The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Japan reopens mass vaccination center for COVID booster shots
TOKYO - The Japanese government reopened a mass COVID-19 vaccination center in Tokyo on Monday to speed up administering third shots to cope with the new wave of infections driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The center, which opened amid criticism that the government has been slow to offer booster shots, is being run by the Self-Defense Forces and will offer people aged 18 or above U.S. pharmaceutical firm Moderna Inc.'s vaccine.
----------
North Korea confirms testing of long-range ballistic missile Jan. 30
BEIJING - North Korea test-fired a Hwasong-12 "intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile" on Sunday, state-run media confirmed Monday, at a time when the nuclear-armed nation has been increasing its military pressure on the United States.
The launch came after Pyongyang recently hinted at resuming nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, saying it may restart all "activities" that it had temporarily suspended to build trust with the United States.
----------
Public schools in Japan short of over 2,500 teachers last year
TOKYO - Public schools in Japan were short of more than 2,500 teachers at the start of the school year last April, government data showed Monday, underscoring the challenges of finding substitutes in the education sector.
An education ministry survey of public elementary, junior and senior high schools, as well as special schools for children with disabilities, found that that 2,558 teaching posts were vacant at 1,897 schools, or 5.8 percent of the total schools surveyed.
----------
Japan F-15 fighter disappears from radar over Sea of Japan
KANAZAWA, Japan - A Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jet disappeared from radar after taking off from Komatsu Air Base in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa on Monday afternoon, Defense Ministry sources said.
Radar contact with the plane was lost around 5:30 p.m. over the Sea of Japan about 5 kilometers west-northwest of the base, the sources said.
----------
COVID state of emergency in Tokyo not being considered now: PM Kishida
TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday he is not considering declaring a state of emergency in Tokyo over a recent spike in novel coronavirus cases amid the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
His remarks came amid pressure on the government to again place Tokyo under a state of emergency, with the capital reporting 11,751 daily coronavirus cases the same day. The occupancy rate for designated COVID-19 hospital beds stood at 49.2 percent, approaching the 50 percent threshold for the metropolitan government to consider requesting a state of emergency to strengthen anti-coronavirus measures.
----------
Japan 2021 industrial output up 5.8%, still below pre-pandemic level
TOKYO - Japan's industrial output in 2021 grew 5.8 percent from a year earlier but remained below its precoronavirus pandemic level amid a resurgence of infections and a global semiconductor shortage, government data showed Monday.
The seasonally adjusted index of output at factories and mines in 2021 stood at 95.9 against the 2015 base of 100, with the fastest increase since comparable data became available in 2014, following the worst decline of 10.4 percent in 2020, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report.
----------
British PM Johnson cancels planned visit to Japan: gov't sources
TOKYO - The British government has canceled Prime Minister Boris Johnson's planned visit to Japan in February due to growing tensions over Ukraine and his alleged participation in COVID lockdown-breaking parties, Japanese government sources said Monday.
Tokyo and London had been arranging for his visit in mid-February for talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, but the sources said the British government had canceled the plan.
----------
Japan's consumer confidence falls in Jan., gov't lowers assessment
TOKYO - Japan's consumer confidence worsened in January for the second straight month amid a resurgence of coronavirus infections and higher consumer prices, the government said Monday, downgrading its assessment for the first time in eight months.
The seasonally adjusted index of sentiment among households made up of two or more people fell 2.4 points to 36.7, the Cabinet Office said. The index indicates consumers' economic expectations for the coming six months, with a reading below 50 suggesting the pessimists outnumber the optimists.
