Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.

Japan eased strict border restrictions for passengers traveling from China starting March 1. They are still required to present a negative COVID-19 test prior to departure, but testing upon arrival in Japan has changed to a random sampling of up to 20 percent of a flight's passengers. 

"We will proceed flexibly by monitoring the epidemic situation in China and the status of border control measures in other countries," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference on February 27.

India is likely to face a harsh summer after experiencing the hottest February since 1901, according to the Indian Meteorological Department

The average maximum temperature was 29.5 degrees Celsius in February, the highest since India started keeping proper weather records. The department also said there is an "enhanced probability" of heatwaves between March and May.

All four prototypes of China's AG600M aircraft, a full-configuration firefighting model belonging to the AG600 large amphibious aircraft family, have kicked off test missions, the aircraft developer announced on February 25. 

The fourth AG600M firefighting aircraft prototype successfully completed its maiden flight in Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong Province, said manufacturer Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

Vietnam's National Assembly elected Communist Party veteran Vo Van Thuong as the country's new president on Thursday. His predecessor suddenly resigned in January. In an extraordinary session, lawmakers confirmed Thuong, 52, after the ruling Communist Party nominated him as president on March 1. 

Vietnam News reported that: "He has been the youngest permanent member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat since 1976, and also the youngest in the currently 16-member Politburo.”

The Sri Lankan government has decided to initiate the process to build its first nuclear power station. The country's cabinet approved signing the international conventions relating to generate electricity using nuclear power. 

The country's Daily Mirror newspaper reported that: "A feasibility study has been conducted to identify suitable land for establishing a nuclear power plant... The government is looking at nuclear power as a reliable and low carbon option for its energy mix as it aims to achieve carbon neutrality in the electricity sector by 2050."

(Cover: A notice for travelers arriving from China displayed at Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, December 30, 2022. /CFP)