Kyodo News Digest: Sept. 3, 2024
Undisputed super bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue (L) of Japan and challenger TJ Doheny of Ireland pose after weigh-in in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Sept. 2, 2024, a day before their match. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan mulls preclearance for South Koreans for speedy immigration check
TOKYO – Japan is considering introducing a system to conduct immigration screening before flight departures for visitors from South Korea, sources familiar with the bilateral ties said Tuesday.
The “preclearance” system is aimed at boosting exchanges of businesspeople and tourists by reducing waiting time and easing congestion at airport immigration lines, as Japan has seen a surge in inbound tourism amid a weaker yen.
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Japan gov’t spokesman Hayashi joins ruling party leadership election
TOKYO – Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi on Tuesday announced he will run in the ruling party’s leadership election, seeking to succeed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after serving as his right-hand man.
Hayashi, 63, the second Cabinet member to enter the Sept. 27 race, vowed to restore public trust in the scandal-hit Liberal Democratic Party and conduct politics “in a way people can relate to.”
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Harris opposes sale of U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday she is against the planned acquisition of United States Steel Corp. by Japan’s largest steelmaker, promising to build an economy that is good for working-class people, as her race for the White House against Donald Trump heads into the final stretch.
Regarding Nippon Steel Corp.’s plan, Harris, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, said at a Labor Day campaign rally in Pittsburgh that the U.S. producer should remain domestically owned and operated.
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Japan PM Kishida to make 2-day visit to South Korea from Fri.
SEOUL – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will make a two-day visit to South Korea from Friday and hold summit talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s presidential office said Tuesday.
Yoon and Kishida will “review the achievements of cooperation between the two countries thus far and discuss ways to enhance collaboration in bilateral, regional, and international arenas,” the office said in a statement.
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Japan to spend extra 989 bil. yen to help curb energy bills
TOKYO – The government decided Tuesday to allocate an additional 989.15 billion yen ($6.7 billion) in subsidies to curb energy bills in Japan, largely depleting this fiscal year’s reserve fund set aside to combat inflation.
This move brings the total state expenses for measures to address the cost-of-living crisis to more than 11 trillion yen over the past three years, adding pressure to the country’s fiscal health.
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3,000-yr-old cedar toppled on typhoon-hit island in southwest Japan
KAGOSHIMA, Japan – An iconic 3,000-year-old cedar on Yakushima Island in southwestern Japan has been toppled, likely due to strong winds brought by Typhoon Shanshan, local tour guides said Tuesday.
The 26-meter-high cedar, named “Yayoisugi,” with a trunk circumference of about 8 meters, was a key feature of the tourist site Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine. The guides found it collapsed on Saturday.
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Mongooses eradicated on Japan’s natural heritage Amami-Oshima Island
TOKYO – Japan’s Environment Ministry on Tuesday declared mongooses have been eradicated from Amami-Oshima Island in southwestern Japan, decades after launching efforts to eliminate the invasive species that prey on native animals and damage the ecosystem of the World Natural Heritage site.
The ministry’s review panel analyzed data from camera images and traps on the Kagoshima Prefecture island before determining that they had been exterminated. The last time a mongoose was caught was in April 2018.
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Paralympics: Japan wins wheelchair rugby, 2 badminton golds in Paris
PARIS – Japan won its first Paralympic gold medal in wheelchair rugby Monday after seeing off the United States 48-41 in Paris, with the nation adding two badminton gold on the day to make it five total at the ongoing games.
The bronze medalist both at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021, Japan led 24-23 at halftime and widened the gap in the third and fourth periods in the mixed-gender wheelchair rugby final at Champ-de-Mars Arena.
Video: Japan’s Sarina Satomi wins 2nd consecutive Paralympic badminton gold medal
