Tag Archives: JAPAN

Japan is preparing a bill to raise the retirement age

The Government of Japan intends to submit to the parliament bills on raising the retirement age of civil servants. This was announced on Monday by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

“The retirement age should be raised to meet the increasingly complex tasks of administrative management,” he said during a debate in one of the commissions of the lower house of Parliament. “We are preparing to introduce the relevant draft laws as soon as possible.”

The aging and shrinking population are one of Japan’s most pressing social problems. However, according to official data from health authorities, men in the country remain fully alert and able to work on average up to 71 years, and women — up to 74 years. The government considers the elderly Japanese as the most important labor reserve.

Currently, pensions in the country are paid to citizens at the age of 65. But they have the right to go on vacation at any time between the ages of 60 and 70. Payments to those who do this before the age of 65 will be somewhat reduced, and those who continue to work after the age of 65 are entitled to a surcharge. The question of increasing the official retirement age by five years, with an increase in the corresponding allowances, is now being considered.

Scandal: Czech Deputy Prime Minister called Russia to build nuclear power plants

The opposition demands to dismiss the Minister of Industry Karel Havlicek for ignoring the demands of the special services

Five opposition parties in the Czech parliament are calling for the removal of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade, and Transport Karel Havlicek, who invited Russia to participate in the construction of a new unit of the Dukovany nuclear power plant.

This was reported on April 1 by iDnes.

The parties “Pirates”, TOP 09, “Measures and Independence”, the Civil Democratic Party, and the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People’s Party recalled that for national security purposes, the Czech intelligence service demanded that China and Russia be excluded from the tender.

However, the Russian energy giant Rosatom was among the four potential partners of the nuclear program, along with EDF (France), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (South Korea), and Westinghouse Electric (USA-Japan).

“Minister Havlicek bypassed the government, bypassed the agreement that was in the hall of the Chamber of Deputies, and invited Russia to the so–called security review,” said the leader of the “Pirates” Ivan Bartos.

He also recalled the scandal with the dismissal of the government commissioner for atomic Energy Yaroslav Mila, who opposed the participation of Rosatom in the program.

In turn, the chairman of the Civic Democratic Party, Petr Fiala, called Russia’s admission to the project “an extremely dangerous and short-sighted step”, as well as” games with national security and the future “ of the country. He also recalled that the Kremlin is trying to strengthen its position in Central Europe in every possible way.

Earlier, another scandal broke out in the Czech Republic-President Milos Zeman demanded to dismiss ministers who oppose the simplified legalization of the Russian vaccine against the coronavirus “Sputnik V”. The opposition called him an imbecile for this.

The Olympic Torch Relay launch ceremony has begun in Japan

The Olympic torch relay launch ceremony takes place in Fukushima Prefecture at the J-Village Soccer Training Center, which was chosen as a symbol of the country’s rebirth after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

The Olympic relay will begin on March 25 and will pass through all 47 prefectures of Japan to Tokyo, where the opening of the postponed Olympic Games-2020 will take place on July 23.

Earlier, Japan calculated the number of losses due to the absence of foreign spectators at the Tokyo Olympics. According to experts, the country’s budget will miss about 150 billion yen (1.37 billion US dollars). According to the idea of the organizers of the Games, it was planned to show tourists not only the capital but also the regions.

On Saturday, March 20, the organizing committee of the Olympic Games in Tokyo made the final decision to hold the competition without foreign fans. The measure is designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Also in Japan, new strains of the virus are feared to enter the islands.

The Olympic Games were postponed to the summer of 2021 due to the situation with the coronavirus pandemic. It is planned that the Olympiad will be held from July 23 to August 8.

Japanese PM confirms North Korea missile launches

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga confirmed the data on the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea.

He noted that a total of two missiles were launched from the territory of the DPRK, which fell outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan.

Japan also protested in connection with the launches conducted by North Korea.

“(Launches) threaten the peace and security of our country and the region. This is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” Suga said.

Earlier, Japan announced the possible launch of a ballistic missile by the DPRK. At the same time, the Japanese government expressed the opinion that the launches are “a serious threat to the world community.”

After that, a source in the US administration announced that the DPRK had conducted two launches of ballistic missiles.

Japan has developed a new COVID test that detects mutations

With its help, you can simultaneously learn about the presence of the disease and about the strain

Japanese company Shimadzu has developed an instant COVID-19 test kit. It can be used to simultaneously detect the presence of a virus and its mutation.

It is reported by NHK.

The new test is for PCR testing that uses saliva. It will help optimize the entire process because it can be used to perform both checks at the same time.

The company said that it will take about two more months of research in order to create a product from a new set of reagents for carrying out real COVID testing. This method will only be offered to laboratories.

Note that now in Japan, PCR tests are used to detect COVID-19 in collected samples. Identifying mutations in the coronavirus requires an additional process using a different reagent.

Earlier, we reported that the Japanese authorities recorded a previously unknown mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection in a traveler returning from abroad.