Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comTOKYO, April 22 (Reuters) - Japan on Thursday nearly doubled its target for cutting carbon emissions, responding to pressure from the United States and some of its own companies as world leaders met for a climate summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden.Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Japan would aim for a 46% cutby 2030and look for ways to go even further. Its previous target was a 26% reduction from 2013 levels, a goal that activists had branded unambitious.Other countries also announced stronger action in the lead-up to the virtual...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comTOKYO, April 22 (Reuters) - Japan on Thursday nearly doubled its target for cutting carbon emissions, responding to pressure from the United States and some of its own companies as world leaders met for a climate summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden.Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Japan would aim for a 46% cutby 2030and look for ways to go even further. Its previous target was a 26% reduction from 2013 levels, a goal that activists had branded unambitious.Other countries also announced stronger action in the lead-up to the virtual...WW…

Men wearing face masks watch as giant Olympic rings, which were temporarily taken down in August for maintenance amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, are transported for reinstallation at the waterfront area at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan December 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comFUKUSHIMA, March 25 (Reuters) - Thirsty Tokyo residents are about to get a bit of a break just as the summer heat arrives with authorities in the Japanese capital preparing to relax a ban on alcohol in restaurants and bars when it...…Men wearing face masks watch as giant Olympic rings, which were temporarily taken down in August for maintenance amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, are transported for reinstallation at the waterfront area at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan December 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comFUKUSHIMA, March 25 (Reuters) - Thirsty Tokyo residents are about to get a bit of a break just as the summer heat arrives with authorities in the Japanese capital preparing to relax a ban on alcohol in restaurants and bars when it...WW…

By , , FUKUSHIMA/TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -With waves, smiles and streamers, but no cheers, the Olympic torch relay kicked off on Thursday, beginning a four-month countdown to the postponed 2020 summer Games in Tokyo, the first ever organised during a deadly pandemic.Casting a pall over celebrations already scaled back because of coronavirus measures, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles before the relay began in Fukushima, an area hit hard by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.“For the past year, as the entire world underwent a difficult period, the Olympic...…By , , FUKUSHIMA/TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -With waves, smiles and streamers, but no cheers, the Olympic torch relay kicked off on Thursday, beginning a four-month countdown to the postponed 2020 summer Games in Tokyo, the first ever organised during a deadly pandemic.Casting a pall over celebrations already scaled back because of coronavirus measures, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles before the relay began in Fukushima, an area hit hard by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.“For the past year, as the entire world underwent a difficult period, the Olympic...WW…

By , , TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China on Tuesday against using “coercion and aggression” as he sought to use his first trip abroad to shore up Asian alliances in the face of growing assertiveness by Beijing.China’s extensive territorial claims in the East and South China Seas have become a priority issue in an increasingly testy Sino-U.S. relationship and are an important security concern for Japan.“We will push back, if necessary, when China uses coercion and aggression to get its way,” Blinken said.His visit to Tokyo with Defense Secretary Lloyd...…By , , TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China on Tuesday against using “coercion and aggression” as he sought to use his first trip abroad to shore up Asian alliances in the face of growing assertiveness by Beijing.China’s extensive territorial claims in the East and South China Seas have become a priority issue in an increasingly testy Sino-U.S. relationship and are an important security concern for Japan.“We will push back, if necessary, when China uses coercion and aggression to get its way,” Blinken said.His visit to Tokyo with Defense Secretary Lloyd...WW…

By , , CANBERRA/TOKYO/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Australia has asked the European Commission to review its decision to block a shipment of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, as countries importing EU-made shots fear a potential impact on supplies.The EU executive backed Italy’s decision to block a shipment of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia, European officials said, in the first refusal of an export request since a mechanism to monitor vaccine flows was established in late January.The move was a reaction to AstraZeneca’s delays in delivering vaccines to the EU. The company has...…By , , CANBERRA/TOKYO/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Australia has asked the European Commission to review its decision to block a shipment of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, as countries importing EU-made shots fear a potential impact on supplies.The EU executive backed Italy’s decision to block a shipment of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia, European officials said, in the first refusal of an export request since a mechanism to monitor vaccine flows was established in late January.The move was a reaction to AstraZeneca’s delays in delivering vaccines to the EU. The company has...WW…

