The Japan times news dataset
News dataset from japantimes
The japan times news dataset having more than 75K+ records. Last extracted on 27 Feb 2022.
Data points:
url, headline, shortDescription, siteName, author, datePublished, mainImage, breadcrumbs, newsDescription, newsRawDescription, credit, keywords, uniqId, scrapedAt
Data points count:
14
Sample dataset:
Availability or Type:
Immediately
Delivery time:
immediately
Remaining datasets from japantimes:
$70.0
Price
csv
Format
75 Thousand
Records
Demo:
| url | headline | shortDescription | siteName | author | datePublished | mainImage | breadcrumbs | newsDescription | newsRawDescription | credit | keywords | uniqId | scrapedAt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/national/politics-diplomacy/shinzo-abe-japan-nuclear-weapons-taiwan/ | Japan should consider hosting U.S. nuclear weapons, Abe says | Abe noted that had Ukraine kept some of its nuclear weapons following the breakup of the Soviet Union instead of exchanging them for a security guarantee, it may not have faced an invasion. | The Japan Times | Jesse Johnson | 2022-02-27T16:31:45+09:00 | https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143811-scaled-870x489.jpeg | National,Politics | Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday that Japan should break a long-standing taboo and hold an active debate on nuclear weapons – including a possible “nuclear-sharing” program similar to that of NATO – in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.~“Japan is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has its three non-nuclear principles, but it should not treat as a taboo discussions on the reality of how the world is kept safe,” Abe said during a television program.~ ~Abe, who quit as prime minister in 2020 but remains highly influential as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s largest faction, noted that had Ukraine kept some of the nuclear weapons it inherited after the breakup of the Soviet Union instead of exchanging them for a security guarantee, it may not have faced an invasion by Russia.~Stressing what the government has repeatedly said is an “increasingly severe security environment” in Asia – including China’s growing assertiveness and North Korea’s nuclear program – Abe pointed to NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangements as an example of how Japan could deter those and other threats.~“Japan should also consider various options in its discussions,” including nuclear sharing, Abe said during the program, which aired on Fuji Television.~The NATO program lets the United States keep its nuclear weapons in Europe under its custody, but allow for allies without such weapons to share them and take part in the decision-making process should they ever be used.~Japan, which saw the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki be devastated by atomic bombings at the end of World War II, is the only country to experience a nuclear attack. Under the country’s pacifist postwar Constitution, Tokyo relies on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella” to deter threats.~Japan’s three non-nuclear principles, first laid out in 1967, call for it not to possess, produce or allow nuclear weapons on the country’s territory, though the spirit of the latter has been secretly violated in the past.~Polling suggests the public remains steadfastly against the idea of Japan acquiring its own nuclear arsenal. But Abe hinted that a sharing agreement akin to NATO’s could be a more palatable option for the public.~“Many people in Japan probably don’t know about the system,” he said.~Still, Abe noted that Japan would have to maintain its long-held goal of abolishing nuclear weapons.~“It’s important to move toward that goal, but when it comes to how to protect the lives of Japanese citizens and the nation, I think we should conduct discussions by taking various options fully into consideration,” he said.~Tobias Harris, author of a biography on Abe and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington, said the remarks by the former leader was a sign of the “tremendous pressure” current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was likely to face from his party’s right wing as his government reviews Japan’s national security strategy and other key defense and diplomatic documents this year.~“Whether this debate happens in the near term, the taboo on discussing this subject has eroded substantially over the past 15-20 years,” he wrote on Twitter.~Asked about an invasion of or contingency around neighboring Taiwan, Abe called on the U.S. to ditch its long-standing policy of “strategic ambiguity” over whether or not it would defend the self-ruled island, urging a clearer approach.~“The U.S. takes a strategy of ambiguity, meaning it may or may not intervene militarily if Taiwan is attacked,” Abe said. “By showing it may intervene, it keeps China in check, but by leaving the possibility that it may not intervene, it makes sure that the (Taiwanese) forces for independence do not run out of control,” he said.~“It is time to abandon this ambiguity strategy. The people of Taiwan share our universal values, so I think the U.S. should firmly abandon its ambiguity,” he said.~Reiterating his position that a contingency over Taiwan would also represent an emergency for Japan, Abe noted that the Okinawan island of Yonaguni sits just 110 kilometers from Taiwan. If China were to conduct an invasion operation, he said, it would first seek to establish air and sea superiority in the area that would likely cover Japanese airspace and territorial waters.~China — which calls Taiwan a “core issue” and sees it as a renegade province that must be brought back into the fold, by force if necessary — has ramped up its military activity near the self-ruled island to an almost daily clip over the last two years. The U.S., meanwhile, has maintained a “one China” policy since 1979, officially recognizing Beijing rather than Taipei, while the Taiwan Relations Act requires Washington to provide the self-ruled island with the means to defend itself.~Japan does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and had traditionally remained mum on the issue so as not to antagonize Beijing, it’s largest trading partner, until embarking on a bolder approach recently amid its concerns over China’s assertiveness near the island and elsewhere.~Abe’s remarks Sunday come as the Ukraine crisis has sparked fears that China may be looking to take a page from Russia’s playbook and invade Taiwan. Observers say that, while the two scenarios on the surface share some similarities, the strategic lessons China and Taiwan could glean from the Ukraine invasion are limited and potentially misleading.~In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | <p>Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday that Japan should break a long-standing taboo and hold an active debate on nuclear weapons – including a possible “nuclear-sharing” program similar to that of NATO – in the wake of <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/world/russia-ukraine-weapons-west/">Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.</a></p><p>“Japan is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has its three non-nuclear principles, but it should not treat as a taboo discussions on the reality of how the world is kept safe,” Abe said during a television program.</p><p><!-- /4973089/article_1 --> </p><p>Abe, who quit as prime minister in 2020 but remains highly influential as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s largest faction, noted that had Ukraine kept some of the nuclear weapons it inherited after the breakup of the Soviet Union instead of exchanging them for a security guarantee, it may not have faced an invasion by Russia.</p><p>Stressing what the government has repeatedly said is an “increasingly severe security environment” in Asia – including China’s growing assertiveness and <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/north-korea/">North Korea’s nuclear program</a> – Abe pointed to NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangements as an example of how Japan could deter those and other threats.</p><p>“Japan should also consider various options in its discussions,” including nuclear sharing, Abe said during the program, which aired on Fuji Television.</p><p>The NATO program lets the United States keep its nuclear weapons in Europe under its custody, but allow for allies without such weapons to share them and take part in the decision-making process should they ever be used.</p><p>Japan, which saw the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki be devastated by atomic bombings at the end of World War II, is the only country to experience a nuclear attack. Under the country’s pacifist postwar Constitution, Tokyo relies on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella” to deter threats.</p><p>Japan’s three non-nuclear principles, first laid out in 1967, call for it not to possess, produce or allow nuclear weapons on the country’s territory, though the spirit of the latter has been <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/08/14/national/history/japan-officially-gave-u-s-consent-bring-nukes-ahead-okinawa-reversion-accord-document/">secretly violated</a> in the past.</p><p>Polling suggests the public remains steadfastly against the idea of Japan acquiring its own nuclear arsenal. But Abe hinted that a sharing agreement akin to NATO’s could be a more palatable option for the public.</p><p>“Many people in Japan probably don’t know about the system,” he said.</p><p>Still, Abe noted that Japan would have to maintain its long-held goal of abolishing nuclear weapons.</p><p>“It’s important to move toward that goal, but when it comes to how to protect the lives of Japanese citizens and the nation, I think we should conduct discussions by taking various options fully into consideration,” he said.</p><p>Tobias Harris, author of a biography on Abe and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington, said the remarks by the former leader was a sign of the “tremendous pressure” current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was likely to face from his party’s right wing as his government <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/12/20/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-national-security-strategy/">reviews Japan’s national security strategy</a> and other key defense and diplomatic documents this year.</p><p>“Whether this debate happens in the near term, the taboo on discussing this subject has eroded substantially over the past 15-20 years,” he wrote on Twitter.</p><p>Asked about an <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/10/06/asia-pacific/us-china-taiwan-explainer/">invasion of or contingency around</a> neighboring Taiwan, Abe called on the U.S. to ditch its long-standing policy of “strategic ambiguity” over whether or not it would defend the self-ruled island, urging a clearer approach.</p><p>“The U.S. takes a strategy of ambiguity, meaning it may or may not intervene militarily if Taiwan is attacked,” Abe said. “By showing it may intervene, it keeps China in check, but by leaving the possibility that it may not intervene, it makes sure that the (Taiwanese) forces for independence do not run out of control,” he said.