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Photo taken on July 15, 2024, shows red tiles to be used for the reconstruction of the main hall of the Shuri Castle in Naha in the southern Japan prefecture of Okinawa. A 2019 fire destroyed the castle located on a UNESCO World Heritage site. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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North Korea conducts longest-ever ICBM test, condemned by Japan, U.S.
TOKYO – North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan on Thursday that marked the longest-ever flight time for one of the country’s missiles, triggering condemnation from Japan, South Korea and the United States.
The ICBM launch, apparently on a lofted trajectory, was swiftly confirmed by North Korea through its state-run media, with leader Kim Jong Un vowing to continue reinforcing the country’s nuclear forces.
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Japan’s ruling LDP, small opposition agree on policy linkup talks
TOKYO – Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a small opposition party agreed Thursday to start talks to cooperate on policies after the ruling bloc lost its majority in the recent House of Representatives election.
Following the agreement, LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama called on his Democratic Party for the People counterpart Kazuya Shimba to work together to craft a draft supplementary budget for fiscal 2024 to fund inflation relief measures and an initial budget plan for the next fiscal year from April.
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BOJ signals more rate hikes as it sees receded overseas risks
TOKYO – Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Thursday the country faces smaller risks from the U.S. and other overseas economies, signaling that the central bank is closer to an additional interest rate hike, possibly in the coming months.
The BOJ kept its policy rate unchanged at around 0.25 percent, as widely expected at the end of a two-day meeting earlier in the day, amid political uncertainty following the loss by the Japanese ruling parties of their majority in the recent general election and ahead of the U.S. presidential election next week.
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Halloween crowd control tight in Tokyo’s Shibuya
TOKYO – Whistles shrilled and LED batons motioned pedestrians to keep moving in Tokyo’s buzzing Shibuya district Thursday amid a crackdown by local authorities to prevent overcrowding for Halloween.
Celebrations were markedly toned down and few were seen wearing costumes, with police guiding people away from the area and a newly implemented year-round alcohol ban in full effect. The occasion had gained notoriety for unruliness in recent years in one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist spots.
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Japan’s ANA logs 13% drop in 1st-half net profit despite record sales
TOKYO – ANA Holdings Inc. said Thursday its net profit dropped 13.3 percent from a year earlier to 80.78 billion yen ($530 million) in the six months ended September as heftier aircraft maintenance costs more than offset record sales growth.
The parent of All Nippon Airways Co. posted a record-high 1.1 trillion yen in sales the first half ended Sept. 30, up 9.7 percent from a year earlier, with booming inbound tourism boosting international flight passengers. Operating profit declined 16.5 percent to 108.37 billion yen.
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Ex-TEPCO chairman Katsumata dies at 84 before legal battle concludes
TOKYO – Tsunehisa Katsumata, who was chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Co. at the time of the nuclear accident at its Fukushima plant in 2011, died on Oct. 21, the company said Thursday. He was 84.
His death comes before the conclusion of trials over his alleged failure to prevent the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, triggered by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.
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Toyota, NTT to team up on AI-aided driving to curb accidents
TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. said Thursday they will join hands to develop a platform using artificial intelligence-supported driving software aimed at reducing vehicle accidents.
Japan’s auto and telecommunications giants, which formed a capital alliance to build energy-efficient “smart cities” in 2020, plan to invest a combined 500 billion yen ($3.3 billion) in the project. Research and development of the software will be launched next year, a step that can lead to self-driving technology.
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Baseball: Ohtani wins 1st World Series title with Dodgers
NEW YORK – Shohei Ohtani won his first World Series title as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 on Wednesday.
It was the Dodgers’ first World Series championship since 2020 and eighth in franchise history.
Video: U.S. F-35B stealth fighter shown to media at Japan air base
