2月1日：日本の最新英語ニュース：中国の人権に懸念 12球団がキャンプ開始

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東京のコロナ患者用のベッド稼働率が50％を超える
東京株価は3日続伸：好調な国内業績
アジア各地で旧正月のお祝いが行われる
衆議院が中国の人権に懸念を表明
ANA：コロナの影響で4-12月期は1020億円の損失
プロ野球12球団がキャンプ開始：ファン戻る
公立学校の5％で専任教員が不足との調査結果
トヨタ：過労とパワハラによる社員の自殺を謝罪
タカ派の元東京都知事、石原氏が死去、89歳


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Bed occupancy rate in Tokyo for virus patients tops 50%.
Tokyo confirmed 14,445 new COVID-19 cases on Feb. 1 with the occupancy rate of hospital beds designated for virus-infected patients in the capital rising to 50.7 percent.
That puts the rate above the 50 percent threshold, at which point the metropolitan government is expected to consider asking the central government to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo. 

Tokyo stocks extend rally to 3 days on upbeat domestic earnings.
Tokyo stocks on Tuesday extended their winning streak to 3 days on a string of recently released upbeat earnings from Japanese companies, although gains were capped by profit-taking and the yen's strengthening against the U.S. dollar.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 76.50 points, or 0.28 percent, from Monday.

Across Asia, celebrations mark Lunar New Year.
People around Asia ushered in the Year of the Tiger on Tuesday, celebrating the Lunar New Year with colorful decorations, wild dances, tributes to their ancestors and prayers for good fortune in the year to come.
It is the third Lunar New Year since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, and again celebrations were more subdued than usual, with people taking strict health and safety precautions, and some traditional festivities either reduced in size or cancelled.

Japan's lower house expresses concern over human rights in China.
Japan's lower house on Tuesday adopted a rare resolution expressing concern over the human rights situations in Xinjiang region and Hong Kong, underscoring its focus on the issue just days before the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
While the House of Representatives resolution on "serious human rights situations" in Xinjiang and elsewhere did not directly blame China or use the term "human rights abuses," it demanded Beijing's accountability and called for the constructive involvement of the Japanese government.

ANA logs net loss of 102 bil. yen in April-Dec. amid pandemic.
ANA Holdings Inc. said Tuesday it booked an operating profit of 100 million yen in the October-December quarter, returning to the black for the first time in eight quarters, as domestic air travel demand improved after the COVID-19 emergency was fully lifted in October.
Still, the parent of All Nippon Airways Co. said it logged a net loss of 102.80 billion yen for the April to December period while maintaining its forecast for a net loss of 100 billion yen for the full business year through March.

Baseball: Fans return as 12 NPB teams start spring training.
Spring training for the 12 Nippon Professional Baseball teams got under way on Tuesday, with fans watching the action in ballparks for the first time in two years.
Last year fans were shut out during spring training because of COVID-19 precautions, but this year teams are allowing fans to return under new safety protocols.
Study: 5% of public schools do not have enough full-time teachers.

Nearly 5 percent of all public schools in Japan lack a full roster of teachers, forcing administrators and temporary hires to fill the empty slots, according to the education ministry’s first study on the matter.
The labor shortage is due to teachers taking time off for maternity leave, child care or health reasons, the study showed.
An education expert said the problem boils down to the dwindling number of university graduates who are applying for teaching positions.

Toyota apologizes for suicide of employee after overwork, harassment.
Toyota Motor Corp has settled a lawsuit that blamed overwork and harassment for the suicide of one of its employees.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda has apologized to the family, the Japanese automaker said Tuesday. Monetary details of the settlement were not disclosed. The lawsuit filed by the worker's family had sought 123 million yen in damages, Japanese media reports said.

Ishihara, hawkish former Tokyo governor, dies at 89.
Shintaro Ishihara, an award-winning author, former Cabinet member and hawkish Tokyo governor whose blunt words offended various groups of people, died on Feb. 1. He was 89.
Born in Kobe in 1932, Ishihara gained fame as an author when he won the Akutagawa Prize, Japan’s most prestigious literary award, in 1955 for “Season of the Sun,” a novel he published when he was attending Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo.

2月1日：日本の最新英語ニュース：消費者態度指数は低下 150食のラーメン

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岸田首相：東京の緊急事態宣言は検討しない
コロナによるデイケアの閉鎖が過去最高の644件に
東京都：コロナ患者の一部に自己健康観察を要請
福島原発の放水予定に疑問の声高まる
3回目ワクチンの集団接種会場を再開
同僚名義で150食のラーメンを注文した疑い
3月の家庭用電気・ガス代は上昇へ
1月の日本の消費者態度指数は低下：政府は下方修正
ジョンソン英首相は訪日をキャンセル：政府筋


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Kishida says he is not considering COVID state of emergency for 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. The occupancy rate for designated COVID-19 hospital beds stood at 49.2 percent, approaching the 50 percent threshold to consider requesting a state of emergency.

