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Sapporo White Illumination, a popular seasonal light event, begins at Odori Park in Sapporo in Hokkaido, northern Japan, on Nov. 22, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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U.S. says North Korea ready for nuclear test, awaits political go-ahead
WASHINGTON – North Korea is only a “political decision” away from carrying out its seventh nuclear test, a senior U.S. official said Friday, at a time when the world is closely watching for any shifts in Pyongyang’s policy direction in connection with Donald Trump’s upcoming return to the White House.
“The United States assesses that (North Korea) has prepared its Punggye-ri test site for its potential seventh explosive nuclear test,” said Alexandra Bell, deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear affairs.
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Trump says hedge fund manager Scott Bessent to be treasury secretary
WASHINGTON – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Friday he will nominate longtime hedge fund manager Scott Bessent to serve as treasury secretary, praising him as one of the most respected international investors who has the ability to herald a “new golden age” for the world’s largest economy.
Bessent, an advocate for deregulation and deficit reduction, has been a key economic adviser to Trump, who will return to the White House in January with various eye-catching economic promises, including imposing 60 percent tariffs on goods from China.
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Japan libraries to trial book sales amid decline in bookstores
TOKYO – Some public libraries in Japan will trial sales of new books from fiscal 2025 to fill the void caused by a nationwide decline in the number of physical bookstores, industry officials said.
The program is aimed at increasing opportunities for people to buy books, particularly the elderly who may be unfamiliar with the process of using online shopping sites.
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Shinkansen services delayed due to maintenance problem
TOKYO – Some shinkansen bullet train services were delayed Saturday morning due to a malfunctioning maintenance vehicle, affecting around 4,900 passengers, railway operator JR East said.
Services were temporarily suspended between Omiya and Takasaki stations near Tokyo, resuming shortly after 7 a.m., according to the company.
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Japanese becomes 1st non-Spanish to win prestigious flamenco contest
TOKYO – A Japanese woman recently made waves in Spain after becoming the first foreigner to win the dance division of a prestigious flamenco competition in the European country.
“I have overcome a barrier as a foreigner,” 48-year-old dancer Junko Hagiwara told Kyodo News in early November, although her success at the annual Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas in August drew discriminatory comments online.
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Japan to draw up new strategy to beef up defense industry, exports
TOKYO – Japan has started devising a strategy to strengthen its defense industry and promote exports of equipment, hoping to lay out medium to long-term goals for a sector that has struggled with small market scale and other challenges, government sources said Friday.
The so-called national defense industry strategy may be compiled next year. The planning will involve not only the Defense Ministry but also others such as the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, making the process different from the strategy the Defense Ministry came up with in 2014 on defense production and technological bases.
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China to allow 30-day visa exemption for Japan visitors from Nov. 30
BEIJING – China said Friday it will restart its unilateral visa-free arrangement for short-term Japanese visitors on Nov. 30, allowing stays of up to 30 days, a measure believed to be aimed at promoting tourism and trade amid a downturn in the world’s second-largest economy.
The preferential treatment had been suspended since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the step effective through the end of next year for Japan and eight other nations including Bulgaria and Romania.
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Japan gov’t OKs 39 tril. yen economic package to ease inflation pain
TOKYO – The Japanese government on Friday approved an economic package worth 39 trillion yen ($250 billion), featuring subsidies to curb rising energy costs and cash handouts to low-income households, as inflation triggered by a weaker yen continues to weigh on consumer spending.
In the package, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s administration pledged to boost disposable incomes by raising the tax-free salary threshold, after it conceded to demands from an opposition party to secure the passage of a supplementary budget to finance it.
Video: Sapporo White Illumination begins at Odori Park in Hokkaido
