaker […]