New high of 644 day cares shut as coronavirus 6th wave washes over Japan.
A new record high of 644 day care centers across Japan had been temporarily closed as of Jan. 27 due to COVID-19 cases at the facilities, almost doubling the previous high of 327 set just a week earlier.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare tally of certified child care centers entirely shut down by the virus, there were seven day cares nationwide that had closed their doors as of Jan. 6. That rose to 86 as of Jan. 13, 327 as of Jan. 20, and now 644.

Tokyo asks some COVID-19 patients to self-monitor.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is asking coronavirus patients under the age of 50 with no pre-existing health concerns, and who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, to self-monitor their health at home.
The new policy began Monday after the metropolitan government suspended the daily monitoring of such patients recuperating at home by public health centers and other organizations.

Doubts grow on water-release schedule at Fukushima plant.
Shovel loaders digging pits at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on Jan. 17 were a rare sign of progress in the government’s contentious water-discharge plan at the stricken site.
Under the plan, millions of tons of treated but still contaminated water stored at the plant will be released into the sea over decades starting in spring 2023.
However, opposition to the plan remains fierce among local residents, the fishing industry and even overseas governments.
Japan reopens mass vaccination center for COVID booster shots.

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 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 vaccine.
Temp worker in Japan suspected of ordering 150 ramen servings in colleague's name.

A temp worker suspected of using the name of a former colleague to place fake orders for 150 servings of ramen through a noodle shop's website was arrested on Jan. 31, Kyoto Prefectural Police said.
Nishikyo Police Station arrested the 40-year-old worker, in Shiga, on suspicion of fraudulent obstruction of business. The former colleague had previously been sent pay-on-delivery orders of sushi and pizza.

Household electricity, gas bills to rise in March.
Ten electric power companies in Japan have announced a price increase in household electricity prices from March, including Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Chubu Electric Power Co and Kansai Electric (KEPCO).
The electricity bill for an average household will increase by 283 yen per month for TEPCO, 292 yen for Chubu and 55 yen for KEPCO.
The continuous price surge is due to the rise in imported fuels, including liquefied natural gas used in thermal power plants, Sankei Shimbun reported.

Japan's consumer confidence falls in January, government lowers assessment.
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 index indicates consumers' economic expectations for the coming six months, with a reading below 50 suggesting the pessimists outnumber the optimists.

British Prime Minister Johnson cancels planned visit to Japan: government sources.
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.

1月31日：日本の最新英語ニュース：ツイッター削除要請 伊藤美誠優勝

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東京で15,895人の新規感染者：緊急事態宣言の基準に
北朝鮮：2017年以来の大型ミサイル発射実験
埼玉の医師：母親の蘇生断られた後に発砲か
技能実習生の経済状況調査を開始
2021年上半期のツイッター削除要請：日本が最多
核兵器禁止条約発効から1年：高校生が平和を願い朗読
北京オリンピック：日本選手団が出発
北京五輪アプリにセキュリティ上の欠陥の可能性
卓球：五輪メダリストの伊藤美誠が3度目の全国制覇


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Tokyo reports 15,895 new cases as capital nears key emergency threshold.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 15,895 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday as the capital neared a key threshold for requesting a virus state of emergency.
The occupancy rate for hospital beds for coronavirus patients in Tokyo also jumped, rising to 48.5% and nearing the 50% threshold for the metropolitan government to request the central government declare a state of emergency.

North Korea tests possibly longest-range missile since 2017.
North Korea on Sunday fired what appeared to be the most powerful missile it has tested since U.S. President Joe Biden took office, as it revives its old playbook in brinkmanship to wrest concessions from Washington and neighbors amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.
Japanese officials said the missile, based on their initial assessment of its flight path, potentially reached a maximum altitude of 2,000 kilometers and traveled 800 kilometers before landing in the sea.

Gunman killed doctor after he refused to ‘revive’ dead mother.
A man who fatally shot a doctor because he refused to try to resuscitate his dead mother told police he contemplated killing other staff from the clinic as well as himself, according to investigative sources.
“I lost all hope for my future after my mother’s death, so I thought about killing not just myself, but also the doctor and other members of the staff,” he was quoted as saying.

