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Texas gunman warned online he was going to shoot up school
The gunman who massacred 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas had warned in online messages minutes before the attack that he had shot his grandmother and was going to shoot up a school, the governor said Wednesday. Salvador Ramos, 18, used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle… Read
19 children, 2 adults killed in Texas school shooting; Biden says 'we have to act'
An 18-year-old gunman opened fire Tuesday at a Texas elementary school, killing at least 19 children as he went from classroom to classroom, officials said, in the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade and the latest gruesome moment for a country scarred by a string of massacres. The attacker… Read
7 from U.S. arrive in Japan for 1st test tour before tourism reopening
Seven people from the United States arrived in Japan Tuesday as part of the first small-scale test tours in the government's planned gradual reopening to inbound tourists from June. The seven -- six from Hawaii and another from Los Angeles -- landed at Narita airport outside Tokyo and will participate… Read
Japan starts 4th COVID vaccine shots for seniors, at-risk groups
Japan began offering fourth coronavirus vaccine shots Wednesday to older people, and those with underlying medical conditions. People eligible for fourth inoculations are those aged 60 and older as well as individuals between 18 and 59 with chronic health conditions, such as respiratory illnesses or heart conditions, or at high… Read
Gov't preparing to resume foreign tourist entry in June
The Japanese government is making final arrangements to resume accepting foreign tourists in June, further relaxing its border controls imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. Since March, Japan has been easing its COVID-19 border controls, planning to double the cap on overseas arrivals… Read
Russian sentenced to life in Ukraine's 1st war crimes trial
A captured Russian soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a civilian was sentenced by a Ukrainian court Monday to life in prison — the maximum — amid signs the Kremlin may, in turn, put on trial some of the fighters who surrendered at Mariupol’s steelworks. Meanwhile, in a rare public… Read
Japan tops world tourism ranking despite COVID restrictions
Japan on Tuesday came out ranking highest on a list of destinations in a 2021 travel and tourism development report by the World Economic Forum, despite the country being closed to foreign tourists due to restrictions against the coronavirus. Topping the list for the first time, Japan ranked highly for… Read
Russia takes steps to bolster army, tighten grip on Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an order Wednesday to fast track Russian citizenship for residents in parts of southern Ukraine largely held by his forces, while lawmakers in Moscow passed a bill to strengthen the stretched Russian army. Putin’s decree applying to the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions could allow Russia to strengthen… Read
Biden says U.S. would respond militarily if China invades Taiwan; announces IPEF members
U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan, saying the burden to protect Taiwan is "even stronger' after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It was one of the most forceful presidential statements in support of self-governing in decades. Speaking alongside Japanese… Read
Town recovers most of ¥46.3 mil mistakenly sent to resident
A western Japanese town that mistakenly sent 46.3 million yen in COVID-19 relief money to a resident has legally recovered about 43 million yen, or about 90 percent of it, the mayor said Tuesday. The 24-year-old resident, Sho Taguchi, has been arrested for alleged computer fraud after failing to return… Read
