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Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako wave during the opening ceremony of a cultural and art festival in Gifu, central Japan, on Oct. 14, 2024. (Pool photo) (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Campaigning kicks off in Japan for Oct. 27 general election
TOKYO – Official campaigning began across Japan on Tuesday for the Oct. 27 general election as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba seeks a fresh mandate and aims to restore public trust in politics undermined by a slush funds scandal engulfing his ruling party.
During the 12-day campaign, 1,344 candidates will vie for a total of 465 seats in the House of Representatives in the first contest since 2021. The lower chamber was dissolved last week, only eight days after Ishiba took office.
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N. Korea blows up parts of inter-Korean roads on its side: S. Korea
SEOUL – North Korea blew up parts of inter-Korean roads on its side of the border on Tuesday, according to South Korea’s military, destroying what was once a symbol of the two Koreas’ cooperation.
“North Korean forces conducted explosions, presumably to block the inter-Korean roads” in Gyeongui and Donghae around noon, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
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Football: Super sub Nakamura helps Japan salvage draw with Australia
SAITAMA, Japan – Winger Keito Nakamura came off the bench to force an own-goal equalizer as Japan drew 1-1 with Australia and saw their perfect start to the Asian final round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers come to an end at home on Tuesday.
After bagging 14 goals without conceding through the first three Group C matches, the Samurai Blue were in control but lacked a cutting edge against a well-organized Socceroo side, who took the lead against the run of play through center-back Shogo Taniguchi’s own goal in the 58th minute at Saitama Stadium.
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AI tech dominates Japan’s cohosted electronics, mobility trade show
CHIBA, Japan – Japan’s major annual electronics show kicked off Tuesday in tandem with a mobility show at the same venue in the first joint trade fair to boost collaboration between the sectors, with many companies featuring artificial intelligence.
The cohosting of the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies and Japan Mobility Show Bizweek comes as the boundary between tech and auto companies is increasingly blurred as vehicles become more connected and autonomous with high-tech software.
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Japan PM eyes over 13 tril. yen extra budget for inflation relief
IWAKI, Japan – Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday the size of an extra budget to be compiled to fund a fresh set of inflation relief measures will likely exceed 13 trillion yen ($87 billion) as he vowed to extend support to struggling households ahead of a general election in late October.
Speaking at a campaign stop in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan, Ishiba said the fiscal 2024 supplementary budget is expected to exceed the roughly 13.20 trillion yen in the previous extra budget for fiscal 2023.
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Japan aid agency official punished for Philippines project info leak
TOKYO – An official of the Japan International Cooperation Agency leaked information regarding a bid for a railway rehabilitation project in the Philippines financed by low-interest yen loans, the Japanese government said Tuesday.
JICA imposed a one-month suspension on the official in July after he leaked cost estimates and other project details to a Tokyo-based construction consulting firm, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki said at a press conference.
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Business lobby calls for Japan to facilitate int’l data linkage
TOKYO – Japan’s top business lobby on Tuesday urged the government to facilitate the creation of a “data space” to enable seamless data exchange between industries and across borders.
With the European Union leading efforts to create a platform that allows participants to access, share and use data securely, the Japan Business Federation, also known as Keidanren, proposed a government-backed and interoperable industrial data space to boost the competitiveness of Japanese businesses.
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Tokyo Metro sets IPO price at 1,200 yen a share amid strong interest
TOKYO – Tokyo Metro Co., a major subway operator in Japan, said Tuesday that it has priced its initial public offering at 1,200 yen ($8) per share amid strong interest from domestic and overseas investors.
The subway operator is scheduled to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s top-tier Prime Market on Oct. 23. The company’s market value will be around 700 billion yen based on the offering price, making it one of Japan’s biggest IPOs in the past decade.
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Taiwan on front-line defense against authoritarianism: Tsai
TAIPEI – Taiwan is on the front line in defending against authoritarian regimes, former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said Monday, after China conducted a fresh large-scale military exercise in waters surrounding the self-ruled democratic island.
Noting that authoritarian regimes aim to erode people’s confidence in democratic institutions “in an increasingly aggressive manner” through such measures as military threats and invasions, “Taiwan stands on the front line of the assault,” Tsai told a forum in Prague, according to her office.
Video: Iwao Hakamada appears in public for the first time after being fully exonerated