Survey on technical trainees' financial situation in Japan begins.
Japan has commenced a survey to grasp the financial situations of foreign technical trainees as money problems seem to be the reason many abruptly leave their host firms, a government official said.
The Immigration Services Agency of Japan and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare began gathering the information of 2,000 trainees across the country, including on the pay they receive at workplaces and the amount they owe in relocation expenses.

Japan was top tweet removal requestor in 1st half of 2021: Twitter.
Japan was the top requestor to Twitter Inc. to have online posts removed in the first half of 2021, making up 43 percent of all legal demands received from across the world during the period, the company said in a recent report.
The latest biannual transparency report by the U.S. social media giant showed court orders and other formal demands from governmental entities and lawyers representing individuals to remove content totaled 43,387 between January and June last year, with 18,518 of them coming from Japan.
Southwest Japan high schoolers recite original poem about peace on anniversary of nuke treaty.

High school students in Kumamoto Prefecture who collect signatures for a petition seeking the abolition of nuclear weapons recited a poem in this city on Jan. 22 about peace that one of them wrote, one year from the day that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons went into effect.
The high schoolers argued that "atomic bombs were made by people, and were dropped on people. That's precisely why they can be eliminated through people's wills."

Japanese Olympic team heads for Beijing.
With just five days to go until the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Japanese Olympic team has left for China.
Eighty-three Olympians and officials left Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Sunday. They include speed skater Takagi Miho, who is also the team's captain, and Kodaira Nao, another speed skater who is looking to win a gold medal for the second Games in a row.

China's Olympic apps may have security flaw.
Security experts are warning of security flaws in a smartphone app that is mandatory for participants in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Athletes, officials and reporters are required to use the app to keep track of their health conditions as part of coronavirus prevention measures.
But researchers at the University of Toronto say it has a vulnerability that allows third parties to extract data. They also say it is unclear how Chinese authorities plan to use the data collected by the app.

Table tennis: Olympic medalist Mima Ito wins 3rd national singles title.
Olympic mixed doubles champion Mima Ito won her third singles title and first in three years at Japan's national table tennis championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
The reigning Olympic women's singles bronze medalist, Ito teamed up with Hina Hayata to win the women's doubles national title at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Saturday then defeated her partner in the singles final a day later.

1月30日：日本の最新英語ニュース：自宅療養者増加 米で橋崩壊

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全国の自宅療養者：26万人超「第5波」の2倍超
東京大規模接種の予約：4300人分が10分で埋まる
共通テスト：追試験と再試験、コロナの影響
英国ジョンソン首相：2月中旬の訪日か
中国人は旧正月の大移動：自粛のはずが
人質で亡くなった医者は地域のヒーローだった
ミャンマークーデターから1年：まだ平和は来ない
ピッツバーグで橋が崩壊：バスが峡谷に転落
台風通過後に1300倍のプラスチックごみが


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Record quarter of a million patients stuck at home.
More than a quarter million people are recuperating at home with COVID-19, double the figure at the peak of the fifth wave of cases last summer.
The health ministry announced Jan. 28 that a record 264,859 patients around Japan were resting at home after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
Hospitals were treating about 17,000 COVID-19 patients and 23,000 or so were recuperating in designated lodging facilities as of Jan. 26, it said.

4,300 slots at Tokyo mass vaccination center booked in less than 10 minutes.
The Defense Ministry announced on Jan. 28 that 4,320 slots at a coronavirus mass vaccination center in the capital were booked up in less than 10 minutes after reservations for booster shots opened that evening.
The 4,320 slots, or 720 per day, for the first week of the mass inoculation program starting on Jan. 31 were all booked by 6:09 p.m. on Jan. 28 after online and telephone reservations began at 6 p.m.

Extra university entrance exams held in Japan for those impacted by COVID.
An extra round of unified university entrance exams started across Japan on Saturday for students who missed out on the annual tests earlier this month due to coronavirus infections and other illnesses, as well as the impact of a tsunami caused by a massive volcanic eruption in Tonga.
The two-day tests are taking place at 48 venues across the country with a total of 1,659 people allowed to participate, the second-highest number of attendees on record for follow-up exams.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson eyeing mid-February visit to Japan.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to visit Japan in mid-February for talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
During Johnson’s planned trip on Feb. 15 and 16, the two leaders are likely to discuss ways to enhance security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, where China has become increasingly assertive in its territorial claims in the East and South China seas, the sources said.

Chinese travel for Lunar New Year despite plea to stay put.
Chinese are traveling to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year, the country’s biggest family holiday, despite a government plea to stay where they are as Beijing tries to contain coronavirus outbreaks.
The holiday, which starts with Chinese New Year's Eve on Monday, usually is the biggest annual movement of humanity as hundreds of millions of people who migrated for work visit their parents and sometimes spouses and children they left behind or travel abroad.

