Kyodo News Digest: Aug. 26, 2024
Sailors from the Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian Navy training ship, pose for a photo with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel after making a port call on Aug. 25, 2024, at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in Tokyo during its world tour. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan accuses China military of airspace violation for 1st time
TOKYO – Japan’s Defense Ministry said Monday that a Chinese military aircraft violated its airspace, marking the first time it has made such an accusation.
A Y-9 intelligence plane flew over waters off the Danjo Islands of the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki, in the East China Sea, for about two minutes from 11:29 a.m., prompting the Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets, according to the ministry.
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Digital Minister Kono joins ruling party presidential election
TOKYO – Digital Minister Taro Kono said Monday he will run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election, touting his track record of pushing for reforms in his third bid to become Japan’s prime minister.
The outspoken Kono, 61, who went close to securing the top job before losing out to incumbent Fumio Kishida in 2021, said the Sept. 27 race should be a place for its contenders to show a clear vision for Japan at the global stage.
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Japan gov’t takes issue with NHK radio’s unscripted Senkaku remarks
TOKYO – The Japanese government on Monday said it was “regrettable” that a Chinese staffer described the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as China’s territory in unscripted remarks on NHK radio, and urged the public broadcaster to prevent a recurrence.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the reporting during NHK’s Chinese-language news program contradicts Japan’s stance that the uninhabited islands are the country’s “inherent territory” based on history and international law.
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Concerns over rice shortage growing in Japan amid higher demand
TOKYO – Concerns over a rice shortage are growing in Japan, with empty shelves becoming noticeable in supermarkets and stores, against the backdrop of rising demand.
Some consumers are trying to stockpile rice after the weather agency earlier this month issued its first-ever advisory warning of the increased risk of a megaquake along the Nankai Trough that stretches from central to southwestern Japan in the Pacific.
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Strong typhoon may reach western Japan Aug. 28, heavy rain expected
TOKYO – A strong typhoon is developing in the south of Japan, the weather agency said Monday, and may reach western Japan on Wednesday or sometime later this week, hitting areas of the Pacific coast with heavy rain and violent winds.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that Typhoon Shanshan, which was located south of the Japanese archipelago in the Pacific Ocean on Monday morning, is moving west-northwest at 20 kilometers per hour.
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North Korea’s Kim calls for country’s development of more suicide drones
BEIJING – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the development and production of more suicide drones to boost war preparedness as he inspected a performance test of various drones over the weekend, the country’s state media said Monday.
During the test, organized by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defense Sciences on Saturday, various types of drones correctly identified and destroyed their designated targets after flying along different preset routes, the official Korean Central News Agency said.
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Japan’s 101-yr-old princess in intensive care for mild pneumonia
TOKYO – Princess Yuriko, who turned 101 in June, has been in intensive care since Aug. 16 after developing a fever and being diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia, the Imperial Household Agency said Monday.
The widow of the late Prince Mikasa was moved to the intensive care unit of a Tokyo hospital as a precaution but has since recovered and is expected to return to the general ward soon, the agency added.
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Baseball: Dodgers manager says Ohtani “fine” after being hit by pitch
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani required X-rays after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch during Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, but the team’s manager Dave Roberts later confirmed his player is “fine.”
“Ohtani’s okay,” Roberts told a press conference after a 3-1 win over the Rays in the series finale at Dodger Stadium. “I think they took some scans and I heard they were negative.”
Video: Italian Navy training ship visits Tokyo port
