27 August 2024

Kyodo News Digest: Aug. 27, 2024

A rare blue bee species Thyreus decorus is spotted at a flower garden within the Chojuji temple grounds in Konan, Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, on Aug. 26, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Japan accuses China military of airspace violation for 1st time

TOKYO – Japan’s Defense Ministry on Monday confirmed for the first time that a plane belonging to the Chinese military violated Japanese airspace, in the latest development that could fuel tensions between the two countries following repeated maritime provocations by China.

The Y-9 intelligence plane flew over waters off the Danjo Islands of the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki, in the East China Sea, for about two minutes from 11:29 a.m., prompting the Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets, according to the ministry.

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Digital Minister Kono joins ruling party presidential election

TOKYO – Digital Minister Taro Kono said Monday he will run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election, touting his track record of pushing for reforms in his third bid to become Japan’s prime minister.

The outspoken Kono, 61, who went close to securing the top job before losing out to incumbent Fumio Kishida in 2021, said the Sept. 27 race should be a place for its contenders to show a clear vision for Japan at the global stage.

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Strong typhoon heading toward southwestern Japan

TOKYO – A strong typhoon traveling in the south of the Japanese archipelago is heading toward the southwestern island of Amami-Oshima on Tuesday, the weather agency said, warning of heavy rains and violent winds.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Shanshan could make landfall on Wednesday or later.

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North Korea’s Kim calls for country’s development of more suicide drones

BEIJING – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the development and production of more suicide drones to boost war preparedness as he inspected a performance test of various drones over the weekend, the country’s state media said Monday.

During the test, organized by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defense Sciences on Saturday, various types of drones correctly identified and destroyed their designated targets after flying along different preset routes, the official Korean Central News Agency said.

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Japan gov’t takes issue with NHK radio’s unscripted Senkaku remarks

TOKYO – The Japanese government on Monday said it was “regrettable” that a Chinese staffer described the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as China’s territory in unscripted remarks on NHK radio, and urged the public broadcaster to prevent a recurrence.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the reporting during NHK’s Chinese-language news program contradicts Japan’s stance that the uninhabited islands are the country’s “inherent territory” based on history and international law.

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Japan’s 101-yr-old princess in intensive care for mild pneumonia

TOKYO – Princess Yuriko, who turned 101 in June, has been in intensive care since Aug. 16 after developing a fever and being diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia, the Imperial Household Agency said Monday.

The widow of the late Prince Mikasa was moved to the intensive care unit of a Tokyo hospital as a precaution but has since recovered and is expected to return to the general ward soon, the agency added.

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Kitaguchi hopes javelin gold will boost Japan’s athletics community

TOKYO – Olympic women’s javelin champion Haruka Kitaguchi hopes that the gold medal she won in Paris will make fellow Japanese athletes think they can compete with the world’s best in any event.

The 26-year-old became the first Japanese woman to claim Olympic gold in athletics in an event other than the marathon. Naoko Takahashi and Mizuki Noguchi were the marathon winners at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games, respectively.

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IPC appoints Kyodo as recognized news agency of Paralympics

PARIS – The International Paralympic Committee announced Monday that it has appointed Kyodo News as its recognized news agency.

Kyodo “will have a duty to make comprehensive coverage” of the 2024 Paris Paralympics, opening Wednesday, “with a focus on Japan’s athletes,” the IPC said in its announcement.

Video: Rare blue bee spotted at flower garden in Shiga Prefecture

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