Hostage who died in standoff near Tokyo was beloved doctor, community 'hero'.
A man who died during a hostage standoff at a home in the city of Fujimino, Saitama Prefecture, was a beloved doctor whose loss has been felt by many.
At around 9 p.m. on Jan. 27, a man with a hunting rifle took 44-year-old Junichi Suzuki hostage while the doctor was visiting the man's home. Police stormed the house and took the suspect into custody shortly before 8 a.m. on Jan. 28, some 11 hours after the standoff began. Suzuki was taken to a hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

No peace in Myanmar 1 year after military takeover.
The army takeover in Myanmar a year ago that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi not only unexpectedly aborted the country's fledgling return to democracy: It also brought a surprising level of popular resistance, which has blossomed into a low-level, but persistent, insurgency.
Senior General, the commander of Myanmar’s military seized power on the morning of Feb. 1, 2021, arresting Suu Kyi and top members of her government and ruling National League for Democracy party, which had won a landslide election victory in Nov. 2020.

Pittsburgh bridge collapses, drops city bus into ravine.
A 50-year-old bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh early Friday, requiring rescuers to rappel down a ravine and form a human chain to reach a few occupants of a municipal bus that plummeted along with the span. No deaths were reported.
The collapse came hours before President Joe Biden arrived in the city to promote his $1 trillion infrastructure law, which has earmarked about $1.6 billion for Pennsylvania bridge maintenance.

Plastic waste 1,300 times heavier after typhoons hit.
Typhoons churn up so much plastic debris littering beaches and other areas that the volume of plastic trash floating in the world’s oceans rises 1,300-fold in weight afterward, according to researchers.
A team at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology based in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, found that foam polystyrene containers and packages hurled in all directions by a typhoon’s howling winds and high waves get broken down into miniscule pieces.

1月29日：日本の最新英語ニュース：埼玉立てこもり 佐渡金山世界遺産

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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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Japan’s virus cases top 80,000; Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo set records.
The daily number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide exceeded 80,000 for the first time on Jan. 28 with a record 17,631 cases reported in Tokyo.
It marked the fourth consecutive day that figures for the entire nation and the capital each set new records.
Hyogo Prefecture confirmed a record 4,342 new infections the same day, while the figure for Osaka Prefecture topped 10,000 for the first time with 10,013.

Ministry says hospitals first in line for COVID-19 test kits.
Hospitals have the top priority for COVID-19 antigen test kits that are in short supply in Japan, the health ministry announced on Jan. 27.
The ministry requested wholesalers and other distributors who handle the testing kits to supply them based on its priority order.
Testing for people with symptoms is the top priority, according to the ministry.

Japan to cut quarantine days for COVID close contacts to 7 from 10.
Japan will further shorten the quarantine period to seven days from the current 10 for people who have been in close contact with someone infected with the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday.
The new policy was announced as the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus continues to spread rapidly, making it increasingly difficult to maintain social and economic activities.

Police: Saitama gunman kills doctor over mother’s death.
A man upset over the death of his mother fatally shot a doctor he had taken hostage and injured two other health workers here, police said Jan. 28.
Hiroshi Watanabe, 66, was arrested after Saitama prefectural police stormed his house around 8 a.m. on Jan. 28 and ended the 11-hour hostage crisis. He was initially accused of attempted murder.
Junichi Suzuki, 44 died after Watanabe shot him with a shotgun, police said.

Sado Gold Mine to be recommended as World Heritage site.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Friday that Japan will recommend the Sado Gold Mine as a possible UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Council for Cultural Affairs, an expert panel of the Cultural Affairs Agency, had chosen the gold mine on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture as a candidate to be a World Heritage site, but South Korea opposed Japan’s move, claiming that Koreans had been forced to work there.

Surging prices to pinch consumers, derail economic recovery hopes.
Consumers should brace themselves for rising prices starting in February, resulting in tighter household budgets and lighter wallets.
The increases will cover a wide range of items essential to daily life, from seasonings and staple foods to commodities such as toilet paper and utilities including electricity and natural gas.
Toyota group tops global auto sales in 2021 for 2nd straight year.

The Toyota Motor Corp. group ranked top in global auto sales in 2021, overtaking Germany's Volkswagen AG for the second consecutive year, on robust sales in China and the United States despite a global chip shortage, data showed Friday.
Toyota said it sold nearly 10.5 million vehicles globally last year, including those produced by the group's minivehicle maker Daihatsu Motor Co. and truck manufacturer Hino Motors Ltd., up 10.1 percent from a year earlier.

