The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Tokyo's daily COVID-19 cases exceed 20,000 for first time
TOKYO - Tokyo confirmed a record 21,576 daily coronavirus cases Wednesday, exceeding the 20,000 mark for the first time as the highly transmissible Omicron variant continues to wreak havoc across Japan.
The tally eclipsed the previous record of 17,631 logged Friday.
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Sony lifts FY 2021 operating profit outlook to record 1.2 tril. yen
TOKYO - Sony Group Corp. on Wednesday raised its operating profit outlook for the current business year to a record 1.20 trillion yen ($10.45 billion), as solid movie and mobile gaming segments along with a weak yen against the U.S. dollar are expected to make up for weak sales of its PlayStation 5 game consoles amid a global chip crunch.
In October, the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant forecast an operating profit of 1.04 trillion yen for the year through March.
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Modest Beijing Olympic torch relay begins 2 days ahead of opening
BEIJING - The Beijing Olympic torch relay kicked off in a modest manner in the center of the capital on Wednesday amid lingering concern over the COVID-19 pandemic, just two days before the opening of the global sporting event.
Around 1,200 people are set to join the three-day torch relay that started at Beijing's Olympic Forest Park. The event has been scaled back to ensure the health and safety of the public against the backdrop of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
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Japan's sanctions over Ukraine "counterproductive": Russian envoy
TOKYO - Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin on Wednesday warned that Japan's plans to adopt punitive measures against Russia in line with tougher sanctions imposed on Moscow by some Western nations in the event of military aggression in Ukraine would be "counterproductive."
The envoy's remarks came after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged during a virtual summit with U.S President Joe Biden late last month to take "strong action in response to any attack" on Ukraine by Russia, which has increased its military presence on the border fueling concern about a possible invasion.
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Artist behind Bird's Nest laments use of Olympic venue for propaganda
TOKYO - World-renowned Chinese artist in exile Ai Weiwei has lamented the use in Chinese government propaganda of the Bird's Nest national stadium he helped to design for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, saying it subverts the original intention to embody democracy and freedom.
In a recent written interview with Kyodo News ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympics on Friday in the Chinese capital, the dissident artist also described some Western nations' diplomatic boycotts of the games over human rights in China as "meaningless" and rapped the International Olympic Committee for being "politicized."
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JAL narrows April-Dec. loss as demand spurred by lifted COVID steps
TOKYO - Japan Airlines Co. said Wednesday its net loss narrowed to 128.32 billion yen ($1.12 billion) for the April to December period, from a 212.72 billion yen loss a year earlier, as air travel demand rebounded after the COVID-19 emergency was fully lifted in October at home.
But a JAL executive said the airline saw demand beginning to slow as the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus started to spread in Japan from late last year.
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Panasonic's April-Dec. net profit up on brisk sales of EV batteries
TOKYO - Panasonic Corp. on Wednesday reported a net profit of 195.63 billion yen ($1.70 billion) in the April-December period, up 50.3 percent from a year earlier, on the back of strong sales of batteries for electric vehicles.
The automotive and energy segments, key growth areas for the electronics company, logged sales of 774.9 billion yen, up 7 percent from a year earlier, and 568.0 billion yen, up 27 percent, respectively, due to strong overseas demand for in-vehicle equipment and electric car batteries for Tesla Inc.
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Tonga enters nationwide lockdown after aid deliveries import virus
SYDNEY - Tonga entered nationwide lockdown on Wednesday as five coronavirus cases were reported in the previously virus-free Pacific island country, confirming fears that international aid would bring COVID-19 to the country devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami last month.
According to local media, Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku said in an urgent national address late Tuesday that two men handling the incoming shipments at the capital's port had returned positive results in routine testing.