</p><p>“It is time to abandon this ambiguity strategy. The people of Taiwan share our universal values, so I think the U.S. should firmly abandon its ambiguity,” he said.</p><p>Reiterating his position that a contingency over Taiwan would also represent an emergency for Japan, Abe noted that the Okinawan island of Yonaguni sits just 110 kilometers from Taiwan. If China were to conduct an invasion operation, he said, it would first seek to establish air and sea superiority in the area that would likely cover Japanese airspace and territorial waters.</p><p>China — which calls Taiwan a “core issue” and sees it as a renegade province that must be brought back into the fold, by force if necessary — has ramped up its military activity near the self-ruled island to an almost daily clip over the last two years. The U.S., meanwhile, has maintained a “one China” policy since 1979, officially recognizing Beijing rather than Taipei, while the Taiwan Relations Act requires Washington to provide the self-ruled island with the means to defend itself.</p><p>Japan does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and had traditionally remained mum on the issue so as not to antagonize Beijing, it’s largest trading partner, until embarking on a <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/29/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-taiwan-relations-ldp/">bolder approach</a> recently amid its concerns over China’s assertiveness near the island and elsewhere.</p><p>Abe’s remarks Sunday come as the Ukraine crisis has sparked fears that China may be looking to take a page from Russia’s playbook and invade Taiwan. Observers say that, while the two scenarios on the surface share some similarities, the strategic lessons China and Taiwan could glean from the Ukraine invasion are <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/15/asia-pacific/ukraine-taiwan-invasion-china/">limited and potentially misleading</a>.</p><p>In a time of both misinformation and too much information,<span class="pc-line-break"></span> quality journalism is more crucial than ever.<br/>By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.</p> | STAFF WRITER | China, Shinzo Abe, Russia, Fumio Kishida, Taiwan, LDP, nuclear weapons, Ukraine, Russia-Ukraine crisis | d6394a81-cbb5-5bb6-af3e-523ad5d22e76 | 27/02/2022 16:26:28 | |
| https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/26/national/japan-sanctions-ukraine-belarus/ | Japan considering imposing sanctions against Belarus | Japan is weighing the sanctions on the Russian ally in line with the United States, for its support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, two government officials said Saturday. | The Japan Times | No Author | 2022-02-26T12:29:59+09:00 | https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143661-870x489.jpeg | National | Japan is considering imposing economic sanctions on Belarus, in line with the United States, for its support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, two government officials with knowledge of the matter said Saturday.~It was not immediately clear which individuals or entities would be targeted by such sanctions. The officials said Tokyo will coordinate with other members of the Group of Seven industrial nations.~ ~A Foreign Ministry spokesman declined comment. The office of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida could not immediately be reached for comment.~The U.S. sanctions over Thursday's invasion include 24 Belarusian individuals and entities, the U.S. Treasury Department said.~Japan has announced sanctions on Russia over the invasion, with Kishida terming Moscow's moves an unacceptable violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and international law.~The new package of sanctions includes export controls on high-tech products such as semiconductors, a freeze on assets held by Russian financial institutions and a suspension of visa issuance for certain Russian individuals and entities.~The announcement came hours after leaders from the Group of Seven nations condemned Russia and pledged to take “severe and coordinated” economic and financial sanctions for its “completely unjustified” attack.~“It is an extremely serious situation with ramifications for the international order, not just in Europe but Asia and beyond,” Kishida said during a news conference.~“Japan needs to show its resolve not to allow any change to the status quo by force,” Kishida said, condemning the Russian military attack as a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.~The sanctions are the result of close coordination with the United States and European nations, and symbolize “the strength of unity” in efforts to prevent a further escalation, Kishida said.~The latest asset freeze will target three financial entities — Promsvyazbank, Bank Rossiya and Russia’s economic development bank VEB. The country’s largest financial institution Sberbank, which is on the U.S. sanctions list, is not included.~On Wednesday, Tokyo unveiled the first set of sanctions against Russia — banning the issuance and trading of new Russian sovereign bonds in Japan — and the two breakaway regions whose independence Moscow recently recognized.~Russian troops were advancing toward the capital Kyiv early Saturday even as Russia and Ukraine signaled an openness to negotiations, in the wake of the invasion from the north, east and south, an attack that threatens to upend Europe's post-Cold War order.~In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | <p>Japan is considering imposing economic sanctions on Belarus, in line with the United States, for its support of <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/russia-ukraine-crisis/">Russia's invasion of Ukraine,</a> two government officials with knowledge of the matter said Saturday.</p><p>It was not immediately clear which individuals or entities would be targeted by such sanctions. The officials said Tokyo will coordinate with other members of the Group of Seven industrial nations.</p><p><!-- /4973089/article_1 --> </p><p>A Foreign Ministry spokesman declined comment. The office of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida could not immediately be reached for comment.</p><p>The U.S. sanctions over Thursday's invasion include 24 Belarusian individuals and entities, the U.S. Treasury Department said.</p><p><a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/25/national/japan-new-russia-sanctions/">Japan has announced sanctions on Russia</a> over the invasion, with Kishida terming Moscow's moves an unacceptable violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and international law.</p><p>The new package of sanctions includes export controls on high-tech products such as semiconductors, a freeze on assets held by Russian financial institutions and a suspension of visa issuance for certain Russian individuals and entities.</p><p>The announcement came hours after leaders from the Group of Seven nations condemned Russia and pledged to take “severe and coordinated” economic and financial sanctions for its “completely unjustified” attack.</p><p>“It is an extremely serious situation with ramifications for the international order, not just in Europe but Asia and beyond,” Kishida said during a news conference.</p><p>“Japan needs to show its resolve not to allow any change to the status quo by force,” Kishida said, condemning the Russian military attack as a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.</p><p>The sanctions are the result of close coordination with the United States and European nations, and symbolize “the strength of unity” in efforts to prevent a further escalation, Kishida said.</p><p>The latest asset freeze will target three financial entities — Promsvyazbank, Bank Rossiya and Russia’s economic development bank VEB. The country’s largest financial institution Sberbank, which is on the U.S. sanctions list, is not included.</p><p>On Wednesday, Tokyo unveiled the first set of sanctions against Russia — banning the issuance and trading of new Russian sovereign bonds in Japan — and the two breakaway regions whose independence Moscow recently recognized.</p><p>Russian troops were <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/26/world/russia-ukraine-putin-sanctions/">advancing toward the capital Kyiv</a> early Saturday even as Russia and Ukraine signaled an openness to negotiations, in the wake of the invasion from the north, east and south, an attack that threatens to upend Europe's post-Cold War order.</p><p>In a time of both misinformation and too much information,<span class="pc-line-break"></span> quality journalism is more crucial than ever.<br/>By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.</p> | REUTERS,KYODO | U.S., Russia, Fumio Kishida, NATO, EU, Belarus, Russia-Ukraine crisis | 389df125-ae83-502e-91b4-5a101f486221 | 27/02/2022 16:26:29 | |
| https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/world/science-health-world/wuhan-market-covid-origin/ | New research points to Wuhan market as pandemic origin | Two new studies represent a significant salvo in the debate over the origins of a pandemic that has killed nearly 6 million people and sickened 400 million more. | The Japan Times | Carl Zimmer | 2022-02-27T11:51:44+09:00 | https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143743-870x489.jpeg | World,Science & Health | Scientists released a pair of extensive studies Saturday that point to a market in Wuhan, China, as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic. Analyzing data from a variety of sources, they concluded that the coronavirus was very likely present in live mammals sold in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in late 2019 and suggested that the virus twice spilled over into people working or shopping there. They said they found no support for an alternate theory that the coronavirus escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan.~“When you look at all of the evidence together, it’s an extraordinarily clear picture that the pandemic started at the Huanan market,” said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona and a co-author of both studies.~ ~The two reports have not yet been published in a scientific journal that would require undergoing peer review.~Together, they represent a significant salvo in the debate over the beginnings of a pandemic that has killed nearly 6 million people globally and sickened more than 400 million. The question of whether the coronavirus outbreak began with a spillover from wildlife sold at the market, a leak from a Wuhan virology lab or some other way has given rise to pitched geopolitical battles and debates over how best to stop the next pandemic.~But some outside scientists who have been hesitant to endorse the market origin hypothesis said they remained unconvinced. Jesse Bloom, a virus expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said in an interview that there remained a glaring absence of direct evidence that animals at the market had themselves been infected with the coronavirus.~“I think what they’re arguing could be true,” Bloom said of the new studies. “But I don’t think the quality of the data is sufficient to say that any of these scenarios are true with confidence.”