Nikkei wrote that it learned on Wednesday from a Customs and Border Protection document dated May 10 that the United States has blocked shipments of shirts produced by the Uniqlo casualwear chain operated by Japan’s Fast Retailing Co. for suspected violation of a U.S. import ban because they were suspected to be made by Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The….Read more

All national dailies wrote that the GOJ decided on Wednesday to bar the entry of foreign nationals who have recently traveled to Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, Saint Lucia, East Timor, or Mongolia in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The measure, which will take effect from 12:00 a.m. on Friday, brings the number of countries and regions under such restrictions….Read more

Wednesday evening’s Nikkei wrote that Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, who has been nominated for the post of commander of U.S. Forces Korea, indicated during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday the possibility of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un moving ahead with testing intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. The paper wrote that Gen. LaCamera expressed in his written testimony concern that Kim may try….Read more

NHK, Fuji TV, and TV Asahi reported at noon that House Speaker Pelosi called for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, citing China’s human rights violations. The networks said Pelosi called on nations that will be sending athletes to the Beijing Olympics not to send diplomatic missions to China, quoting her as saying that sending heads….Read more

All national papers reported on a GOJ announcement on Tuesday on enhanced border control measures to prevent the infiltration of the Indian variant of the coronavirus. Foreign nationals from Bangladesh and the Maldives will be barred from entering Japan even if they have residency status unless there are “extraordinary circumstances.” In addition, all arrivals from these two nations plus Sri Lanka will be required to undergo two PCR tests and stay in designated facilities for six days after arrival.….Read more

The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) patrol confirmed that four China Coast Guard vessels were in the contiguous zone of Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands (Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture) on May 17.   Chinese government ships have now been spotted near the Senkakus for 94 consecutive days.

The Japanese government decided on May 14 to extend emergency grant assistance worth a total of 22.5 million dollars (approximately 2.4 billion yen) to India and Myanmar. The aid will be used to procure respirators and other medical equipment for India, where COVID-19 is raging, and food for Myanmar, where food supplies are being depleted amid the ongoing turmoil following….Read more

By Baba Moyuru    COVID-19 is raging in India. Over 4,000 people are dying every day from the virus. In New Delhi, the nation’s capital, there is an acute shortage of medical oxygen. More than 40 countries have pledged medical assistance to India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked leaders of major countries, including Japan, the U.S., the UK….Read more

Tokyo, May 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba has agreed with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Heping, that their countries will promote virtual tourism, with the novel coronavirus pandemic preventing trips between them.     The agreement was reached at a videoconference held behind closed doors for around 90 minutes on Monday.     It was the first talks between the tourism….Read more