By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned on Friday and apologised again for sexist remarks that sparked a global outcry, leaving the troubled Olympics searching for a chief five months from the opening ceremony.The resignation of the 83-year-old former prime minister further erodes confidence in organisers’ ability to pull off the postponed Summer Games during a coronavirus pandemic.A selection committee made up of an equal number of men and women, and centred around athletes, would choose a new president for the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, the group’s...…By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned on Friday and apologised again for sexist remarks that sparked a global outcry, leaving the troubled Olympics searching for a chief five months from the opening ceremony.The resignation of the 83-year-old former prime minister further erodes confidence in organisers’ ability to pull off the postponed Summer Games during a coronavirus pandemic.A selection committee made up of an equal number of men and women, and centred around athletes, would choose a new president for the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, the group’s...WW…

TOKYO --A new coronavirus variant has been detected in four travellers from Brazil's Amazonas state, Japan's Health Ministry said on Sunday, the latest new mutation of the virus discovered.A ministry official said studies were underway into the efficacy of vaccines against the new variant, which differs from highly infectious variants first found in Britain and South Africa that have driven a surge in cases."At the moment, there is no proof showing the new variant found in those from Brazil is high in infectiousness," Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases,...…TOKYO --A new coronavirus variant has been detected in four travellers from Brazil's Amazonas state, Japan's Health Ministry said on Sunday, the latest new mutation of the virus discovered.A ministry official said studies were underway into the efficacy of vaccines against the new variant, which differs from highly infectious variants first found in Britain and South Africa that have driven a surge in cases."At the moment, there is no proof showing the new variant found in those from Brazil is high in infectiousness," Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases,...WW…

By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan declared a limited state of emergency in the capital, Tokyo, and three neighbouring prefectures on Thursday to stem the spread of the coronavirus, resisting calls from some medics for wider curbs due to the economic damage they would cause.The government said the one-month emergency would run from Friday to Feb. 7 in Tokyo and Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures, covering about 30% of the country’s population. Restrictions would centre on combating transmission in bars and restaurants, which the government says are main risk areas.The curbs are narrower in...…By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan declared a limited state of emergency in the capital, Tokyo, and three neighbouring prefectures on Thursday to stem the spread of the coronavirus, resisting calls from some medics for wider curbs due to the economic damage they would cause.The government said the one-month emergency would run from Friday to Feb. 7 in Tokyo and Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures, covering about 30% of the country’s population. Restrictions would centre on combating transmission in bars and restaurants, which the government says are main risk areas.The curbs are narrower in...WW…

By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan aims to expand a major regional free trade pact called the CPTPP, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Friday, potentially catering for China’s and Britain’s interest in joining the deal.The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) links 11 countries including Canada, Australia and Japan.“Japan will aspire for the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific through the early conclusion of the RCEP agreement and the steady implementation and expansion of the CPTPP as next year’s chair,” Suga said.The premier made the comment in a...…By , TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan aims to expand a major regional free trade pact called the CPTPP, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Friday, potentially catering for China’s and Britain’s interest in joining the deal.The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) links 11 countries including Canada, Australia and Japan.“Japan will aspire for the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific through the early conclusion of the RCEP agreement and the steady implementation and expansion of the CPTPP as next year’s chair,” Suga said.The premier made the comment in a...WW…

By , HANOI (Reuters) - Japan hailed an agreement in principle to supply Vietnam with military gear and technology, as the two governments pledged on Monday to strengthen security and economic ties amid mounting concerns about China’s assertiveness in the region.“It is a big step in the field of security for both countries,” Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters after meeting his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, in Hanoi.The two leaders also agreed on the importance of maintaining peace, security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and the...…By , HANOI (Reuters) - Japan hailed an agreement in principle to supply Vietnam with military gear and technology, as the two governments pledged on Monday to strengthen security and economic ties amid mounting concerns about China’s assertiveness in the region.“It is a big step in the field of security for both countries,” Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters after meeting his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, in Hanoi.The two leaders also agreed on the importance of maintaining peace, security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and the...WW…