Australia pledges $704 million to save Great Barrier Reef.
The Australian government on Friday pledged to spend another 1 billion Australian dollars ($704 million) over nine years on improving the health of the Great Barrier Reef after stalling a UNESCO decision on downgrading the natural wonder's World Heritage status.
Critics argue the investment is a bid to improve the ruling conservative coalition's green credentials ahead of looming elections while doing nothing to change the greatest threat to the coral: rising ocean temperatures.

Athletes start arriving in Beijing’s Olympic bubble.
The Beijing 2022 Olympic Villages opened Thursday, officially rolling out the welcome mat for about 2,900 athletes from about 90 nations and territories who will compete at the Winter Games that start on Feb. 4.
Like last summer Olympics, these Games will be held under strict infection prevention measures. The recent emergence of the highly transmissible omicron variant has given organizers an even tougher assignment than the task that confronted officials at the Tokyo Olympics.

1月28日：日本の最新英語ニュース：ステルスオミクロン EUの脱原発要求など

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主なニュースはこちらです。


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.

1月27日：日本の最新英語ニュース：月探査計画 病床/コロナ検査キット不足など

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今朝の日本の英語ニュースです。

主なニュースはこちらです。


新規コロナ感染者：東京、大阪、愛知で新記録
オミクロンによりコロナ検査キットが不足
救急患者のための病院ベッドが再び不足
日経平均は13か月ぶりの安値：FBRの決定を警戒
月探査会社が2022年に月への打上げを計画
自衛隊基地に初めて配備される米国ドローン
インドネシアの首都：沈下、汚染、そして移転
4月から不妊治療も保険適用
大学入学共通テスト問題が、試験時間中に流出か


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英語ニュース、ラジオ英語、英語教育、日本の最新英語ニュース、デイリー英語


それではよい一日を！

スクリプトは以下の通りとなります。




Daily COVID-19 records broken again in Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi.
Tokyo and Osaka topped the areas across the nation on Jan. 26 where record number of daily COVID-19 cases were again set, as the sixth wave of infections continues rampaging.
Metropolitan government officials said there were 14,086 fresh cases, while Osaka authorities said there were 9,813 cases in their jurisdiction.
Aichi Prefecture, which covers the major central Japan city of Nagoya, reported a record 4,663 cases.

Omicron variant surge causing serious shortage of COVID-19 tests.
The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has led to a serious shortage of COVID-19 testing kits and raised the frustration levels of health care workers and local government officials around Japan.
Local medical workers are now scrambling to secure antigen test kits that can provide fairly quick results.
Antigen tests have been encouraged for asymptomatic patients not only to prevent the virus from spreading but also to ensure hospital care would be available for patients with symptoms or at risk of becoming seriously ill.

Hospital beds again run low for emergency patients.
In a repeat from previous infection waves, hospitals are again facing difficulties admitting emergency patients because more beds have been set aside for COVID-19 patients.
But the situation appears even worse this time around.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency on said rescue workers spent more than 30 minutes trying to find hospital beds for emergency patients a record 4,950 times in the week ending Jan. 23.

Nikkei ends at 13-month low in cautious trading ahead of Fed decision.
The Nikkei index ended at its lowest level in nearly 13 months on Wednesday, as caution grew ahead of the conclusion later in the day of a two-day U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 120.01 points, or 0.44 percent, from Tuesday at 27,011.33, its lowest closing level since Dec. 28, 2020.
Japanese lunar exploration firm plans moon launch in 2022.

Fifty years after the end of the Apollo program, a Japanese space development start-up firm is poised to make history again, as part of the first lunar exploration program led by a private company.
Ispace Inc. announced that its unmanned lunar lander will be launched by the end of this year from the United States. It will carry lunar probes developed separately by a UAE space center and the JAXA.

U.S. drones to be deployed at SDF base for 1st time.
Amid China's maritime aggression, the U.S. forces in Japan will temporarily deploy MQ9 Reaper drones at the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture, according to multiple government sources.
It will mark the first time that the U.S. military will deploy the high-flying drones at a base of any SDF branch. The aim is to heighten vigilance and surveillance to the southwest.
Indonesia’s capital is sinking, polluted and now moving.

Jakarta is congested, polluted, prone to earthquakes and rapidly sinking into the Java Sea. Now the government is leaving, and moving the country’s capital to the island of Borneo.
President Joko Widodo envisions the construction of a new capital as a panacea for the problems plaguing Jakarta, reducing its population while allowing the country to start fresh with a “sustainable city” that has good public transportation, is integrated with its natural environment and is in an area that’s not prone to natural disasters.

