Highlights of Japan-related events for Jan. 20-26:

JAN. 20 (MON)

-- Japan's parliament to convene for 150-day regular session.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will deliver policy speech. Opposition parties are likely to grill Abe government about scandals over publicly funded cherry blossom viewing parties and casino resort projects. Another focus will be Japan's naval dispatch to the Middle East on an information-gathering mission.

-- Bank of Japan to hold 2-day monetary policy meeting.

-- Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to make 3-day visit to Japan.

-- Australian Open tennis tournament to start in Melbourne.

From Japan, defending champion Naomi Osaka will appear as third-seed in the women's, while Kei Nishikori will miss the tournament following surgery on his right elbow in October.

JAN. 21 (TUES)

-- Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda to hold press conference.

JAN. 22 (WED)

-- Cabinet Office to release monthly economic report for January.

-- Ground Self-Defense Force and U.S. Marines to hold joint drill through Feb. 8 in Hokkaido.

JAN. 23 (THURS)

-- Finance Ministry to release customs-cleared trade statistics for December, whole of 2019.

Japan logged a goods trade deficit of 1.20 trillion yen in 2018, the first red ink in three years. The figure for 2019 is expected to remain in deficit amid slowing demand for exports partly due to China's economic downturn.

-- Tokyo High Court to rule on appeal by residents near U.S. Yokota Air Base seeking to stop nighttime and early morning flights.

JAN. 24 (FRI)

-- 6 months before opening of Tokyo Olympic Games.

-- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to release nationwide consumer price index for December.

-- Bank of Japan to release minutes of Dec. 18-19 Policy Board meeting.

JAN. 25 (SAT)

-- Memorial event for Tetsu Nakamura, doctor and aid worker murdered in Afghanistan in December, to take place in Fukuoka.

The 73-year-old Nakamura, head of the Peshawar-kai aid group based in the southwestern Japan city, contributed to development of the war-torn central Asian country for many years.

-- International animated film society ASIFA-Hollywood to announce the winners of the Annie Awards in Los Angeles.

Japanese filmmaker Makoto Shinkai's "Tenki no Ko" (Weathering With You) is among the nominees in four categories -- Best Indie Feature, Best FX for Feature, Best Direction-Feature and Best Writing-Feature.

JAN. 26 (SUN)

-- Recording Academy's Grammy Awards to take place in Los Angeles.

Japanese jazz composer Miho Hazama's "Dancer in Nowhere" was nominated for the category Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.

==Kyodo

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