JAPAN AFFIRMS COOPERTION ON THE FREE & OPEN INDO-PACIFIC REGION WITH THE EU

Highlights –

• Japan affirms cooperation on the free & open Indo-Pacific region with the EU.
• Japan attended a regular meeting via videoconference with EU Foreign Affairs Council’s.
• Japan is said to have joined the meeting for ...

JAPAN GOVT. ANNOUNCES TO HOLD COVID-19 VACCINATION SIMULATION IN KAWASAKI

Highlights –

• Japan Govt. announces to hold COVID-19 vaccination simulation in Kawasaki.
• Taro Kono, the minister in charge of vaccination efforts announced the same.
• Japan is set to receive 310 million vaccine doses from two U.S. pharm...

S. KOREAN GOVT. TO HAVE COVID-19 VACCINATIONS TO 70% OF ITS POPULATION BY SEPT.

Highlights –

• S. Korean govt. to have COVID-19 vaccinations to 70% of its population by Sept.
• The country is said to start its first vaccination next month.
• High-risk health care workers at hospitals, sanatoriums, and elderly care faci...

S. KOREAN RULING DP MAY ESTABLISH AN ORGANIZATION FOR PREVENTION OF INDUSTRIAL DISASTERS

Highlights –

• S. Korean ruling DP may establish an organization for prevention of industrial disasters.
• The ruling DP is planning to consult with rival parties for the same.
• The DP is said to draft a revised Government Organization Ac...

JAPAN GOVT. REPORTS A 1.0 PERCENT DROP IN THE DEC. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX

Highlights –

• Japan govt. reports a 1.0 percent drop in the Dec. consumer price index.
• In 2020, the core CPI dipped 0.2 percent on average.
• In December, electricity bills fell 7.9 percent and gas bills at 9.5 percent.
• Accomm...

JAPAN REPORTS FALL IN SALES AT 7 MAJOR CONVINIENCE STORES IN 2020

Highlights –

• Japan reports a fall in sales at 7 major convenience stores in 2020.
• Japanese convenience store sales fell 4.5 percent to $103 billion.
• Newly opened convenience stores in 2020 sales fell by 4.7 percent to 10.16 trillion y...

S. KOREA TO PROVIDE $34.9 BILLION AS FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO HOUSEHOLDS, COMPANIES

Highlights –

• S. Korea to provide $34.9 billion as financial support to households, companies.
• The financial support would be given ahead of the Lunar New Year's holiday in February.
• Commercial and state-run banks as well as the ce...

SOUTH KOREA’S HIGHLY PATHOGENIC BIRD FLU CASE RISES TO 67

Highlights –

• South Korea’s highly pathogenic bird flu case rises to 67.
• The government reported the latest case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from an egg farm in Yongin.
• The price of chicken and duck meat in the cou...

S. KOREAN SME’s DESPITE THE PANDEMIC REPORTS THEIR EXPORTS TO FALL IN 2020

Highlights –

• S. Korean SME’s despite the pandemic reports their exports to fall in 2020.
• Overseas shipments totaled US$100.8 billion last year.
• In 2020, South Korean smaller companies exported $90 million worth of test kits to 1...

SHIZUOKA PREFECTURE IN JAPAN ISSUES COVID-19 EMERGENCY ALERT OVER NEW VARIANT

Highlights –

• Shizuoka prefecture in Japan issues COVID-19 emergency alert over new variant.
• The governor of Shizuoka, Heira Kawakatsu announced the alert at a press conference.
• However, the transmission routes of the new COVID-19 vari...

CONTRACTORS WILL LIKEWISE HAVE TO PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO HK GOVT 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Temporary staff should join government workers in pronouncing loyalty to the Hong Kong government and vowing to maintain the Basic Law, says the Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip

The top of the Civil Service Bureau told off...

HOKKAIDO PREFECTURE REPORTS 5 PEOPLE INFECTED BY COVID-19 AT A HOME GATHERING

Highlights –

• Hokkaido prefecture reports 5 people infected by COVID-19 at a home gathering.
• Japan confirmed 4 clusters of coronavirus infections.
• The authorities reported that the drinking sessions were held at the home of one person ...

JAPAN REPORTS 3 PEOPLE HAVING CONTRACTED NEW STRAIN OF COVID-19

Highlights –

• Japan reports 3 people having contracted new strain of COVID-19.
• The source of the new strain is however unknown.
• Health authorities believe they contracted the virus through community transmission.
• A total of ...

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED SUPER RETAIL GROUP'S RETURN OF JOBKEEPER MONEY

HIGHLIGHTS

• Josh Frydenberg, the federal treasurer has invited Super Retail Group's choice to deliberately return $1.7m of pay endowments to the Australian government, while Labor has called for other bouncing back retailers to take similar steps

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ALLEGIANCE NOTIFICATION DISBANDS CIVIL SERVANT ASSOCIATION 

HIGHLIGHTS

• A Hong Kong government employees association framed during 2019 supportive of vote-based system fights was disbanded on Saturday night

The choice came a day after the public authority set a four-week cutoff time for its laborers to a...

JAPAN FOREIGN MINISTER CRITICIZES S. KOREA’S COURT RULING OVER ‘COMFORT WOMEN’

Highlights –

• Japan Foreign Minister criticizes S. Korea’s court ruling over ‘comfort women’.
• Foreign Minister mentioned that the order for Japan government to pay the damages is an “abnormal” situation.
• T...

JAPAN CONDUCTED THE YEAR’S ORDINARY PARLIAMENTARY SESSION; PM GAVE POLICY SPEECH

Highlights –

• Japan conducted the year’s ordinary parliamentary session; PM gave a policy speech.
• PM Suga vowed to bring the coronavirus situation under control in the country.
• The country is said to continue to host the Tokyo Ol...

S. KOREA ASKS FOREIGN AND LOCAL ONLINE COMPANIES TO PROVIDE STABLE SERVICES

Highlights –

• S. Korea asks foreign and local online companies to provide stable services.
• Google, Facebook, Netflix, Naver, Kakao, and Wavve asked to comply with the country’s new law.
• The country will now hold service providers...

JAPAN TO COLLECT DATA OF PEOPLE INFECTED WITH COVID-19 EVEN AFTER VACCINATION

Highlights –

• Japan to collect data of people infected with COVID-19 even after vaccination.
• The health ministry will prepare a system to gather vaccination records of all infected people.
• It will then evaluate the effectiveness of the...

LEVEL 2.5 MEASURES EXTEDED FOR TWO MORE WEEKS IN SOUTH KOREA

Highlights –

• Level 2.5 measures extended for two more weeks in South Korea.
• However, the extension will bring certain ease in restrictions on cafés, gyms, and other indoor facilities.
• In the capital, restaurants, cafes will be ...