SNA (Tokyo) — The following stories were reported today by the Shingetsu News Agency.

The Top Headline

—Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Washington DC: “No matter how much we strengthen sanctions on North Korea, there’s hardly any possibility they will say, ‘We’re giving up nuclear weapons.’”

Politics

—Defeated mayor candidate Yoshinori Shigi punches an Asahi Broadcasting Corporation reporter after blaming the news media for his loss. Shigi had served as mayor of Kishiwada city, Osaka, since 2013.

—Rather unhinged Yasushi Adachi relieved of all executive posts within Japan Innovation Party. Even Secretary-General Nobuyuki Baba says that his many comments in the Diet against lawmakers “are close to being slander.” Adachi is same guy who called for the Asahi Shinbun to “die.”

—House of Councillors lawmaker Yuichiro Hata says to expect a new political party to be born from the current Democratic Party and perhaps others around April of this year.

International

—Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Washington DC: “Henoko is not the only option for Futenma relocation… I want you to understand that exit polls of the Nago mayoral elections showed over 60% opposing the Henoko base construction. I hope the new Nago mayor also gets that.”

—US Vice-President Mike Pence has arrived in Japan.

—South Korean Unification Ministry says the united Korean flags used at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will not show Dokdo-Takeshima, so as to reduce tensions with Japan and refrain from further politicizing the Games.

Economy

—Abe government approves bill to cap the number of university students in Tokyo, a plan meant to encourage decentralization outside of the overpopulated capital region.

Society

—The Kantei (Prime Minister’s Office) sets up a crisis management room to handle information related to heavy snows in the Hokuriku region. The snows in Fukui city said to be the heaviest in 37 years.

—Fukui Prefectural Government requests deployment of the Self-Defense Forces to help it deal with the heavy snows, which are paralyzing some transportation systems.

—At least one man is dead in the Fukui snowstorm. He was buried by snow in his car and seems to have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning.

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