~In their new study, Worobey and his colleagues present evidence that wild mammals that might have harbored the coronavirus were being sold in December 2019. But no wildlife was left at the market by the time Chinese researchers arrived in early 2020 to collect genetic samples.~The authors of the new study include researchers who previously published smaller reports that had pointed toward a similar conclusion but were based on much less detail. Their earlier analysis suggested that the first known case of the coronavirus was a vendor at the Huanan market.~In a separate line of research, scientists at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention carried out a new analysis of the genetic traces of coronaviruses collected at the market in January 2020. Previous studies have shown that the viruses sampled from early cases of COVID belonged to two main evolutionary branches. The Huanan market samples included both branches, the scientists reported in a study they posted online Friday.~Worobey, who said he was not aware of the study until it was made public, said that their findings are consistent with the scenario he and his colleagues put forward for two origins at the market.~“The beauty of it is how simply it all adds up now,” said Jeremy Kamil, a virus expert at Louisiana State University Health Sciences, who was not involved in the new study.~ An aerial view of Wuhan, China. | GILLES SABRI / THE NEW YORK TIMES ~The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was an early object of suspicion when COVID first swept across Wuhan. Toward late December 2019, a few people who worked at the market developed a mysterious form of pneumonia. On Dec. 30, public health officials told hospitals to report any new cases of pneumonia linked to the market.~It also became clear at the end of December that a new coronavirus was to blame for the mysterious pneumonia. Coronaviruses have a disturbing history in China: In 2002, another coronavirus sparked the epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed 774 people. Scientists later concluded that the virus originated in bats, spread to wild mammals, and then jumped to humans at markets where the mammals were sold.~Fearing a replay of SARS, Chinese officials ordered the Huanan market closed. Wuhan police shut it down Jan. 1, 2020. Workers clad in hazmat suits washed and disinfected the stalls.~Chinese scientists said they found the virus in dozens of samples taken from surfaces and sewers in the market but not in any swabs taken from animals in the market.~The link to the market seemed to weaken as the coronavirus spread. Meanwhile, questions arose about the research carried out at a lab in the city, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where scientists studied coronaviruses.~For the new studies, Worobey and his colleagues estimated the latitude and longitude of 156 cases of COVID in Wuhan in December 2019. The highest density of cases centered around the market.~The researchers then mapped cases in January and February. They used data collected by Chinese researchers from Weibo, a social media app that created a channel for people with COVID to seek help. The 737 cases drawn from Weibo were concentrated away from the market, in other parts of central Wuhan with high populations of elderly residents.~The patterns pointed to the market as the origin of the outbreak, the studies found, with the coronavirus then spreading to the surrounding neighborhoods before moving out farther across the city. The researchers ran tests that showed it was extremely unlikely that such a pattern could be produced merely by chance.~“It’s very strong statistical evidence that this is no coincidence,” Worobey said.~The researchers also presented evidence that in late 2019, vendors at the market were selling raccoon dogs and other mammals known to be potential hosts of coronaviruses. Genetic samples collected from floors, walls and other surfaces at the Huanan market in January 2020 reveal traces of SARS-CoV-2 in the southwest corner of the market, where the vendors were clustered.~More clues emerged when the researchers created an evolutionary family tree of the coronaviruses sampled during the first few weeks of the pandemic. The tree is split into two major branches, known as A and B. Examining the mutations in each branch, the researchers concluded that they must have originated from animals separately, each adapting to humans on their own.~Lineage B likely jumped to humans in late November or early December 2019, the researchers estimate, while Lineage A jumped within a few weeks after that.~Earlier studies had only identified Lineage B at the Huanan market. But Worobey and his colleagues found that the two earliest cases of Lineage A were found in people who lived near the market.~The Chinese CDC study published Friday revealed a Lineage A coronavirus on a glove collected when the market shut down. That finding supports the hypothesis that both coronaviruses made the jump from animals in the market.~Bloom, though, questioned the idea that there had been two separate spillovers. He noted that the Lineage A sample from the market was collected some time after the virus had begun spreading in humans, raising the possibility that it had been brought into the market.~He said that the two lineages also differed by only two mutations and that one could have evolved from the other as the virus was passed from person to person.~“I am especially unconvinced by the conclusion that there must have necessarily been two different spillovers in the Huanan Seafood Market,” Bloom said.~The new studies do not pinpoint exactly which animals spread the coronavirus in the Huanan market. But Worobey and his colleagues said that it might be possible to investigate the mystery further by analyzing the genetic data collected by Chinese researchers. In addition to viral genes, it might also include genes of the mammals that carried them.~© 2022 The New York Times Company Read more at nytimes.com~In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | <p>Scientists released a pair of extensive studies Saturday that point to a market in Wuhan, China, as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic. Analyzing data from a variety of sources, they concluded that the coronavirus was very likely present in live mammals sold in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in late 2019 and suggested that the virus twice spilled over into people working or shopping there. They said they found no support for an alternate theory that the coronavirus escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan.</p><p>“When you look at all of the evidence together, it’s an extraordinarily clear picture that the pandemic started at the Huanan market,” said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona and a co-author of both studies.</p><p><!-- /4973089/article_1 --> </p><p>The two reports have not yet been published in a scientific journal that would require undergoing peer review.</p><p>Together, they represent a significant salvo in the debate over the beginnings of a pandemic that has killed nearly 6 million people globally and sickened more than 400 million. The question of whether the coronavirus outbreak began with a spillover from wildlife sold at the market, a leak from a Wuhan virology lab or some other way has given rise to pitched geopolitical battles and debates over how best to stop the next pandemic.</p><p>But some outside scientists who have been hesitant to endorse the market origin hypothesis said they remained unconvinced. Jesse Bloom, a virus expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said in an interview that there remained a glaring absence of direct evidence that animals at the market had themselves been infected with the coronavirus.</p><p>“I think what they’re arguing could be true,” Bloom said of the new studies. “But I don’t think the quality of the data is sufficient to say that any of these scenarios are true with confidence.”</p><p>In their new study, Worobey and his colleagues present evidence that wild mammals that might have harbored the coronavirus were being sold in December 2019. But no wildlife was left at the market by the time Chinese researchers arrived in early 2020 to collect genetic samples.</p><p>The authors of the new study include researchers who previously published smaller reports that had pointed toward a similar conclusion but were based on much less detail. Their earlier analysis suggested that the first known case of the coronavirus was a vendor at the Huanan market.</p><p>In a separate line of research, scientists at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention carried out a new analysis of the genetic traces of coronaviruses collected at the market in January 2020. Previous studies have shown that the viruses sampled from early cases of COVID belonged to two main evolutionary branches. The Huanan market samples included both branches, the scientists reported in a study they posted online Friday.</p><p>Worobey, who said he was not aware of the study until it was made public, said that their findings are consistent with the scenario he and his colleagues put forward for two origins at the market.</p><p>“The beauty of it is how simply it all adds up now,” said Jeremy Kamil, a virus expert at Louisiana State University Health Sciences, who was not involved in the new study.</p><p> <figure class="align_center inline_image single_block large" id="post-3321838 media-3321838"><a class="fresco" data-fresco-caption="An aerial view of Wuhan, China. | GILLES SABRI / THE NEW YORK TIMES" data-fresco-group="inline-images" data-fresco-group-options="ui:'inside'" href="https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143742.jpeg"><img alt="An aerial view of Wuhan, China. | GILLES SABRI / THE NEW YORK TIMES" class="lazy lazy-hidden" data-lazy-type="image" data-src="https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143742.jpeg" src="//www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/plugins/a3-lazy-load/assets/images/lazy_placeholder.gif"/><noscript><img alt="An aerial view of Wuhan, China. | GILLES SABRI / THE NEW YORK TIMES" src="https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143742.jpeg"/></noscript></a><figcaption>An aerial view of Wuhan, China. | GILLES SABRI / THE NEW YORK TIMES</figcaption></figure> </p><p>The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was an early object of suspicion when COVID first swept across Wuhan. Toward late December 2019, a few people who worked at the market developed a mysterious form of pneumonia. On Dec. 30, public health officials told hospitals to report any new cases of pneumonia linked to the market.</p><p>It also became clear at the end of December that a new coronavirus was to blame for the mysterious pneumonia. Coronaviruses have a disturbing history in China: In 2002, another coronavirus sparked the epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed 774 people. Scientists later concluded that the virus originated in bats, spread to wild mammals, and then jumped to humans at markets where the mammals were sold.