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専門家：ステルスオミクロンはさらなる伝染力
沖縄の感染者数は減少するも高齢者の感染増加
コロナの急増により保育園、保護者が危機に
岸田首相：北朝鮮飛翔体の情報収集に努める
大学入学共通テスト不正疑い：19歳が出頭
小泉、菅元首相：EUに脱原発の選択を要求
FRBはインフレを警戒 3月に金利引き上げへ
サムスン：半導体好調で大幅利益増
北京五輪に先立ち、オリンピック村オープン
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スクリプトは以下の通りとなります。
Experts: ‘Stealth Omicron’ could be even more contagious.
A health ministry advisory board warned on Jan. 26 that another version of the Omicron variant spreading overseas could be 18 percent more contagious than the one currently dominant in Japan.
The new form of the Omicron variant is being called “stealth Omicron,” as some of the tests conducted in other countries have not been able to identify it as the Omicron variant.
COVID-19 cases fall in Okinawa, but more seniors getting infected.
Okinawa is the only prefecture in Japan that reported a week-on-week decrease in new COVID-19 cases, but the virus has spread to more elderly people over that period, a health ministry advisory panel said.
For the week between Jan. 17 and 23, Okinawa Prefecture confirmed 8,289 new COVID-19 cases, a decrease from 9,355 reported in the previous week, the panel said at a Jan. 26 meeting.
COVID outbreaks put nursery schools, parents near the brink.
Many working parents are being forced to look after their young children at home amid a spike in temporary closures of nursery schools due to the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases across the country.
In Yokohama, a 38-year-old company employee had no choice but to stay home after the certified nursey school she sends her three children, aged between 2 and 6, reported an infection.
Kishida awaits confirmation on N. Korean projectiles.
Japan is awaiting confirmation on the types of projectiles launched by North Korea early Thursday and where they fell, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
“We are making every effort to gather information,” Kishida told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday morning.
Objects falling into Japan’s exclusive economic zone or damage to aircraft or vessels have not been confirmed, he said.
Teenager admits to cheating on university entrance exam.
A 19-year-old female student has admitted to cheating on a unified university entrance exam by using an electronic device to leak questions and gain outside help, sources said Jan. 27.
She surrendered to police in Kagawa Prefecture after news of the cheating scandal spread around the nation.
Tokyo police are expected to question her on suspicion of fraudulent obstruction of business.
Ex-Japan Prime Ministers Koizumi, Kan demand EU choose zero nuclear power path.
Former Japanese prime ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Naoto Kan called on the European Union on Thursday to pursue a path toward zero nuclear power, with the bloc planning to designate it as a form of "green" energy in achieving net-zero emissions by midcentury.
Both Koizumi and Kan were proponents of nuclear power generation while in office, but they have become prominent antinuclear voices in Japan since the 2011 Fukushima disaster triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami.
Fed plans to raise rates as soon as March to cool inflation.
The Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday that it plans to begin raising its benchmark interest rate as soon as March, a key step in reversing its pandemic-era low-rate policies that have fueled hiring and growth but also escalated inflation.
With high inflation squeezing consumers and businesses and unemployment falling steadily, the Fed also said it would phase out its monthly bond purchases, which have been intended to lower longer-term rates, in March.
Samsung reports robust profit based on chip strength.
Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday its operating profit for the last quarter rose by more than 53 percent from the same period last year as it continued to thrive during the pandemic while relying on its dual strength in parts and finished products.
Samsung’s operating profit of to 13.9 trillion won for the October-December period was its highest for a fourth quarter since 2017, growth the company attributed to robust demand for its computer memory chips and chip contract manufacturing.
Beijing Olympic villages officially open ahead of Winter Games.
Three Olympic Villages, two in Beijing and one in Zhangjiakou, officially opened their doors to athletes for the Beijing Winter Games on Thursday, eight days before the opening ceremony.
The villages in Beijing's Chaoyang and Yanqing districts include about 3,500 beds, while the village in Zhangjiakou will accommodate some 2,800 athletes and team officials staying for the Feb. 4-20 games.
