Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, April 14

JAKARTA — A 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia’s western province of East Java on Friday, but there were no preliminary reports of damage or casualties, the country’s weather agency and officials said.

The Southeast Asian country’s meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency first measured the quake at 6.6 magnitude before revising it up. (Indonesia-Earthquake)

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TOKYO — Japan will launch a new and simplified system for granting highly skilled professional visas to foreign workers on April 21, the Immigration Services Agency said on Friday.

Aimed at attracting more overseas talents to the country, the new system will give preferential treatment to foreign applicants who meet certain conditions, such as having a master’s degree and an annual income of at least 20 million yen (150,000 U.S. dollars). (Japan-Immigration System)

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ISLAMABAD — The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is set to issue a commemorative coin of rupees 50 on Friday, marking the 50th anniversary of the constitution of Pakistan, the SBP said.

This year marks the golden jubilee of the country’s constitution, also known as the 1973 constitution, the SBP said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the initiative has been taken on the directions of the federal government. (Pakistan-Constitution-Commemorative Coin)

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MANILA — People in the Western Pacific Region live for 77 years on average due to public health investments and innovations over the decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region said on Friday.

On its 75th anniversary, the WHO said people in the Western Pacific region had a life expectancy of between 40 and 50 years when the health agency was created. (Philippines-WHO-Life Expectancy)