The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan to impose sanctions on Russia amid Ukraine crisis: Kishida
TOKYO - Japan will implement a set of economic sanctions against Russia and two pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine after Moscow formally recognized the areas and ordered the deployment of troops there, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday.
The government will suspend visa issuance for officials from the two regions and freeze their assets. It will ban exports to and imports from the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as well as the issuance and trading of new Russian sovereign bonds in Japan, Kishida said.
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China temporarily detains Japanese diplomat
TOKYO - A diplomat at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing was detained temporarily by authorities Monday in the Chinese capital, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
The Japanese government lodged a protest with China through diplomatic channels, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters, saying, "We cannot overlook (the incident) and will never accept it."
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Taiwan denounces Russia amid fears Beijing may copy Moscow's playbook
TAIPEI - Taiwan on Wednesday denounced Russia's deployment of "peacekeeping" troops in two separatist-held regions in eastern Ukraine, amid fears Beijing might copy Moscow's playbook and attempt to take the self-ruled island by force.
After chairing a National Security Council meeting following Russia's ordering troops into the two breakaway regions, President Tsai Ing-wen condemned Russia for its infringement of Ukraine's sovereignty, calling on all parties involved in the dispute to resolve it peacefully and rationally.
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Japan emperor calls on people to keep "fire of hope" amid pandemic
TOKYO - Emperor Naruhito, on the occasion of his 62nd birthday on Wednesday, called on people in Japan to keep "a fire of hope" burning in their hearts and support each other in the face of challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The emperor also said he felt thankful to health care workers and the many people who have battled against the prolonged pandemic, while offering condolences for the losses suffered in the past year.
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Biden says Russia beginning "invasion" of Ukraine, unveils sanctions
WASHINGTON - Russia is beginning an "invasion" of Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday, as he and other Western leaders moved ahead with imposing sanctions on Moscow in response to its ordering of troop deployments to two separatist-held regions in eastern Ukraine.
The situation over Ukraine escalated when Russia, which has been massing troops near Ukraine for months, recognized on Monday the two self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent and ordered troops to be deployed there for "peacekeeping" missions.
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South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit record above 170,000
SEOUL - South Korea reported a record-high number of more than 170,000 daily coronavirus cases on Wednesday, amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant across the nation.
The country reported a total of 171,452 COVID-19 infections over a 24-hour period, surging by over 70,000 from the previous day and exceeding the previous record of 109,831 registered on Thursday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
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Japan, U.S. irked by Prince Philip's intervention over runway plan
LONDON - Japan and the United States were frustrated by Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, attempting to stop a new runway in Japan in the 1980s, according to newly released files at the National Archives in London.
The documents, released in November following the prince's death in April, show Japan's Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone was "concerned" about the intervention and the U.S. State Department feared the prince could jeopardize the entire project.
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U.K. body urges Japan to reconsider CO2 storage, ammonia fuel policy
TOKYO - A British research group has urged Japan to reconsider promoting carbon capture and storage and a so-called integrated gasification combined cycle because such technologies are not only costly but do not significantly cut the country's carbon dioxide emissions.
In a report released this month, London-based climate data provider TransitionZero said Japan instead should focus more on offshore wind power it said could "unlock tremendous renewable energy potential" in the fight against global warming.