</p><p>Fearing a replay of SARS, Chinese officials ordered the Huanan market closed. Wuhan police shut it down Jan. 1, 2020. Workers clad in hazmat suits washed and disinfected the stalls.</p><p>Chinese scientists said they found the virus in dozens of samples taken from surfaces and sewers in the market but not in any swabs taken from animals in the market.</p><p>The link to the market seemed to weaken as the coronavirus spread. Meanwhile, questions arose about the research carried out at a lab in the city, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where scientists studied coronaviruses.</p><p>For the new studies, Worobey and his colleagues estimated the latitude and longitude of 156 cases of COVID in Wuhan in December 2019. The highest density of cases centered around the market.</p><p>The researchers then mapped cases in January and February. They used data collected by Chinese researchers from Weibo, a social media app that created a channel for people with COVID to seek help. The 737 cases drawn from Weibo were concentrated away from the market, in other parts of central Wuhan with high populations of elderly residents.</p><p>The patterns pointed to the market as the origin of the outbreak, the studies found, with the coronavirus then spreading to the surrounding neighborhoods before moving out farther across the city. The researchers ran tests that showed it was extremely unlikely that such a pattern could be produced merely by chance.</p><p>“It’s very strong statistical evidence that this is no coincidence,” Worobey said.</p><p>The researchers also presented evidence that in late 2019, vendors at the market were selling raccoon dogs and other mammals known to be potential hosts of coronaviruses. Genetic samples collected from floors, walls and other surfaces at the Huanan market in January 2020 reveal traces of SARS-CoV-2 in the southwest corner of the market, where the vendors were clustered.</p><p>More clues emerged when the researchers created an evolutionary family tree of the coronaviruses sampled during the first few weeks of the pandemic. The tree is split into two major branches, known as A and B. Examining the mutations in each branch, the researchers concluded that they must have originated from animals separately, each adapting to humans on their own.</p><p>Lineage B likely jumped to humans in late November or early December 2019, the researchers estimate, while Lineage A jumped within a few weeks after that.</p><p>Earlier studies had only identified Lineage B at the Huanan market. But Worobey and his colleagues found that the two earliest cases of Lineage A were found in people who lived near the market.</p><p>The Chinese CDC study published Friday revealed a Lineage A coronavirus on a glove collected when the market shut down. That finding supports the hypothesis that both coronaviruses made the jump from animals in the market.</p><p>Bloom, though, questioned the idea that there had been two separate spillovers. He noted that the Lineage A sample from the market was collected some time after the virus had begun spreading in humans, raising the possibility that it had been brought into the market.</p><p>He said that the two lineages also differed by only two mutations and that one could have evolved from the other as the virus was passed from person to person.</p><p>“I am especially unconvinced by the conclusion that there must have necessarily been two different spillovers in the Huanan Seafood Market,” Bloom said.</p><p>The new studies do not pinpoint exactly which animals spread the coronavirus in the Huanan market. But Worobey and his colleagues said that it might be possible to investigate the mystery further by analyzing the genetic data collected by Chinese researchers. In addition to viral genes, it might also include genes of the mammals that carried them.</p><p><em>© 2022 The New York Times Company</em><br/> Read more at <a href="https://nytimes.com/" onclick="__gaTracker('send', 'event', 'outbound-article', 'https://nytimes.com/', 'nytimes.com');">nytimes.com</a></p><p>In a time of both misinformation and too much information,<span class="pc-line-break"></span> quality journalism is more crucial than ever.<br/>By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.</p> | THE NEW YORK TIMES | China, Wuhan, covid-19 | fc16789c-847b-51a0-a589-49fdb8799daa | 27/02/2022 16:26:30 | |
| https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/national/hiroshi-mikitani-ukraine-donation/ | Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani donates ¥1 billion to Ukraine | The founder of Rakuten said in a letter addressed to Ukraine's president that the donation will go toward "humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence." | The Japan Times | No Author | 2022-02-27T18:25:33+09:00 | https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143745-870x489.jpeg | National | Japanese billionaire Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani said Sunday he will donate ¥1 billion to the government of Ukraine, calling Russia’s invasion “a challenge to democracy.”~The founder of e-commerce giant Rakuten Group Inc. said in a letter addressed to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the donation of ¥1 billion ($8.7 million) will go toward “humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence.”~ ~Mikitani said he visited Kyiv in 2019 and met with Zelenskyy.~“My thoughts are with you and Ukraine people,” Mikitani said in his letter.~“I believe that the trampling of a peaceful and democratic Ukraine by unjustified force is a challenge to democracy.~“I sincerely hope that Russia and Ukraine can resolve this issue peacefully and that Ukraine people can have peace again as soon as possible,” he wrote.~Russia’s invasion has prompted broad financial sanctions from major democracies while individuals and organizations across the world have solicited donations to help Ukraine.~The Japanese government has also announced sanctions on Moscow including freezing assets and banning key exports such as semiconductors to organizations related to the Russian military.~In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | <p>Japanese billionaire Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani said Sunday he will donate ¥1 billion to the government of Ukraine, calling Russia’s invasion “a challenge to democracy.”</p><p>The founder of e-commerce giant Rakuten Group Inc. said in a letter addressed to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the donation of ¥1 billion ($8.7 million) will go toward “humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence.”</p><p><!-- /4973089/article_1 --> </p><p>Mikitani said he visited Kyiv in 2019 and met with Zelenskyy.</p><p>“My thoughts are with you and Ukraine people,” Mikitani said in his letter.</p><p>“I believe that the trampling of a peaceful and democratic Ukraine by unjustified force is a challenge to democracy.</p><p>“I sincerely hope that Russia and Ukraine can resolve this issue peacefully and that Ukraine people can have peace again as soon as possible,” he wrote.</p><p>Russia’s invasion has prompted <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/world/us-eu-russia-ukraine-swift-banks/">broad financial sanctions</a> from major democracies while individuals and organizations across the world have solicited donations to help Ukraine.</p><p>The Japanese government has also <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/25/national/japan-new-russia-sanctions/">announced sanctions on Moscow</a> including freezing assets and banning key exports such as semiconductors to organizations related to the Russian military.</p><p>In a time of both misinformation and too much information,<span class="pc-line-break"></span> quality journalism is more crucial than ever.<br/>By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.</p> | AFP-JIJI | Russia, Ukraine, Hiroshi Mikitani, Rakuten, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia-Ukraine crisis | 33e88768-f59d-51c1-814e-57effae2c054 | 27/02/2022 16:26:31 | |
| https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/national/politics-diplomacy/shinzo-abe-japan-nuclear-weapons-taiwan/ | Japan should consider hosting U.S. nuclear weapons, Abe says | Abe noted that had Ukraine kept some of its nuclear weapons following the breakup of the Soviet Union instead of exchanging them for a security guarantee, it may not have faced an invasion. | The Japan Times | Jesse Johnson | 2022-02-27T16:31:45+09:00 | https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143811-scaled-870x489.jpeg | National,Politics | Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday that Japan should break a long-standing taboo and hold an active debate on nuclear weapons – including a possible “nuclear-sharing” program similar to that of NATO – in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.~“Japan is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has its three non-nuclear principles, but it should not treat as a taboo discussions on the reality of how the world is kept safe,” Abe said during a television program.~ ~Abe, who quit as prime minister in 2020 but remains highly influential as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s largest faction, noted that had Ukraine kept some of the nuclear weapons it inherited after the breakup of the Soviet Union instead of exchanging them for a security guarantee, it may not have faced an invasion by Russia.~Stressing what the government has repeatedly said is an “increasingly severe security environment” in Asia – including China’s growing assertiveness and North Korea’s nuclear program – Abe pointed to NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangements as an example of how Japan could deter those and other threats.~“Japan should also consider various options in its discussions,” including nuclear sharing, Abe said during the program, which aired on Fuji Television.~The NATO program lets the United States keep its nuclear weapons in Europe under its custody, but allow for allies without such weapons to share them and take part in the decision-making process should they ever be used.~Japan, which saw the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki be devastated by atomic bombings at the end of World War II, is the only country to experience a nuclear attack. Under the country’s pacifist postwar Constitution, Tokyo relies on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella” to deter threats.~Japan’s three non-nuclear principles, first laid out in 1967, call for it not to possess, produce or allow nuclear weapons on the country’s territory, though the spirit of the latter has been secretly violated in the past.~Polling suggests the public remains steadfastly against the idea of Japan acquiring its own nuclear arsenal. But Abe hinted that a sharing agreement akin to NATO’s could be a more palatable option for the public.~“Many people in Japan probably don’t know about the system,” he said.~Still, Abe noted that Japan would have to maintain its long-held goal of abolishing nuclear weapons.~“It’s important to move toward that goal, but when it comes to how to protect the lives of Japanese citizens and the nation, I think we should conduct discussions by taking various options fully into consideration,” he said.