Japan

TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Japan's parliament adopted a rare resolution on Tuesday on what it called the "serious human rights situation" in China, and asked the government to take steps to relieve the situation.

Japan has already announced it will not send a government delegation to the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, following a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott over concerns about China's human rights condition, although Tokyo avoided explicitly labelling its move as such.

TOKYO, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks finished higher Tuesday to close out a three-day winning streak as U.S. shares rose overnight and Japanese firms continued to report robust earnings.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average added 76.50 points, or 0.28 percent, from Monday to close the day at 27,078.48.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, inched up 0.13 points, or 0.01 percent, to finish at 1,896.06.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares gained Tuesday, mirroring broad overnight gains on Wall Street, while trading in China and most other regional markets was closed for Lunar New Year holidays.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.3% to finish at 27,078.48. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5% to 7,006.00.

Wall Street closed a tumultuous January wracked by worries that interest-rate hikes will make everything in markets more challenging. Shares closed higher but still logged their worst monthly loss since the early days of the pandemic.

TOKYO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- A Japan Air Self-Defense Force F15 fighter jet disappeared from the radar after taking off from the Komatsu Air Base in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa on Monday, the Ministry of Defense has said.

The rescue team has found what appears to be missing persons aboard the fighter on the Sea of Japan but the number of persons found and their conditions cannot be confirmed at this point, according to the ministry.

TOKYO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's planned trip to Japan in mid-February has been canceled, Japanese government sources said Monday.

The trip would have been the first face-to-face meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Johnson since they met at the COP26 climate summit in Britain last year.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno confirmed the cancellation.

"It is not true that a visit by British Prime Minister Johnson is being arranged," Matsuno told a regular news conference on Monday. 

TOKYO, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The operator of Japan's disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has confirmed that four tons of coolant had leaked from two storage tanks, local media reported Monday.

The coolant was used to create an ice wall refraining groundwater from seeping into reactor buildings, according to the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO).

TOKYO, Jan 22 (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 jolted southwestern Japan early on Saturday morning, injuring 13 people, the authorities and local media said.

No tsunami warning was issued after the quake struck with an epicentre 45 km (30 miles) deep at 1:08 a.m. (1608 GMT on Friday) off the coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

The quake caused shaking in Oita and Miyazaki prefectures that measured 5+ on Japan's seismic intensity scale, which has a maximum of 7, the agency said.

TOKYO (AP) — Restaurants and bars will close early in Tokyo and a dozen other areas across Japan beginning Friday as the country widens COVID-19 restrictions due to the omicron variant, which has caused cases to surge to new highs in metropolitan areas.

The restraint, which is something of a pre-state of emergency, is the first since September and is scheduled to last through Feb. 13. With three other prefectures — Okinawa, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi — under similar measures since early January, the state of restraint now covers 16 areas, or one-third of the country.

TOKYO, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan reported 32,197 daily COVID-19 cases across the country on Tuesday, exceeding the previous record of 25,992 daily cases in August last year and logging a new all-time high, according to an NHK tally based on data from local governments.

The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed 5,185 new infection cases, the first time to top 5,000 in nearly five months since Aug. 21, 2021. The number rose more than five times from 962 on last Tuesday, recording the biggest count on Tuesdays ever.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday said fighting the pandemic was a “top priority” in his speech opening this year’s parliamentary session, as the Tokyo region was hit by surging infections.

Kishida also named stepping up defense measures against rising regional threats as a priority, hours after North Korea test-fired two possible ballistic missiles — its fourth this year.