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

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Japan set to put Tokyo, 12 other areas under COVID quasi-emergency

TOKYO - Japan on Wednesday will decide to place Tokyo and 12 other areas under a coronavirus quasi-state of emergency as the rapid spread of the Omicron variant lifts nationwide COVID-19 cases to new records and threatens to stretch the health care system.

The designation will allow prefectural governors in Japan, which has never imposed a lockdown during the pandemic, to ask restaurants to close early and stop or limit the serving of alcohol. The measure is set to be in place from Friday to Feb. 13, after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida makes a formal decision later in the day.

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Japanese airlines ANA, JAL warn 5G launch could disrupt U.S. flights

TOKYO - All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co. joined major U.S. carriers Tuesday in warning that the impending start of new 5G mobile phone services around U.S. airports could disrupt their flights operated with the Boeing 777 aircraft.

The planned deployment of the telecommunication services on Wednesday is widely feared to affect planes' navigation systems.

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Japan PM vows to push for green, digital transformation

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday he will push for a green and digital transformation as part of his efforts to create a new form of capitalism, in an address at a virtual World Economic Forum event.

In his speech at the Davos Agenda conference, Kishida, who took office in October, stressed the need to overhaul economic and social structures by keeping universal values such as democracy, pointing to the risks posed by state capitalism in an apparent reference to countries such as China.

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3 deaths, significant damage confirmed following Tonga eruption

SYDNEY - At least three people were killed in an undersea volcanic eruption off Tonga over the weekend that sent tsunami waves across the Pacific, the Tongan government said Tuesday in its first official statement following the eruption.

Tsunami waves of up to 15 meters were generated by the eruption, hitting the west coasts of the Tongatapu and Ha'apai island groups and causing severe damage, according to the statement released late Tuesday.

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3rd vaccination starts for Japanese athletes ahead of Beijing Games

TOKYO - The third COVID-19 vaccination began Tuesday for Japanese Beijing Winter Olympians and Paralympians hoping to be inoculated, multiple sources close to the matter said.

The vaccines used are supplied by the International Olympic Committee and aimed not to affect the allotment for the general public, said the sources.

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Japan's daily COVID-19 cases top 30,000, setting new record

TOKYO - Japan's confirmed daily coronavirus cases on Tuesday topped 30,000 for the first time, surpassing the previous record of 25,992 registered in August last year, a Kyodo News tally showed, prompting more prefectural governments to seek quasi-emergency measures to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.

The western prefecture of Osaka the same day reported 5,396 new COVID-19 cases, far outstripping its all-time daily high of 3,760 over the weekend, while the Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed 5,185 new infections, topping 5,000 for the first time since Aug. 21 and increasing more than fivefold from a week earlier.

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H.K. to cull 2,000 small pets after hamsters test COVID positive

HONG KONG - Hong Kong will cull around 2,000 small pet animals, including hamsters, after seeing its first possible animal-to-human transmission of COVID-19, health officials said Tuesday.

The local government's decision came after 11 hamsters in a pet shop in the Causeway Bay shopping district were found to be infected with the Delta variant of the coronavirus, the officials said.

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China mulls in-person event to mark normalization of ties with Japan

TOKYO - China has told Japan that it is considering holding a face-to-face ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary in September of the normalization of relations between the two nations, a source familiar with bilateral ties said Tuesday.

The move indicated China, which has been at odds with the United States over security and human rights issues, is eager to stabilize relations with Japan, but the source told Kyodo News that whether an in-person event can be held will hinge on the situation with the novel coronavirus.

==Kyodo

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