1.6m Moderna doses withdrawn in Japan over contamination
TOKYO/ NEW YORK -- About 1.6 million doses of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine have been taken out of use in Japan because of contamination reported in some vials, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said early Thursday.
Several vaccination centers have reported that vaccine vials contained foreign matter, according to an announcement from the ministry, which added it will seek to minimize the impact of the withdrawal on the country's inoculation program.
Takeda Pharmaceutical handles distribution of the U.S.-developed Moderna vaccine
Geothermal hunt heats up in Japan, from ski country to hot spring areas
TOKYO -- Japan will expand its search for geothermal power sources in national parks and other areas it has been reluctant to tap, despite having the world's third-largest reserves, Nikkei has learned.
About 30 locations will be assessed in a new government-funded phase of exploration, overseen by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, to contribute to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Only five were studied in earlier surveys.
Around 80% of sites suited for geothermal power in volcanic Japan are thought to
UK carrier Queen Elizabeth holds maiden drill with Japan's SDF
TOKYO -- British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has held its first drill with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces off the south of Okinawa, a demonstration of the Royal Navy's increasing presence in the Indo-Pacific.
Japan's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the SDF conducted a drill with the British carrier strike group the previous day. U.S. and Dutch forces also participated, in a show of force intended to counter China's growing military presence in the Pacific.
A key element of the drill
Japan's Fuji Electric gives $360m boost to power chip business
TOKYO -- Japan's Fuji Electric will invest an extra 40 billion yen ($365 million) to expand production of power semiconductors, which are used to manage power flows in air conditioners, electric autos and more.
The decision is a response to "growing demand from renewable energy" applications, such as electric vehicles and solar, said President Michihiro Kitazawa.
The 40 billion yen is on top of the 120 billion yen Fuji Electric had earmarked for the four years through fiscal 20
Turkish military to pull out of Afghanistan
ISTANBUL (Reuters) -- Turkey's military has begun evacuating from Afghanistan but Turkish experts could remain in the country to provide technical support to the Taliban in operating Kabul airport, officials said on Wednesday.
Reuters reported earlier that the Taliban have asked Turkey for technical help to run Kabul airport after the departure of foreign forces but insist that Ankara's military withdraw fully by the Aug. 31 deadline.
Mainly-Muslim Turkey was part of a NATO mission in Afghanistan and still has hundreds of troops at Kabul airport
BOK becomes 1st major Asia central bank to hike rates in pandemic
SEOUL -- The Bank of Korea raised its benchmark interest rate 25 basis points to 0.75% on Thursday, making it the first major central bank in Asia to hike rates since the onset of the pandemic.
The BOK's decision to lift the rate from a record low level was its first tightening of policy since November 2018. The move, aimed at cooling the property market as household debt surges, was forecast by 16 of 30 analysts surveyed by Reuters.
"The
CATL goes all in on next-gen sodium-ion EV batteries
GUANGZHOU -- Chinese battery maker CATL's quest to shift the electric vehicle market toward a sodium-ion cell received a boost from the central government on Wednesday, after the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced it will create standards for what could be the battery of the future.
CATL, the world's biggest supplier of EV batteries, announced its ambitious plan to guide the industry away from lithium-ion batteries by fully launching a sodium-ion alternative in 2023 during an online briefing last month
Doors of Japan's colleges mostly shut for foreign residents' children
TOKYO -- Japan's efforts to attract overseas talent have not translated into better access to higher education for children of foreign nationals, a Nikkei survey of universities shows.
Of the 82 national universities surveyed, only one had an admission process for foreign-born Japan-educated students that was separate from the general entrance exam that would be difficult for one without native fluency and the restricted programs for international students.
"Answering the questions on the entrance exam requires advanced Japanese language skills, not just conversational-level,
Quad navies gather for drills as Australia courts India on trade
SYDNEY -- The navies of the U.S., Japan, India and Australia are converging for drills on Thursday, in another step toward cementing their Quadrilateral Security Dialogue alliance.
Recent overtures from Canberra to New Delhi about also deepening trade and economic ties, however, may prove more complicated than the coordinated military maneuvers. Some experts say the future of economic cooperation could have implications for the Quad's credibility.
Australia is taking part in the Malabar naval exercise for the second straight year, after India invited the country
Chinese aluminum maker defiant despite $1.8bn US fraud verdict
HONG KONG -- A leading Chinese aluminum products maker and its founder are remaining defiant in the face of a U.S. court verdict over an alleged conspiracy to evade $1.8 billion in customs duties and inflate sales.
A U.S. federal court in Los Angeles found six California companies guilty this week of 17 counts of conspiracy and fraud, with two also convicted on seven counts of international money laundering.
China Zhongwang Holdings, Asia's largest producer of extrusions, which are shaped aluminum forms