~Tobias Harris, author of a biography on Abe and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington, said the remarks by the former leader was a sign of the “tremendous pressure” current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was likely to face from his party’s right wing as his government reviews Japan’s national security strategy and other key defense and diplomatic documents this year.~“Whether this debate happens in the near term, the taboo on discussing this subject has eroded substantially over the past 15-20 years,” he wrote on Twitter.~Asked about an invasion of or contingency around neighboring Taiwan, Abe called on the U.S. to ditch its long-standing policy of “strategic ambiguity” over whether or not it would defend the self-ruled island, urging a clearer approach.~“The U.S. takes a strategy of ambiguity, meaning it may or may not intervene militarily if Taiwan is attacked,” Abe said. “By showing it may intervene, it keeps China in check, but by leaving the possibility that it may not intervene, it makes sure that the (Taiwanese) forces for independence do not run out of control,” he said.~“It is time to abandon this ambiguity strategy. The people of Taiwan share our universal values, so I think the U.S. should firmly abandon its ambiguity,” he said.~Reiterating his position that a contingency over Taiwan would also represent an emergency for Japan, Abe noted that the Okinawan island of Yonaguni sits just 110 kilometers from Taiwan. If China were to conduct an invasion operation, he said, it would first seek to establish air and sea superiority in the area that would likely cover Japanese airspace and territorial waters.~China — which calls Taiwan a “core issue” and sees it as a renegade province that must be brought back into the fold, by force if necessary — has ramped up its military activity near the self-ruled island to an almost daily clip over the last two years. The U.S., meanwhile, has maintained a “one China” policy since 1979, officially recognizing Beijing rather than Taipei, while the Taiwan Relations Act requires Washington to provide the self-ruled island with the means to defend itself.~Japan does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and had traditionally remained mum on the issue so as not to antagonize Beijing, it’s largest trading partner, until embarking on a bolder approach recently amid its concerns over China’s assertiveness near the island and elsewhere.~Abe’s remarks Sunday come as the Ukraine crisis has sparked fears that China may be looking to take a page from Russia’s playbook and invade Taiwan. Observers say that, while the two scenarios on the surface share some similarities, the strategic lessons China and Taiwan could glean from the Ukraine invasion are limited and potentially misleading.~In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | <p>Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday that Japan should break a long-standing taboo and hold an active debate on nuclear weapons – including a possible “nuclear-sharing” program similar to that of NATO – in the wake of <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/world/russia-ukraine-weapons-west/">Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.</a></p><p>“Japan is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has its three non-nuclear principles, but it should not treat as a taboo discussions on the reality of how the world is kept safe,” Abe said during a television program.</p><p><!-- /4973089/article_1 --> </p><p>Abe, who quit as prime minister in 2020 but remains highly influential as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s largest faction, noted that had Ukraine kept some of the nuclear weapons it inherited after the breakup of the Soviet Union instead of exchanging them for a security guarantee, it may not have faced an invasion by Russia.</p><p>Stressing what the government has repeatedly said is an “increasingly severe security environment” in Asia – including China’s growing assertiveness and <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/north-korea/">North Korea’s nuclear program</a> – Abe pointed to NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangements as an example of how Japan could deter those and other threats.</p><p>“Japan should also consider various options in its discussions,” including nuclear sharing, Abe said during the program, which aired on Fuji Television.</p><p>The NATO program lets the United States keep its nuclear weapons in Europe under its custody, but allow for allies without such weapons to share them and take part in the decision-making process should they ever be used.</p><p>Japan, which saw the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki be devastated by atomic bombings at the end of World War II, is the only country to experience a nuclear attack. Under the country’s pacifist postwar Constitution, Tokyo relies on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella” to deter threats.</p><p>Japan’s three non-nuclear principles, first laid out in 1967, call for it not to possess, produce or allow nuclear weapons on the country’s territory, though the spirit of the latter has been <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/08/14/national/history/japan-officially-gave-u-s-consent-bring-nukes-ahead-okinawa-reversion-accord-document/">secretly violated</a> in the past.</p><p>Polling suggests the public remains steadfastly against the idea of Japan acquiring its own nuclear arsenal. But Abe hinted that a sharing agreement akin to NATO’s could be a more palatable option for the public.</p><p>“Many people in Japan probably don’t know about the system,” he said.</p><p>Still, Abe noted that Japan would have to maintain its long-held goal of abolishing nuclear weapons.</p><p>“It’s important to move toward that goal, but when it comes to how to protect the lives of Japanese citizens and the nation, I think we should conduct discussions by taking various options fully into consideration,” he said.</p><p>Tobias Harris, author of a biography on Abe and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington, said the remarks by the former leader was a sign of the “tremendous pressure” current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was likely to face from his party’s right wing as his government <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/12/20/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-national-security-strategy/">reviews Japan’s national security strategy</a> and other key defense and diplomatic documents this year.</p><p>“Whether this debate happens in the near term, the taboo on discussing this subject has eroded substantially over the past 15-20 years,” he wrote on Twitter.</p><p>Asked about an <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/10/06/asia-pacific/us-china-taiwan-explainer/">invasion of or contingency around</a> neighboring Taiwan, Abe called on the U.S. to ditch its long-standing policy of “strategic ambiguity” over whether or not it would defend the self-ruled island, urging a clearer approach.</p><p>“The U.S. takes a strategy of ambiguity, meaning it may or may not intervene militarily if Taiwan is attacked,” Abe said. “By showing it may intervene, it keeps China in check, but by leaving the possibility that it may not intervene, it makes sure that the (Taiwanese) forces for independence do not run out of control,” he said.</p><p>“It is time to abandon this ambiguity strategy. The people of Taiwan share our universal values, so I think the U.S. should firmly abandon its ambiguity,” he said.</p><p>Reiterating his position that a contingency over Taiwan would also represent an emergency for Japan, Abe noted that the Okinawan island of Yonaguni sits just 110 kilometers from Taiwan. If China were to conduct an invasion operation, he said, it would first seek to establish air and sea superiority in the area that would likely cover Japanese airspace and territorial waters.</p><p>China — which calls Taiwan a “core issue” and sees it as a renegade province that must be brought back into the fold, by force if necessary — has ramped up its military activity near the self-ruled island to an almost daily clip over the last two years. The U.S., meanwhile, has maintained a “one China” policy since 1979, officially recognizing Beijing rather than Taipei, while the Taiwan Relations Act requires Washington to provide the self-ruled island with the means to defend itself.</p><p>Japan does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and had traditionally remained mum on the issue so as not to antagonize Beijing, it’s largest trading partner, until embarking on a <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/29/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-taiwan-relations-ldp/">bolder approach</a> recently amid its concerns over China’s assertiveness near the island and elsewhere.</p><p>Abe’s remarks Sunday come as the Ukraine crisis has sparked fears that China may be looking to take a page from Russia’s playbook and invade Taiwan. Observers say that, while the two scenarios on the surface share some similarities, the strategic lessons China and Taiwan could glean from the Ukraine invasion are <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/15/asia-pacific/ukraine-taiwan-invasion-china/">limited and potentially misleading</a>.</p><p>In a time of both misinformation and too much information,<span class="pc-line-break"></span> quality journalism is more crucial than ever.<br/>By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.</p> | STAFF WRITER | China, Shinzo Abe, Russia, Fumio Kishida, Taiwan, LDP, nuclear weapons, Ukraine, Russia-Ukraine crisis | d6394a81-cbb5-5bb6-af3e-523ad5d22e76 | 27/02/2022 16:26:31 | |
