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Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako release fry during a fishery industry promotional event in Beppu in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Oita on Nov. 10, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Ishiba formally reelected as Japan PM, eyes minority gov’t
TOKYO – Shigeru Ishiba was formally reelected as Japan’s prime minister on Monday after a rare runoff vote in parliament that his ruling coalition no longer controls, setting the stage for a minority government that may push him to yield more to an emboldened opposition bloc.
The first runoff vote in three decades to select a new prime minister saw Ishiba, who heads the Liberal Democratic Party, defeat his rival Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, at the opening of a four-day parliamentary session.
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Japan minesweeper sinks after catching fire, 1 of crew still missing
FUKUOKA – A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force minesweeper that caught fire in waters off the country’s southwestern coast capsized and sank Monday, according to the local coast guard office.
One crewman remains unaccounted for after the Ukushima went up in flames on Sunday. The fire was extinguished after the ship toppled on its side shortly after midnight, allowing the coast guard to begin search operations.
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Japan opposition DPP head admits marital affair, apologizes
TOKYO – Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the small but influential opposition Democratic Party for the People, on Monday admitted to an extramarital affair revealed in a tabloid magazine report, offering an apology.
The report, released the same day, came after the DPP quadrupled its seats from seven to 28 in the House of Representatives election late last month, increasing its influence as the ruling coalition parties failed to obtain a majority.
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Ishiba suspected of falling asleep during Diet session to select PM
TOKYO – Shigeru Ishiba, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is suspected of having fallen asleep during a plenary session of the House of Representatives in which he was reelected as prime minister.
After video footage showing Ishiba looking down and briefly closing his eyes while waiting for the vote count was posted on social media, users commented with remarks like, “I can’t believe he’s sleeping like that.”
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Toilet use restrictions on trans gov’t employee lifted: source
TOKYO – The trade ministry has lifted a restriction on a transgender employee’s use of workplace restrooms, a government source said Monday, more than a year after the top court ruled against such restrictions.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Friday conveyed to the employee in her 50s, who has been living as a woman after being diagnosed with gender dysphoria, that she can use any of the female restrooms in the ministry building. She had been restricted to using the restrooms at least two floors above or below her office.
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Japan logs record account surplus in April-Sept on foreign returns
TOKYO – Japan posted a record 15.82 trillion yen ($103 billion) current account surplus in the first half of fiscal 2024, boosted by increased returns on foreign investments amid a weaker yen, government data showed Monday.
In the April-September period, the surplus in the current account balance, one of the widest gauges of international trade, expanded 12.3 percent from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
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Morihisa Aoki, Japan’s envoy to Peru during 1996 hostage crisis, dies
TOKYO – Morihisa Aoki, who was Japan’s ambassador to Peru when a hostage crisis took place at the ambassador’s residence in 1996-1997, has died, his family said Monday. He was 85.
Aoki died on Saturday at his residence in Tokyo due to a bone marrow disease, according to the family.
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Vietnamese boy killed in car-crane truck collision in central Japan
NAGOYA – A 5-year-old Vietnamese boy has died after a car collided with a crane truck on Sunday in Nagoya, central Japan, police said.
Nguyen Van Thien Nhan was in the back seat of the car when the accident occurred at around 6:45 p.m. on a bridge in the city in Aichi Prefecture. The five occupants of the car were taken to a hospital and the boy’s death was later confirmed.
Video: Traditional puppet theater performed in Japan’s Tokushima
