Kyodo News Digest: Sept. 16, 2023
Photo taken on Sept. 15, 2023, shows Asian elephant Pearl and her daughter at Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo, Hokkaido, northern Japan. The zoo put the baby elephant on public display for the first time since her birth on Aug. 19. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan mulls legislating “security clearance” system in 2024
TOKYO – Japan is looking to legislate a “security clearance” system, which grants some individuals special access to classified government data, in 2024 to prevent critical information from leaking to overseas entities, a government source said Saturday.
The move comes as “dual-use” technology, in which cutting-edge innovation developed by private businesses can be used for military purposes, has been expanded. The plan is expected to be included in the country’s revised economic security bill next year.
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International team captures footage of sunken Japan WWII aircraft carrier
LOS ANGELES – An international research team of experts from Japan and the United States said Friday that it has captured footage of an Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier sunk during the 1942 Battle of Midway in World War II.
The released footage revealed details such as an imperial chrysanthemum crest on the bow and the presence of machine guns on the ship. The team noted that this investigation of the “Akagi” through such imagery is the first of its kind.
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FOCUS: Johnny’s decades-long abuse coverup relied on cozy ties with media
TOKYO – Japan’s top male talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc. has acknowledged that its late founder Johnny Kitagawa sexually abused aspiring teenage pop singers for decades. But the question remains: how was he able to get away with it for so long?
While an overconcentration of power within the agency’s founding family has been cited as a major factor in the long-term coverup of the abuse, Japanese mainstream media also long turned a blind eye.
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Japan to accept 2 more wounded soldiers from Ukraine for treatment
TOKYO – Japan has decided to accept two wounded soldiers for medical treatment from Ukraine, following a similar move in June, amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of the country since February 2022, a source close to the matter said Saturday.
The two soldiers are slated to be sent to the Self-Defense Forces Central Hospital in Tokyo as early as late September, where they will receive rehabilitation treatment and necessary care, according to the source.
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FOCUS: Japan labor market set for change as huge worker shortage looms
TOKYO – Japan’s labor market may be at an inflection point as the nation braces for a shortfall of millions of workers, the rise of generative AI and risks to economic security.
The spotlight is increasingly on the sustainability of wage growth, which has been accelerating at the fastest pace in three decades. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida now wants to see pay hikes that will be “several percentage points higher” than the country’s inflation rate.
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North Korean leader Kim inspects Russian warplanes, Pacific fleet vessel
TOKYO – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected combat aircraft and a frigate in Russia’s Far East region with the country’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu on Saturday, local media reported.
Kim, who is visiting Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, arrived at Artyom railway station, 45 kilometers from Vladivostok, before meeting with Shoigu at the Knevichi airfield in Primorye, according to Tass news agency.
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Baseball: His locker cleaned out, Ohtani may be done for season
ANAHEIM, California – After being held out of his 11th straight game with a right oblique injury, Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani’s Angel Stadium locker was cleaned out Friday, signaling he may be done playing for the season.
The Angels declined to comment on the situation other than to say an announcement would be made Saturday, according to MLB.com. Ohtani has already been shut down for the season as a pitcher after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Aug. 23.
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Rugby: Japan out to defy odds yet again at World Cup
NICE, France – If the Brave Blossoms were to venture out of their hotel in Monaco, where they are staying ahead of their Rugby World Cup Pool D game with England, and head to the famous casino they would see their opponents are overwhelming favorites to not just win Sunday’s game in Nice, France, but top the pool.
The 2003 champions put aside some recent poor form, marred by ill-discipline, to down Argentina 27-10 in their opener last weekend, a day before Japan opened their account with a 42-12 victory over Chile. The turnaround in fortunes for Steve Borthwick’s men means the odds on them advancing to the quarterfinals and playing the runners-up from Pool C are 1-10.
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Video: Baby elephant shown to public for first time