| https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/national/history/50-years-asama-incident/ | Japan's New Left remains a thing of memory, 50 years on from hostage incident | The Asama-Sanso lodge incident, a dramatic 10-day standoff with police that saw three lives lost, sealed the fate of the nation's student protest movement, some analysts say. | The Japan Times | Matthew Hernon | 2022-02-27T16:20:14+09:00 | https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_139790-870x489.jpeg | History,National | It was one of the most dramatic scenes in Japanese television history. Fifty years ago this month, on Feb. 28, 1972, much of the country was glued to the television as a 10-day standoff between the police and members of a militant left-wing group, the United Red Army (URA), reached its dramatic conclusion.~Asama-Sanso lodge in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, was the setting for the siege. Five armed URA members held the wife of the lodgekeeper hostage until the police stormed in. She was rescued, but two officers and one civilian died in the attack. The URA radicals were subsequently arrested.~Three months later, three members of the Japanese Red Army, another militant group, carried out the Lod Airport Massacre — a gun attack in Israel that left 26 people and two attackers dead. The two incidents, plus revelations of internal purges, led to a strong backlash against radical left-wing groups in this country.~Support for leftist groups had been wavering before the Asama-Sanso lodge incident. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets for various demonstrations in the 1960s, most notably against the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. However, by the end of the decade, the revolutionary fervor among students was subsiding.~Enthusiasm for the New Left’s cause diminished further after the treaty was renewed in 1970. With numbers dwindling, small but extreme splinter groups emerged. In July 1971, the URA was formed by a merger of militant left-wing factions. Each had resources the other desired, though author and university professor Yoshikuni Igarashi believes the merger was an “act of desperation.”~“It was one last attempt to revitalize the movement,” he says. “Mass consumer society changed everything about Japan, with wealth reaching into far corners of the country. The Liberal Democratic Party was outdoing the New Left. Violence escalated but the government didn’t budge, so radicals decided to take things further. When groups like that become smaller and are cut off by society, you see them adopt darker traits.”~A month after the URA’s formation, two members deserted the group. Co-leader Hiroko Nagata consequently arranged for them to be killed. Within seven months, another 12 were murdered.~At a training camp in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture, Nagata and fellow leader Tsuneo Mori planned a “war of extermination.” Following a process of “self-criticism,” victims, who were deemed not devoted enough to the cause, were either beaten to death, slaughtered with a knife or tied to a post outside, exposed to the elements.~On Feb. 16, 1972, Mori and Nagata, along with six other members of the group were arrested for the internal purges. Five fugitives escaped. Fleeing on foot through the mountains of Karuizawa, they found an isolated lodge near Mount Asama.~Yasuko Muta, the wife of the lodgekeeper, was alone as her husband had taken his dog for a walk and the guests had gone ice skating. Taking Muta hostage, the radicals barricaded themselves inside the building.~Police surrounded the facility. Thinking he could help, snack bar owner Yasuhiro Tanaka tried to push past them, but was arrested. After being released, he went around the lodge and attempted to give them food through an opening in the building. He was then fatally shot in the head by the URA.~After three days, the lodge’s electricity was shut off. Through loudspeakers, parents of URA members pleaded with their children to surrender. It was all to no avail. At 9 a.m. on Feb. 28, the 10th day, the fugitives were given a final ultimatum. It was ignored, and police used a wrecking ball to enter the lodge.~NHK began its live broadcast of the event at 9:40 a.m. It ran continuously until 8:20 p.m. with the television audience peaking at 89.7% just before 6:30 p.m. Hitoshi Moteki, a university student at the time, remembers watching with his cousins at a holiday home nearby in Karuizawa.~“We had the news on all day,” he recalls. “Though the public didn’t know about the purges at that point, I thought there must’ve been some kind of internal strife for the URA to be behaving that way. It was a relief when Muta was rescued, but sadly two (police) officers died. When we heard about the preceding murders, all sympathy for radical leftists disappeared. They were seen as criminals rather than political activists.”~According to author and sociology professor Patricia Steinhoff, the radical left initially celebrated the siege. Despite the odd location, many saw it as a standoff between a tiny group of underdogs and 3,000 police. Some went to the site to show support while rallies were held at universities. Then came news of the purges.~“The New Left never recovered from that shock,” she says. “The ensuing legal battles divided organizations that remained and caused many members to doubt everything they’d believed, leading to lots of retrospective rethinking. The government tried to contain forces of dissent, and for Japanese families it instilled a tremendous fear of student activism. That was passed down through a couple of generations and it’s only now, 50 years on, starting to wane.”~Steinhoff believes the mass media helped perpetuate the notion that activism was dangerous by undercutting images from different, unrelated events to display a visual assault of seemingly senseless violence, often without context. As a result, she feels the Asama-Sanso lodge incident came to symbolize the entire period of New Left protests between 1967 and ’72.~“It pushed even the milder parts of the New Left to go quiet,” she says. “I call those survivors Japan’s invisible civil society because they maintain their New Left values and continue to be active in support of a variety of causes, but do so in ways that isn’t seen by mainstream Japanese society. They try to distance themselves from the very idea of activism.”~The rhetoric of organizations such as SEALDs (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy) emphasizes Steinhoff’s point. The now disbanded group, which was the largest student movement to emerge in Japan since the 1960s, was keen to emphasize that it wasn’t left-wing, but was rather a moderate and nonpartisan organization.~“The nature of the discourse changed after 1972,” says Igarashi. “There were still anti-authoritarian movements, however, they tried to express themselves through more community-orientated groups and distanced themselves from the New Left. That year was a turning point for Japanese society.”~In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | <p>It was one of the most dramatic scenes in Japanese television history. Fifty years ago this month, on Feb. 28, 1972, much of the country was glued to the television as a 10-day standoff between the police and members of a militant left-wing group, the United Red Army (URA), reached its dramatic conclusion.</p><p>Asama-Sanso lodge in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, was the setting for the siege. Five armed URA members held the wife of the lodgekeeper hostage until the police stormed in. She was rescued, but two officers and one civilian died in the attack. The URA radicals were subsequently arrested.</p><p>Three months later, three members of the Japanese Red Army, another militant group, carried out the Lod Airport Massacre — a gun attack in Israel that left 26 people and two attackers dead. The two incidents, plus revelations of internal purges, led to a strong backlash against radical left-wing groups in this country.</p><p>Support for leftist groups had been wavering before the Asama-Sanso lodge incident. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets for various demonstrations in the 1960s, most notably against the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. However, by the end of the decade, the revolutionary fervor among students was subsiding.</p><p>Enthusiasm for the New Left’s cause diminished further after the treaty was renewed in 1970. With numbers dwindling, small but extreme splinter groups emerged. In July 1971, the URA was formed by a merger of militant left-wing factions. Each had resources the other desired, though author and university professor Yoshikuni Igarashi believes the merger was an “act of desperation.”</p><p>“It was one last attempt to revitalize the movement,” he says. “Mass consumer society changed everything about Japan, with wealth reaching into far corners of the country. The Liberal Democratic Party was outdoing the New Left. Violence escalated but the government didn’t budge, so radicals decided to take things further. When groups like that become smaller and are cut off by society, you see them adopt darker traits.”</p><p>A month after the URA’s formation, two members deserted the group. Co-leader Hiroko Nagata consequently arranged for them to be killed. Within seven months, another 12 were murdered.</p><p>At a training camp in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture, Nagata and fellow leader Tsuneo Mori planned a “war of extermination.” Following a process of “self-criticism,” victims, who were deemed not devoted enough to the cause, were either beaten to death, slaughtered with a knife or tied to a post outside, exposed to the elements.</p><p>On Feb. 16, 1972, Mori and Nagata, along with six other members of the group were arrested for the internal purges. Five fugitives escaped. Fleeing on foot through the mountains of Karuizawa, they found an isolated lodge near Mount Asama.</p><p>Yasuko Muta, the wife of the lodgekeeper, was alone as her husband had taken his dog for a walk and the guests had gone ice skating. Taking Muta hostage, the radicals barricaded themselves inside the building.</p><p>Police surrounded the facility. Thinking he could help, snack bar owner Yasuhiro Tanaka tried to push past them, but was arrested. After being released, he went around the lodge and attempted to give them food through an opening in the building. He was then fatally shot in the head by the URA.</p><p>After three days, the lodge’s electricity was shut off. Through loudspeakers, parents of URA members pleaded with their children to surrender. It was all to no avail. At 9 a.m. on Feb. 28, the 10th day, the fugitives were given a final ultimatum. It was ignored, and police used a wrecking ball to enter the lodge.</p><p>NHK began its live broadcast of the event at 9:40 a.m. It ran continuously until 8:20 p.m. with the television audience peaking at 89.7% just before 6:30 p.m. Hitoshi Moteki, a university student at the time, remembers watching with his cousins at a holiday home nearby in Karuizawa.</p><p>“We had the news on all day,” he recalls. “Though the public didn’t know about the purges at that point, I thought there must’ve been some kind of internal strife for the URA to be behaving that way. It was a relief when Muta was rescued, but sadly two (police) officers died. When we heard about the preceding murders, all sympathy for radical leftists disappeared. They were seen as criminals rather than political activists.”</p><p>According to author and sociology professor Patricia Steinhoff, the radical left initially celebrated the siege. Despite the odd location, many saw it as a standoff between a tiny group of underdogs and 3,000 police. Some went to the site to show support while rallies were held at universities. Then came news of the purges.</p><p>“The New Left never recovered from that shock,” she says. “The ensuing legal battles divided organizations that remained and caused many members to doubt everything they’d believed, leading to lots of retrospective rethinking. The government tried to contain forces of dissent, and for Japanese families it instilled a tremendous fear of student activism. That was passed down through a couple of generations and it’s only now, 50 years on, starting to wane.”</p><p>Steinhoff believes the mass media helped perpetuate the notion that activism was dangerous by undercutting images from different, unrelated events to display a visual assault of seemingly senseless violence, often without context. As a result, she feels the Asama-Sanso lodge incident came to symbolize the entire period of New Left protests between 1967 and ’72.</p><p>“It pushed even the milder parts of the New Left to go quiet,” she says. “I call those survivors Japan’s invisible civil society because they maintain their New Left values and continue to be active in support of a variety of causes, but do so in ways that isn’t seen by mainstream Japanese society. They try to distance themselves from the very idea of activism.”</p><p>The rhetoric of organizations such as SEALDs (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy) emphasizes Steinhoff’s point. The now disbanded group, which was the largest student movement to emerge in Japan since the 1960s, was keen to emphasize that it wasn’t left-wing, but was rather a moderate and nonpartisan organization.</p><p>“The nature of the discourse changed after 1972,” says Igarashi. “There were still anti-authoritarian movements, however, they tried to express themselves through more community-orientated groups and distanced themselves from the New Left. That year was a turning point for Japanese society.”</p><p>In a time of both misinformation and too much information,<span class="pc-line-break"></span> quality journalism is more crucial than ever.<br/>By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.</p> | CONTRIBUTING WRITER | Nagano, police, politics., United Red Army, asama-sanso lodge incident, new left | 29db80bb-64f9-5767-a809-253b7cfb73fb | 27/02/2022 16:26:32 | |
