Key words : Suga G7 biden
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210220_03/
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has expressed to the Group of Seven industrialized nations his determination to hold the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer.
The leaders held a teleconference just after 11 p.m. Friday Japan time. It was the first G7 meeting to include Suga, US President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
On the coronavirus pandemic, Suga said he has had an unwavering resolve to protect the lives and livelihoods of the people since assuming his post in September.
He said much has been learned from last year, and that he has implemented what he believes to be the best measures.
Suga said vaccines will be the key to containing infections, adding that fair access in developing countries will be essential.
He called on the G7 to speed up the distribution of vaccines and oppose a protectionist approach to health issues.
He also pledged to increase Japan's contribution to a global framework for purchasing vaccines to 200 million dollars.
Suga said the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics can serve as proof that mankind has overcome the coronavirus.
He said he will work with the International Olympic Committee to realize a safe Games. He called on the other countries for support.
He also said he was reassured by the support of the other leaders.
Suga expressed concern about China's unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China seas. He said Japan will say what needs to be said, and demand action from Beijing.
After the meeting, Suga told reporters that the discussions were mainly on measures to tackle the pandemic. He said his explanation about Japan's situation was well received.
Suga said his first G7 meeting was extremely significant because the leaders share universal values on a range of issues, including the post-pandemic world.
Key words : Biden Europe china
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210220_05/
US President Joe Biden has affirmed his commitment to improving ties with European nations and working together to face competition from China.
Biden attended his first summit meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations on Friday. The talks were held online.
He stressed the need for international cooperation to address issues such as the coronavirus pandemic and global warming, in a departure from former president Donald Trump's "America First" stance.
Later in the day, Biden also spoke to the Munich Security Conference online.
He said the world is "in the midst of a fundamental debate" over its future and some argue that "autocracy is the best way" to take on challenges such as industrial change and the global pandemic.
But he said he believes democracy will and must prevail.
He suggested his country and its allies must prepare together for a long-term strategic competition with China.
He said he believes in the global system that Europe, the United States and their allies in the Indo-Pacific worked hard to build, and that they "can own the race for the future."
Biden urged China to compete in accordance with global economic rules.
Key words : mexican border
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210220_11/
Asylum seekers are lining up at a border crossing between the United States and Mexico as the new US administration of President Joe Biden relaxes the hardline immigration policy of former President Donald Trump.
Asylum seekers mainly from Central America used to be allowed to stay in the United States while their applications were being processed. However, the Trump administration denied entry to such people and sent them back across the border into the transit country of Mexico, claiming the system was being abused.
The Biden administration has rescinded this policy. On Friday, it started to accept applications from those who wish to enter and stay in the US while their cases are being heard.
At the Mexican border town of Tijuana, around 500 people formed lines at an office on the border from early Friday morning.
Officials of an aid group say less than 30 families per day will be allowed in through that entry point even under the new arrangement, so most will have to stay on the Mexican side for the time being.
They say many people have yet to fully understand the new policy. They are working to inform those assembled at the border of the latest situation.
Key words : US new law
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210220_09/
The US Department of State has expressed concern over China's new law that authorizes its coast guard to fire on foreign ships in waters it considers to be under its jurisdiction.
Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a telephone conference on Friday that the law could be used to "intimidate" China's maritime neighbors. He suggested it may lead China to enforce its maritime claims in disputed areas.
He stressed the US stance of cooperation with the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan and other countries that have also expressed concerns over the move.
The spokesperson said the US stands firm in its respective alliance commitments to Japan and the Philippines.
The new law took effect on February 1. It gives the coast guard the power to forcibly remove foreign ships that illegally enter Chinese waters. The coast guard will be allowed to use weapons if foreign ships do not comply with orders to stop or be inspected.
US President Joe Biden is maintaining the position of the previous administration, which regards China's maritime claims in the South China Sea as illegal.
Earlier this month, the US Navy conducted exercises involving two of its aircraft carriers in the South China Sea.
Key words : Osaka emergency
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210220_04/
Osaka Prefecture in western Japan has decided to ask the central government at the end of February to be removed from a state of emergency imposed to contain the coronavirus.
The measure covers ten prefectures until March 7.
Officials in the prefecture say the number of new cases and the occupancy rate of hospital beds for seriously ill patients are generally declining.
But the overall view within the central government is that the decline in new cases is slowing and more needs to be done to contain the spread.
Central government officials are expected to listen to the views of experts and make a decision after next week.
On Friday evening, Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide met with Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi, who is in charge of the coronavirus response, and health minister Tamura Norihisa. Suga was briefed about the current situation.
Nishimura said he believes prefectural governors will have various views next week. He said he intends to make a decision about the state of emergency after listening to what they have to say, sharing information, and listening to experts.
Key words : Kyoto
#N/A
Key words : health first side effect
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210220_15/
A possible side effect from the coronavirus vaccination has been reported in the central Japanese prefecture of Toyama. This is the first such case in Japan.
Japan rolled out its immunization program on Wednesday, initially targeting around 40,000 healthcare workers.
The government announced on Twitter on Saturday that a person developed a rash after being vaccinated at Toyama Rosai Hospital, where inoculations started on Friday.
Nakayama Tetsuo, a specially appointed professor at Kitasato University, said a rash is a mild side effect that occasionally occurs after vaccinations against flu and other infectious diseases.
Nakayama said people don't need to worry too much about it.
He said a substance called polyethylene glycol, which is contained in the vaccine currently in use, is known to possibly trigger this side effect. He added that he sees nothing particularly abnormal in the reported case.
Key words : fukushima fuel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210220_07/
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was crippled after a major earthquake and tsunami in 2011 has removed four deformed nuclear fuel assemblies from the storage pool of the No.3 reactor building. The job is part of efforts to decommission the plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says it began work to remove the four units this month and completed it this week.
The utility performed the task with equipment it jointly developed with a private-sector firm.
The machine has a specially designed holder to grip and lift the fuel units whose upper handles were severely mangled when building parts fell and hit them during the 2011 accident.
TEPCO says the four units slightly tilted while being lifted from the pool, but their removal ended without safety issues.
In April 2019, TEPCO started to transfer all 566 unused and spent fuel units, including the four deformed assemblies, from the pool to a safe facility in the plant's compound.
TEPCO is hoping to remove all 22 units currently left in the pool by the end of next month.
Key words : bank of Japan currency
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210220_06/
The Bank of Japan is set to start experimenting with digital currency this spring.
The central bank says it has no plan to issue such a currency at the moment, but hopes to prepare by responding to moves by other countries.
Digital currencies are electronic money that can be used in the same way as banknotes and coins.
In the experiment's first phase, the bank plans to work with private businesses to test the basic function of a digital currency, including how it would be issued and circulated. This stage is expected to take roughly a year.
In the second phase, the bank will examine the feasibility of the electronic currency as a method of payment on par with cash.
China is said to be ahead of other nations in the field. The country had already begun its first public trial of digital yuan.
Central banks in other countries are also conducting studies of digital currency.
The BOJ hopes to prepare for global changes to ensure the stability of payment systems.
Key words : Naomi won
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210220_16/
Japanese tennis star Osaka Naomi has won the Australian Open, defeating American Jennifer Brady. This is Osaka's fourth grand slam title.
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