Kyodo News Digest: Feb. 19, 2022

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Biden says “convinced” Putin has decided to invade Ukraine

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday he is “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine following a massive military buildup near its borders, but he noted that diplomacy is not yet off the table.

As tensions simmer over the Ukraine crisis, the Russian Defense Ministry said it will conduct massive military drills involving its nuclear forces on Saturday.

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Olympics’ director Zhang Yimou says 2008 and 2022 ceremonies linked

BEIJING – Acclaimed Chinese film director Zhang Yimou said that the Beijing Winter Games’ closing ceremony, to be held Sunday, will reflect and be tied to the 2008 Summer Olympics, for which he also orchestrated the ceremonies.

The closing ceremony of the 17-day athletic event will retain the values of “simple, safe and splendid” of this year’s games while also being “simple, beautiful and romantic,” he told Kyodo News in a recent written interview.

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Australia commemorates 80 years since Japanese bombing of Darwin

DARWIN, Australia – The northern Australian city of Darwin on Saturday marked the 80th anniversary of a Japanese air raid that killed hundreds during World War II.

The bombing of Darwin on Feb. 19, 1942, the first attack by Japanese forces on the Australian mainland, killed at least 235 people and destroyed 30 aircraft and nine ships.

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Biden vows “never again” in marking 80 yrs since Japanese internment

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday pledged to work to tackle racism as the nation marks 80 years since the signing of a presidential order that led to the incarceration of some 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

While upholding the U.S. government’s apology to Japanese Americans who were unjustly sent to internment camps following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Biden said in a statement, “We reaffirm our commitment to Nidoto Nai Yoni, which translates to ‘Let It Not Happen Again.'”

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G-20 finance chiefs vow to watch geopolitical risks, act on inflation

JAKARTA – Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies agreed Friday to keep tabs on geopolitical risks amid growing concern over a possible Russian invasion into Ukraine, while pledging to take necessary actions to tame inflation pressures as oil and food prices rise.

In a communique issued after their two-day meeting held in Jakarta in a hybrid in-person and virtual format, the G-20 members said they will “continue to monitor major global risks, including from geopolitical tensions that are arising, and macroeconomic and financial vulnerabilities,” without directly mentioning the Ukraine crisis.

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Japan extends COVID quasi-emergency in 17 prefs., ends it in 5 others

TOKYO – Japan on Friday extended COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency measures until March 6 in 17 prefectures, including Osaka, Kyoto and Fukuoka, to curb coronavirus infections and will end them Sunday in five other prefectures.

The extension means that 31 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, including Tokyo, will remain under a quasi-state of emergency into March. The measures allow the prefectures’ governors to request that restaurants and bars close early and stop serving alcohol.

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Hong Kong postpones chief executive election amid COVID-19 outbreak

HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s government said Friday the upcoming chief executive election has been postponed from March 27 to May 8 to focus on its battle against surging COVID-19 infections fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

The announcement comes two days after Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the Hong Kong government to prioritize containing the local coronavirus outbreak, which reached a record 6,116 daily cases on Thursday.

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Olympics: Japan upsets Switzerland to reach curling final

BEIJING – Japan stunned world champion Switzerland 8-6 in the Beijing Winter Olympics women’s curling semifinals Friday, booking its ticket to the gold-medal match against Great Britain.

Skip Satsuki Fujisawa and team Loco Solare pulled off the upset a day after being handily beaten 8-4 by the top-ranked Swiss in their final round-robin game.