| https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/national/chinese-impression-japan-survey/ | Share of Chinese with good impression of Japan tumbles, survey shows | Researchers cited statements on Taiwan, the suspension of tourism and less favorable information on Japan for the drop — the largest on record. | The Japan Times | No Author | 2022-02-27T14:29:46+09:00 | https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143759-870x489.jpeg | National | The proportion of people in China who have a favorable impression of Japan has plummeted, a think tank survey showed Saturday.~In the annual survey, conducted by the Japan Press Research Institute in six countries during November and December, 26.3% of people in China said that they feel close to Japan — down by 13.4 percentage points from the previous survey.~ ~The drop was largest on record. Personnel in charge of the research in China explained that the drop was largely due to remarks from Japanese politicians regarding Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province. Researchers also cited a decrease in the amount of favorable information on Japan in line with the suspension of tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to officials of the institute.~Of the six countries surveyed, the share of people with a good impression of Japan was largest in Thailand, at 93.4%, followed by the United States, at 79.0%, France, at 78.1%, Britain, at 73.3%, and South Korea, at 31.2%.~In the survey, about 1,000 people in each of the six countries gave responses.~The institute launched the survey in 2015. The Chinese part of the survey began in 2016.~In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | <p>The proportion of people in China who have a favorable impression of Japan has plummeted, a think tank survey showed Saturday.</p><p>In the annual survey, conducted by the Japan Press Research Institute in six countries during November and December, 26.3% of people in China said that they feel close to Japan — down by 13.4 percentage points from the previous survey.</p><p><!-- /4973089/article_1 --> </p><p>The drop was largest on record. Personnel in charge of the research in China explained that the drop was largely due to remarks from Japanese politicians regarding Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province. Researchers also cited a decrease in the amount of favorable information on Japan in line with the suspension of tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to officials of the institute.</p><p>Of the six countries surveyed, the share of people with a good impression of Japan was largest in Thailand, at 93.4%, followed by the United States, at 79.0%, France, at 78.1%, Britain, at 73.3%, and South Korea, at 31.2%.</p><p>In the survey, about 1,000 people in each of the six countries gave responses.</p><p>The institute launched the survey in 2015. The Chinese part of the survey began in 2016.</p><p>In a time of both misinformation and too much information,<span class="pc-line-break"></span> quality journalism is more crucial than ever.<br/>By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.</p> | JIJI | China, U.S., Taiwan, China-Japan relations, surveys | 82fd109d-34fb-5ccd-9520-be61e97117b7 | 27/02/2022 16:26:33 | |
| https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/national/kishida-vaccine-goal-not-met/ | Kishida's goal of 1 million daily booster shots yet to be reached | There has not been major progress in the booster shot rollout for elderly people and under 20% of the country's population have received booster shots. | The Japan Times | No Author | 2022-02-27T14:10:10+09:00 | https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143758-870x489.jpeg | National | Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s goal of having Japan administer at least 1 million COVID-19 booster shots per day has not been reached about three weeks after he declared the target.~There has not been major progress in the booster shot rollout for elderly people and under 20% of the country’s population have received booster shots.~ ~On Feb. 7, Kishida said that he aims to increase the number of booster shots given per day to 1 million. He noted on Feb. 15 that the daily increase in third doses registered on the government’s vaccination data recording system reached 1.1 million the same day.~As some municipalities enter data into the system with a delay of several days, however, the figures from the system do not necessarily reflect reality. According to daily data announcements by the government as of Thursday, the largest number of doses given in one day was about 890,000 on Feb. 19.~A slower-than-expected pace of inoculations among elderly people is believed to be one of the reasons the target has not been met.~In a survey by the health ministry, 97.4% of municipalities around the country said they expect to finish administering booster doses to elderly people by the end of February. But only 15.8 million people, or 54% of the 29 million people eligible to get their third doses, had received booster shots as of Thursday.~Another likely reason is a delay in local governments’ preparations, including sending vaccination tickets to residents, after the interval between the second and third COVID-19 shots was shortened from eight months.~The health ministry has asked municipalities to enable residents to get boosters even without vaccination tickets while proposing support measures for facilities for the elderly to accelerate inoculations.~Across the country, about 22 million people, or 17.3% of the population, had received booster shots as of Thursday. The figure is the lowest among the Group of Seven major industrial nations, according to Our World in Data.~In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | <p>Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s goal of having Japan administer at least 1 million COVID-19 booster shots per day has not been reached about three weeks after he declared the target.</p><p>There has not been major progress in the booster shot rollout for elderly people and under 20% of the country’s population have received booster shots.</p><p><!-- /4973089/article_1 --> </p><p>On Feb. 7, Kishida said that he aims to increase the number of booster shots given per day to 1 million. He noted on Feb. 15 that the daily increase in third doses registered on the government’s vaccination data recording system reached 1.1 million the same day.</p><p>As some municipalities enter data into the system with a delay of several days, however, the figures from the system do not necessarily reflect reality. According to daily data announcements by the government as of Thursday, the largest number of doses given in one day was about 890,000 on Feb. 19.</p><p>A slower-than-expected pace of inoculations among elderly people is believed to be one of the reasons the target has not been met.</p><p>In a survey by the health ministry, 97.4% of municipalities around the country said they expect to finish administering booster doses to elderly people by the end of February. But only 15.8 million people, or 54% of the 29 million people eligible to get their third doses, had received booster shots as of Thursday.</p><p>Another likely reason is a delay in local governments’ preparations, including sending vaccination tickets to residents, after the interval between the second and third COVID-19 shots was shortened from eight months.</p><p>The health ministry has asked municipalities to enable residents to get boosters even without vaccination tickets while proposing support measures for facilities for the elderly to accelerate inoculations.</p><p>Across the country, about 22 million people, or 17.3% of the population, had received booster shots as of Thursday. The figure is the lowest among the Group of Seven major industrial nations, according to Our World in Data.</p><p>In a time of both misinformation and too much information,<span class="pc-line-break"></span> quality journalism is more crucial than ever.<br/>By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.</p> | JIJI | Fumio Kishida, elderly, vaccinations, covid-19, covid-19 in Japan, covid-19 vaccines | e577cb19-0d34-59f9-bb6e-c8ad1a66008b | 27/02/2022 16:26:33 | |
| https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/national/japan-russia-swift-sanctions-ukraine/ | Japan, absent from SWIFT action, says it will coordinate with G7 on further Russia sanctions | Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Japan "must respond with an eye on the impact on financial markets," as well as moves by Western countries. | The Japan Times | No Author | 2022-02-27T13:24:44+09:00 | https://cdn-japantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/np_file_143744-870x489.jpeg | National | Japan will coordinate closely with its Group of Seven counterparts in deciding whether to impose further sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Sunday.~The United States, Britain, Europe and Canada on Saturday moved to block certain Russian banks’ access to the SWIFT international payment system as part of more sanctions against Moscow as it continues its assault on Ukraine. Japan, however, was the only G7 country that did not sign on to the measure.~“We must respond with an eye on the impact on financial markets,” as well as moves by Western countries, Hayashi said during a television program, when asked about Japan’s stance on shutting out Russian banks from the SWIFT system.~Japanese companies have become increasingly concerned about a possible sanctions war with Russia over the Ukraine crisis.~Hayashi said the top diplomats from G7 countries would hold an emergency meeting Sunday evening in response to Russia’s moves against Ukraine. The talks are expected to be held online or over the phone.~His remarks came after Japan unveiled a set of tougher sanctions against Russia last week, including a freeze on assets held by three Russian banks and export controls on high-tech products such as semiconductors to military-linked groups.