29 August 2024

Kyodo News Digest: Aug. 29, 2024

People take a selfie in front of the Arc de Triomphe adorned with the “Three Agitos” Paralympic Games symbol in Paris on Aug. 27, 2024, the day before the opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympics. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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

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Powerful typhoon makes landfall on Japan’s southwestern main island

TOKYO – Powerful Typhoon Shanshan made landfall on Japan’s southwestern main island of Kyushu on Thursday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that could destroy some homes, the weather agency said.

A rare special typhoon warning has been issued for most parts of Kagoshima Prefecture, according to the agency, with public transport operators canceling trains and flights. The storm was heading in a northerly direction.

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Biden, Xi planning talks “in the coming weeks”: White House

BEIJING – The United States and China are planning a call between President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping “in the coming weeks,” the White House said Wednesday.

The plan was discussed between Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi during their two-day meeting in Beijing. The White House said the two countries will also aim to organize a phone conversation between military theater commanders “in the near future.”

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Japan lawmaker asks China to prevent repeat of airspace breach

BEIJING – A senior Japanese ruling party lawmaker said he expressed concern on Wednesday over the breach of Japan’s airspace by a Chinese military plane earlier this week and asked China’s No. 3 leader Zhao Leji to ensure such incidents are not repeated.

Toshihiro Nikai, a heavyweight in the Liberal Democratic Party who leads a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers advocating friendly ties with China, told reporters after meeting with Zhao at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing that the top Chinese legislator said the incident was “not intentional.”

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Ex-LDP member Manabu Horii resigns as lawmaker over monetary donations

TOKYO – Former Japanese ruling party member Manabu Horii resigned Wednesday as a lawmaker over condolence money allegedly given to supporters in his constituency in violation of Japan’s election law.

Horii, 52, an Olympic bronze medalist in speed skating, tendered his resignation, which was accepted by House of Representatives Fukushiro Nukaga, according to the chamber. He left the Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month.

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Japan antitrust watchdog to set up new section to regulate IT giants

TOKYO – Japan’s antitrust watchdog plans to set up a new section to regulate and investigate tech giants amid accusations they use their dominant position in the smartphone app market to hinder fair competition, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission’s new section will be set up next April at the earliest with around 50 officials, the sources said. It will also strengthen cooperation with foreign counterparts to monitor IT giants such as Google LLC and Apple Inc., which provide the Android and iOS smartphone operating systems, respectively.

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Outgoing Japanese PM mulls skipping speech at U.N. General Assembly

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering cutting short his trip to New York next month and not addressing the U.N. General Assembly due to a scheduling conflict with his ruling party’s leadership election, sources close to him said Wednesday.

Kishida, whose popularity has plunged amid a political funds scandal in his Liberal Democratic Party, said earlier this month that he will not run in its presidential election slated for Sept. 27, marking the end of his three-year term as premier.

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Japan aims for record medal haul at Paris Paralympics

PARIS – Japan is aiming for a record-high medal haul in the Paralympics kicking off Wednesday in Paris, looking to surpass the 52 it won in 2004 in Athens.

Among medal hopefuls is 18-year-old wheelchair tennis sensation Tokito Oda. The world No. 2, with four Grand Slam singles titles under his belt, is tipped as a favorite to win gold.

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3 die, 2 of 5 family members rescued after central Japan landslide

NAGOYA – Three of five family members died while two were rescued with injuries after a landslide caused by heavy rain hit their house in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, local government officials said Thursday.

The natural disaster occurred in Gamagori late Tuesday after a record-breaking amount of rain in the city, the Nagoya meteorological observatory said, as Typhoon Shanshan approached the country’s main islands.

Video: Special alert issued to Kagoshima Pref. as typhoon lashes southwestern Japan

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