Multiple fertility treatment methods to be covered by public insurance in Japan from April.
Multiple fertility treatment methods will be covered by Japan's public health insurance system from April, the Mainichi Shimbun learned on Jan. 25.
The treatments to be covered include artificial insemination -- injecting sperm into the uterus during ovulation, and in vitro fertilization -- fertilizing a woman's eggs with sperm in a laboratory dish.

University entrance exam question may have been leaked during testing.
A photographed image of a unified university entrance exam question may have been leaked via a video calling app during testing earlier this month, prompting police to investigate the incident as a case of suspected cheating, source said.
This came to light after a man who identified himself as a University of Tokyo student notified exam authorities that he had received the image of the question on a world history test via the Skype internet telephony app when the examination took place.

1月26日：日本の最新英語ニュース：未接種者は外出自粛 燃料価格抑制策など

おはようございます！
今朝の日本の英語ニュースです。

主なニュースはこちらです。


大阪赤信号発令：大規模医療療養センターを開設
「まん延防止」34都道府県に拡大へ
コロナ自宅療養者急増の中、苦労する医師
岸田首相：離婚したひとり親への10万円配布へ
トンガ支援物資、海自輸送艦「おおすみ」に
ルノー、日産、三菱が今週2030年のEV計画を発表
UAE：アブダビ上空で2発の弾道ミサイルを迎撃
相撲：御嶽海は大関昇進へ
フィギュア：羽生とライバルのネイサンチェン


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英語ニュース、ラジオ英語、英語教育、日本の最新英語ニュース、デイリー英語


それではよい一日を！

スクリプトは以下の通りとなります。




Tokyo sets another new COVID case high on Jan. 25 with 12,813 infections.
The Japanese capital reported another record-high daily coronavirus case count on Jan. 25 with 12,813 new infections. The previous high was 11,227, set on Jan. 22.
Of the 12,813 new patients, 5,938 had received two coronavirus vaccine shots, 114 one shot, and 3,261 were unvaccinated. The vaccination status of 3,500 was unknown.

Governor gets flak for urging unvaccinated to stay home.
Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki found himself under fire and accused of overreacting to the COVID-19 crisis after calling on residents who are not fully vaccinated to refrain from going out unless it is for urgent or essential reasons. He said it was for their own protection.
To help ensure everybody stays safe, Nagasaki asked residents Jan. 23 to abide by a number of steps on grounds that those who have not received two vaccine jabs are at a higher risk of catching the novel coronavirus.

Record 327 nursery schools forced to close due to Omicron.
The health ministry announced that a record 327 nursery schools had temporally closed in Tokyo, Hokkaido and 25 prefectures as of Jan. 20 due to surging COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant.
The figure released Jan. 24 was nearly quadruple that of Jan. 13 when 86 nursery schools were closed in Tokyo, Hokkaido and 12 prefectures.

Japan's largest business lobby calls for lifting foreigner entry ban.
Japan's largest business lobby on Monday called on the government to lift the entry ban on nonresident foreigners aimed at keeping the Omicron variant of the coronavirus at bay and preventing its spread now that domestic infections are mostly being caused by the highly transmissible strain.

ASDF member gets COVID-19 while on duty to help Tonga.
An Air Self-Defense Force member of an emergency mission to airlift drinking water to disaster-hit Tonga tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Australia, which was also a stopover on the outward journey, the Defense Ministry said Jan. 25.
It said the individual in his 30s flew on a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to deliver supplies to the South Pacific island nation following a huge underwater volcanic eruption there.

Average condominium price in Tokyo area hits record high in 2021.
The average unit price of new condominiums in Tokyo and its vicinity in 2021 hit a record high of 62.60 million yen, surpassing the previous high recorded in 1990 during an asset-inflated bubble, a research institute said Tuesday.
The price was up 2.9 percent from the previous year in the capital and three neighboring prefectures boosted by the increasing popularity of luxurious properties such as high-rise condos in downtown Tokyo, the Real Estate Economic Institute said.

Tokyo stocks end lower on U.S.-Russia tensions, Fed meeting jitters.
Tokyo stocks ended sharply lower Tuesday on rising tensions between the United States and Russia over Ukraine as well as caution ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting beginning later in the day.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 457.03 points, or 1.66 percent, from Monday at 27,131.34. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 33.25 points, or 1.72 percent, lower at 1,896.62.

Subsidies about to kick in to rein in ‘skyrocketing’ gas prices.
The government moved Jan 25 to rein in gas prices after they hit their highest level in about 13 years by announcing a subsidy program for oil distributors.
Average retail prices at the pump hit 170.2 yen per liter the day before. It was the first time since September 2008 for the 170-yen threshold to be breached.
Australia Prime Minister's WeChat account lost, China accused of interference.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been unable to access his account on the Chinese social media platform WeChat since July, a government source said Tuesday, as local politicians accuse Beijing of political interference.
Tencent Holdings Ltd., the Chinese tech giant that owns WeChat, in an official comment the same day denied claims that the account had been hijacked, and said the issue appears to be merely a dispute over account ownership with a little-known Chinese company that now controls it.

