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Hong Kong actor Tony Leung (3rd from L) speaks at the Tokyo International Film Festival’s opening ceremony in the Japanese capital on Oct. 28, 2024, as he serves as the president of international competition jury at the festival. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan’s 2011 disaster-hit region sees reactor restart for 1st time
SENDAI – A nuclear reactor resumed operation Tuesday for the first time in northeastern Japan since the region was affected by the 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster, which also triggered a nuclear crisis, joining a dozen reactors in the country that have been rebooted after meeting more stringent safety standards.
The restart of the Onagawa nuclear power plant’s No. 2 unit in Miyagi Prefecture also marks the first time in Japan that a boiling water reactor — the same type as the Fukushima Daiichi reactors that suffered fuel meltdowns during the nuclear crisis — has been brought online since the 2011 disaster.
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Small Japan opposition party hints at policy linkup with ruling bloc
TOKYO – The Democratic Party for the People may cooperate with the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba but will not join the framework outright, its chief said Tuesday after the opposition party surged in influence after the weekend’s general election.
Japan faces political uncertainty as the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito, which lost their majority in the powerful House of Representatives, must seek support from opposition parties and independents to pass bills and run a stable government.
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Support rate for Ishiba’s Cabinet falls to 32% after election: poll
TOKYO – The approval rating for the Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stood at 32.1 percent after the general election, a Kyodo News survey showed Tuesday, falling from 50.7 percent before the vote.
In the nationwide telephone survey conducted over two days from Monday, 53.0 percent of respondents said they do not want the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito to stay in power after their election defeat, against 38.4 percent who hope the two parties will continue running the government.
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Japan jobless rate falls to 2.4% in Sept. as fewer workers dismissed
TOKYO – Japan’s unemployment rate in September fell to 2.4 percent from 2.5 percent the previous month, improving for the second straight month, as fewer workers were dismissed in a sign of economic recovery, government data showed Tuesday.
The total number of people with jobs declined 0.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted 67.82 million after rising in August, while those without jobs dropped 2.3 percent to 1.68 million, decreasing for the second consecutive month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
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Japan retains view on economy in Oct., but warns of flat production
TOKYO – The government on Tuesday retained its view that the Japanese economy is moderately recovering, but warned of a pause in industrial production growth due to weakening demand from overseas markets.
In its monthly economic report for October, the Cabinet Office described the economy as “recovering at a moderate pace, although it remains pausing in part,” using the same expression for its overall assessment for the third consecutive month.
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Israel passes bill to ban U.N. aid agency from working in Gaza
JERUSALEM – The Israeli parliament on Monday passed a bill that prohibits a U.N. aid agency from operating in the country, in a move that could bar the entity from providing humanitarian aid to people in the Gaza Strip hit by the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
In Tokyo on Tuesday, top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said Japan is “deeply concerned” the new law, scheduled to take effect in three months, will restrict the activities of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA.
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Japan, EU to agree on security, defense partnership on Fri.
TOKYO – Japan and the European Union will agree on a security and defense partnership later this week, the Japanese government said Tuesday, as they boost collaboration amid China’s military buildup in the Indo-pacific region and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell are set to announce the deal when they hold the first-ever, Japan-EU “Strategic Dialogue” in Tokyo on Friday, according to the Foreign Ministry.
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S. Korean national detained in China over espionage allegation
BEIJING – A South Korean national has been detained in China on suspicion of espionage, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Tuesday, without providing details.
It was the first time a South Korean national has been taken into custody in China for alleged spying since the country’s revised anti-espionage law took effect in July 2023, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
Video: Japan Mint holds annual test to check whether coins meet designated weight standards