~Japan’s additional sanctions on Russia are also likely to make the future of long-standing territorial issues between Tokyo and Moscow more uncertain.~The two countries have been engaged in a decadeslong dispute over four islands northeast of Hokkaido that Russia occupies and Japan claims — a dispute that has prevented them from signing a post-World War II peace treaty.~The SWIFT measures, which will also include restrictions on the Russian central bank’s international reserves, will be implemented in the coming days, the nations said in a joint statement that also vowed further action to come.~“We will hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin,” the leaders of the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Canada and the United States wrote.~“Even beyond the measures we are announcing today, we are prepared to take further measures to hold Russia to account for its attack on Ukraine,” they added.~Hayashi and his U.S. counterpart on Saturday agreed that the impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has gone beyond Europe and that boosting their security alliance is a requisite for maintaining peace in Asia.~Hayashi called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday “aggression” and said he confirmed with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during phone talks that it has undermined “the very foundation of the international order that does not allow any unilateral change in the status quo by force.”~Hayashi told reporters that the ramifications of Russia’s action, in clear defiance of international law, will “not be limited to Europe” and that it could also affect the Indo-Pacific region, where China is increasingly assertive.~During their conversation, which lasted 25 minutes, Hayashi said the two agreed on the need to “strongly condemn” Russia and appropriately deal with Moscow “so as not to leave behind wrong lessons.”~According to a government source, until Friday night when Hayashi spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, Japan did not use the word “aggression” when referring to Russia’s invasion.~“The Japanese government has not defined aggression but decided to use it. Aggression has a stronger nuance than invasion,” a Foreign Ministry official said.~The switch to aggression, which was repeated by Hayashi when he met the press on Saturday, was decided upon after the United States and other countries started using the term, officials said.~They said the change is also meant as a warning against China, which has not ruled out the use of military force to reunify Taiwan with the mainland.~Blinken also thanked Hayashi for the imposition of the sanctions on Russia as well as Japan’s efforts to build a coalition to “amplify the joint impact” of Western nations’ response to the invasion, according to the U.S. State Department.~Japan’s new package, which also includes the suspension of visas for certain Russian individuals and entities, followed softer initial steps announced after Russia’s recognition of two pro-Moscow separatist regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. That action eventually paved the way for Russia to deploy troops in what were called “peacekeeping” operations.~Hayashi and Blinken also reaffirmed that Tokyo and Washington will strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the bilateral alliance and work closely with other countries, such as their G7 partners, in dealing with Russia and the crisis, the Japanese ministry said.~Later Saturday, Hayashi spoke with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau by phone. He asked for cooperation when Japanese nationals in Ukraine evacuate by land to Poland, according to the ministry.~Rau was quoted as saying in response that Poland, which shares a border with western Ukraine, stands ready to offer maximum support to Japan.~Japan has set up a temporary liaison office in Lviv in western Ukraine. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a press conference on Friday that the government has already chartered a plane for Japanese citizens to evacuate to another country from Poland.~In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | <p>Japan will coordinate closely with its Group of Seven counterparts in deciding whether to impose further sanctions against Russia over <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/world/russia-ukraine-weapons-west/">its invasion of Ukraine,</a> Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Sunday.</p><p>The United States, Britain, Europe and Canada on Saturday moved to <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/27/world/us-eu-russia-ukraine-swift-banks/">block certain Russian banks’ access to the SWIFT international payment system</a> as part of more sanctions against Moscow as it continues its assault on Ukraine. Japan, however, was the only G7 country that did not sign on to the measure.</p><p>“We must respond with an eye on the impact on financial markets,” as well as moves by Western countries, Hayashi said during a television program, when asked about Japan’s stance on shutting out Russian banks from the SWIFT system.</p><p><a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/26/business/japanese-companies-ukraine-russia-sanctions/">Japanese companies have become increasingly concerned</a> about a possible sanctions war with Russia over the Ukraine crisis.</p><p>Hayashi said the top diplomats from G7 countries would hold an emergency meeting Sunday evening in response to Russia’s moves against Ukraine. The talks are expected to be held online or over the phone.</p><p>His remarks came after <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/25/national/japan-new-russia-sanctions/">Japan unveiled a set of tougher sanctions</a> against Russia last week, including a freeze on assets held by three Russian banks and export controls on high-tech products such as semiconductors to military-linked groups.</p><p>Japan’s additional sanctions on Russia are also likely to make the future of <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/02/national/northern-territories-explainer-ukraine/">long-standing territorial issues</a> between Tokyo and Moscow <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/26/national/politics-diplomacy/russia-japan-territorial-dispute/">more uncertain</a>.</p><p>The two countries have been engaged in a decadeslong dispute over four islands northeast of Hokkaido that Russia occupies and Japan claims — a dispute that has prevented them from signing a post-World War II peace treaty.</p><p>The SWIFT measures, which will also include restrictions on the Russian central bank’s international reserves, will be implemented in the coming days, the nations said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/02/26/joint-statement-on-further-restrictive-economic-measures" onclick="__gaTracker('send', 'event', 'outbound-article', 'https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/02/26/joint-statement-on-further-restrictive-economic-measures', 'joint statement');">joint statement</a> that also vowed further action to come.</p><p>“We will hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin,” the leaders of the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Canada and the United States wrote.</p><p>“Even beyond the measures we are announcing today, we are prepared to take further measures to hold Russia to account for its attack on Ukraine,” they added.</p><p>Hayashi and his U.S. counterpart on Saturday agreed that the impact of <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/26/national/politics-diplomacy/hayashi-blinken-ukraine-china/">Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has gone beyond Europe</a> and that boosting their security alliance is a requisite for maintaining peace in Asia.</p><p>Hayashi called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday “aggression” and said he confirmed with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during phone talks that it has undermined “the very foundation of the international order that does not allow any unilateral change in the status quo by force.”</p><p>Hayashi told reporters that the ramifications of Russia’s action, in clear defiance of international law, will “not be limited to Europe” and that it could also affect the Indo-Pacific region, where China is increasingly assertive.</p><p>During their conversation, which lasted 25 minutes, Hayashi said the two agreed on the need to “strongly condemn” Russia and appropriately deal with Moscow “so as not to leave behind wrong lessons.”</p><p>According to a government source, until Friday night when Hayashi spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, Japan did not use the word “aggression” when referring to Russia’s invasion.</p><p>“The Japanese government has not defined aggression but decided to use it. Aggression has a stronger nuance than invasion,” a Foreign Ministry official said.</p><p>The switch to aggression, which was repeated by Hayashi when he met the press on Saturday, was decided upon after the United States and other countries started using the term, officials said.</p><p>They said the change is also meant as a warning against China, which has not ruled out the use of military force to reunify Taiwan with the mainland.</p><p>Blinken also thanked Hayashi for the imposition of the sanctions on Russia as well as Japan’s efforts to build a coalition to “amplify the joint impact” of Western nations’ response to the invasion, according to the U.S. State Department.</p><p>Japan’s new package, which also includes the suspension of visas for certain Russian individuals and entities, followed softer initial steps announced after Russia’s recognition of two pro-Moscow separatist regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. That action eventually paved the way for Russia to deploy troops in what were called “peacekeeping” operations.</p><p>Hayashi and Blinken also reaffirmed that Tokyo and Washington will strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the bilateral alliance and work closely with other countries, such as their G7 partners, in dealing with Russia and the crisis, the Japanese ministry said.</p><p>Later Saturday, Hayashi spoke with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau by phone. He asked for cooperation when Japanese nationals in Ukraine evacuate by land to Poland, according to the ministry.</p><p>Rau was quoted as saying in response that Poland, which shares a border with western Ukraine, stands ready to offer maximum support to Japan.</p><p>Japan has set up a temporary liaison office in Lviv in western Ukraine. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a press conference on Friday that the government has already chartered a plane for Japanese citizens to evacuate to another country from Poland.</p><p>In a time of both misinformation and too much information,<span class="pc-line-break"></span> quality journalism is more crucial than ever.<br/>By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.</p> | REUTERS,KYODO,JIJI | Europe, U.S., Vladimir Putin, Russia, EU, Ukraine, banks, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Joe Biden, G7, Russia-Japan relations, SWIFT, Russia-Ukraine crisis | 5abf2e6f-8f2f-5e8d-b190-219fcbed8676 | 27/02/2022 16:26:34 |