1月25日：日本の最新英語ニュース：羽生のライバル ネイサンチェンなど

おはようございます！
今朝の日本の英語ニュースです。

主なニュースはこちらです。


大阪赤信号発令：大規模医療療養センターを開設
「まん延防止」34都道府県に拡大へ
コロナ自宅療養者急増の中、苦労する医師
岸田首相：離婚したひとり親への10万円配布へ
トンガ支援物資、海自輸送艦「おおすみ」に
ルノー、日産、三菱が今週2030年のEV計画を発表
UAE：アブダビ上空で2発の弾道ミサイルを迎撃
相撲：御嶽海は大関昇進へ
フィギュア：羽生とライバルのネイサンチェン


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英語ニュース、ラジオ英語、英語教育、日本の最新英語ニュース、デイリー英語


それではよい一日を！

スクリプトは以下の通りとなります。




Osaka issues ‘red alert,’ opens new treatment and recovery center.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura on Jan. 24 said the prefecture will issue a “red alert,” effectively putting the prefecture under a state of medical emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic.
The alert is based on its own barometer called the “Osaka model.”
The governor reached the decision when the occupancy rate of the prefecture’s 3,734 hospital beds was projected to soon reach 50 percent, the threshold for declaring an emergency.

Japan to expand COVID quasi-emergency to 34 of 47 prefectures.
Japan is set to expand a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency to 34 of the nation's 47 prefectures as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday he plans to add 18 more areas to cope with a recent Omicron strain-driven spike in coronavirus cases.
The measure, which will impose restrictions such as shorter opening hours for restaurants and bars, will be effective from Thursday to Feb. 20. The government will make a final decision after consulting with an advisory panel of experts on Tuesday, Kishida told reporters.

Doctors struggle amid surge in COVID patients recovering at home in Japan.
Medical professionals across Japan including doctors and pharmacists are rushing to respond to a steep rise in the
number of COVID-19 patients recuperating at home amid a sudden increase in coronavirus infections.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, over 100,000 COVID-19 patients were recovering at home in Japan as of Jan. 19, 2022, and Tokyo marked a new high of 26,556 individuals recuperating at home on Jan. 23.

Japan Prime Minister Kishida vows to address lack of 100,000-yen handout to divorced single parents.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Jan. 24 announced that the government will look into giving a 100,000-yen handout to divorced single-parent households that earlier missed out on it.
Under the current scheme, single parents raising children since divorcing in or after September 2021 are ineligible for the handout unless they were recipients of a child allowance for that month.

MSDF ship with vital relief aid preparing to set sail for Tonga.
Drinking water, cleaning machines and other emergency supplies were being loaded onto a Maritime Self-Defense Force transport vessel on Jan. 24 in KURE, Hiroshima Prefecture, which will soon set sail for hard-hit Tonga.
The Osumi, 178 meters in length and 8,900 tons in standard displacement, will depart from Kure Naval Base for Tonga, which suffered major damage from an underwater volcano eruption.

Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi to unveil 2030 EV plans this week.
Renault, Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plan to triple their investment to jointly develop electric vehicles (EVs), two people with knowledge of the plan told Reuters.
As established automakers face pressure from new competitors and an expected shift in demand toward EVs, the French-Japanese alliance is seeking to deepen cooperation.

UAE says it intercepted 2 ballistic missiles over Abu Dhabi.
The United Arab Emirates intercepted two ballistic missiles claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels over the skies of Abu Dhabi early Monday, authorities said, the second attack in a week that targeted the Emirati capital.
The missile fire further escalates tensions across the Persian Gulf, which previously had seen a series of assaults near -- but never indisputably on -- Emirati soil amid Yemen's yearslong war and the collapse of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers.

SUMO: Mitakeumi keeps promise to win promotion to ozeki this year.
Less than a month into 2022, sekiwake Mitakeumi has already fulfilled his goal to start the new year, with his promotion to the sport's second-highest rank of ozeki now guaranteed.
So, a day after winning his third grand sumo championship, the 29-year-old wrestler was ready to start from scratch.
He won the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo on Jan. 23 with a 13-2 record, pushing out yokozuna Terunofuji on the final day to avoid a three-wrestler championship playoff.

