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The closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics takes place at the National Stadium on Feb. 20, 2022. (Pool photo)(Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Beijing Olympics close, Japan finishes with historic performance
BEIJING – The curtain was drawn on the Beijing Games on Sunday night with Japan having discovered a new set of stars, celebrated some familiar faces and perhaps seen one of its all-time greats on Olympic ice for the last time.
The ceremony was held at the National Stadium, the venue also known as the “Bird’s Nest,” to mark the end of the games that began on Feb. 4.
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Japan Cabinet supported by 56%, views mixed on COVID response: poll
TOKYO – The approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet remained almost unchanged at 56.6 percent, but some of his recent COVID-19 responses drew mixed reactions in a Kyodo News survey released Sunday.
In the two-day telephone survey through Sunday on 1,054 eligible voters, the support rate rose slightly from 55.9 percent in the January survey, while the disapproval rating edged up 2.2 points to 27.4 percent.
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Olympics: Yuzuru Hanyu bids Beijing farewell, undecided on worlds in March
BEIJING – Japan’s figure skating superstar Yuzuru Hanyu bid farewell to the Beijing Olympics at the exhibition gala on Sunday, undecided over competing at March’s world championships in Montpellier, France.
“There are things I’ve yet to take a clear stand upon, and that includes my future. I will take everything into consideration in my decision about the worlds,” he said after the exhibition.
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FOCUS: After Olympics, China’s provocations against Taiwan next focus
BEIJING – The Beijing Winter Olympics, which were overshadowed by a U.S.-led “diplomatic boycott” over China’s alleged human rights abuses, closed Sunday night, with President Xi Jinping believed to have already turned his interest toward Taiwan.
Before the Feb. 4 opening, China was apparently irritated by the decision of the United States and some other democratic countries not to send their government officials to the Olympics, as the Asian power tried to use the global sporting event to boost its national prestige.
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Japan’s top COVID adviser says worth discussing new isolation period
TOKYO – Japan’s top coronavirus adviser Shigeru Omi said Sunday it is time to start considering further shortening the quarantine period for people who have been in close contact with COVID-19 patients.
Omi suggested the time for isolation, currently seven days for ordinary people and five days for essential workers, could be cut as the Omicron variant of the virus is known to have a shorter incubation period
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Japan had IMF delete mention of coal in report on its economy
TOKYO – The Japanese government had the International Monetary Fund delete a sentence on the country’s apparent pledge to phase out support for overseas coal projects in a staff report released last month, government sources said.
The deletion was made at the request of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which places an emphasis on exports of coal-fired power plants.
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Olympics: Speed skaters to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones
BEIJING – Speed skater Miho Takagi said Sunday she will leave Beijing proud of what she achieved and will not give another thought to her sister Nana’s slip that cost Japan a gold medal in the team pursuit.
Five days after the crash denied Japan in its gold medal defense at the National Speed Skating Oval, the Japanese threesome — Miho, Nana and Ayano Sato — opened up about the low moments of their Olympics.
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Olympics: Japan takes silver in women’s curling after loss to British
BEIJING – Japan took the silver medal in women’s curling Sunday at the Beijing Winter Olympics following a heavy 10-3 loss to Great Britain in the final.
Skip Satsuki Fujisawa and team nevertheless achieved Japan’s best Olympic curling result, four years after earning its first medal in the sport, a bronze, at the Pyeongchang Games.
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