FIGURE SKATING/ Hanyu-Chen rivalry to light up Beijing.
A rivalry that fizzled out in Pyeongchang four years ago may produce fireworks at the Beijing Games when double Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu battles American Nathan Chen in his quest for more figure skating glory.
The Japanese “Ice Prince” Hanyu will attempt to match Gillis Grafstrom’s 94-year record of three consecutive Olympic golds in the men’s singles event, four years after joining U.S. icon Dick Button as a back-to-back winner.

1月24日：日本の最新英語ニュース：ケーキを均等に切る装置を発明など

おはようございます！
今朝の日本の英語ニュースです。

主なニュースはこちらです。


日本のコロナ重症患者が年初から8倍へ
CDC：ワクチン接種で入院防ぐ効果あり
感染者増加で北京オリンピックを前にコロナ検査を指示
武漢ロックダウンから2年、記者はまだ拘束中
トンガ人が苦しむ灰と心理的トラウマ
核兵器禁止条約発効から1年：日本に参加を
地震専門家：九州の地震は南海トラフとは無関係か
マックのじゃがいも輸入の混乱：ポテト戦争
高校生コンテスト：ケーキを均等に切る装置を発明


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英語ニュース、ラジオ英語、英語教育、日本の最新英語ニュース、デイリー英語


それではよい一日を！

スクリプトは以下の通りとなります。



Japan Severely Ill COVID-19 Patients Up 8-Fold from Start of 2022.
The number of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms has jumped around eightfold from the start of 2022 in Japan with the arrival of the sixth wave of infections across the country.
According to the health ministry, the combined total of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms announced by local governments across Japan stood at 51 on Jan. 1. The figure climbed to 400 on Friday for the first time in about three months, in line with the increase of new infection cases.

CDC: Boosters effective against hospitalization.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says new research shows a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine is 90 percent effective in preventing hospitalization due to infection with the Omicron variant.
The CDC on Friday released its study on the effectiveness of booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, based on data from medical institutions across the country.

Beijing orders more COVID tests as cases mount before Olympics.
The local government in China's capital ordered more COVID-19 tests on Sunday as the city continued to report new local cases, less than two weeks before the start of the Winter Olympic Games.
Nine locally transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms were found in Beijing on Jan. 22, down from 10 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said on Sunday, adding that six out of the nine were in the city's Fengtai District.

Journalist still in prison over Wuhan report.
The Chinese government has tightened its control on information about the coronavirus in the country. Authorities detained people who tried to tell the world about the city of Wuhan when it was put under lockdown two years ago.
Independent journalist Zhang Zhan traveled to Wuhan during the lockdown and shared online firsthand accounts, including ones about citizens who were forced to live a tough life. The Shanghai native was detained by authorities for spreading false information.

Tonga struggles with ash, psychological trauma after eruption and tsunami.
Families have stopped children playing outside as Tonga struggles to deal with ash and the psychological fallout of last week's volcanic eruption and tsunami, aid workers and residents said.
Communication with the outside world remained difficult on Sunday, with few internet services, and outlying islands still cut off from the phone service.
The Red Cross said it was providing not only tents, food, water and toilets to 173 households on Tonga's main island, but also comfort.

Call for Japan to join nuclear ban treaty on 1st anniversary.
Supporters of a U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons gathered Jan. 22 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to mark the first anniversary of the pact going into force, stepping up their calls on Japan to sign it.
Standing in front of the symbolic Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, 10 or so members of a Hiroshima-based group calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons hoisted a banner that read the “whole world should join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”

Experts: Kyushu temblor unlikely to trigger Nankai megaquake.
A strong earthquake that struck southwestern Japan early Jan. 22 without causing major damage was deemed unlikely to trigger a long-feared offshore megaquake in the Nankai Trough facing the heavily populated Pacific coastline.
The assessment by seismologists at the Japan Meteorological Agency concerned a temblor that registered upper 5 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7 in Oita and Miyazaki prefectures.

McDonald's potato imports disruption spurs french fries 'war' in Japan.
The recent rationing of french fries by McDonald's due to a disruption of potato imports is spurring competitors to seize a bigger share of the market, triggering what social media users have called "a potato war."
The operator of McDonald's restaurants in Japan has said it will only offer smaller portions of its french fries for about a month from Jan. It is the second time in two months that the company has restricted sales of the popular item.

Southwest Japan high schoolers win contest after inventing device to cut cake equally.
Inspired by fierce family battles for the last remaining piece of cake, a team of three high schoolers in southwestern Japan's Oita Prefecture have invented a device that cuts round cake and pizza evenly, no matter how many pieces are sliced, and their creation won the top prize in the prefecture's invention contest in 2021.
The three students belong to the industrial technology club at Oita Prefectural Kunisaki High School.