30 November 2024

Kyodo News Digest: Nov. 30, 2024

Black Friday sales begin at a Macy’s store in New York on Nov. 29, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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

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Japan crown prince hopes female imperial members’ opinions are heard

TOKYO – Crown Prince Fumihito, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, said ahead of his 59th birthday on Saturday that the opinions of female royal members must be heard as lawmakers consider allowing them to retain their imperial status even after they marry a commoner.

The crown prince made the remarks to reporters in Tokyo earlier in the week following an interim report compiled by ruling and opposition parties in September, in which they said such female members should be allowed to keep their imperial status as a way to address the shrinking royal household.

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China resumes visa-free scheme for short-term Japan visitors

BEIJING – China restarted its unilateral visa-free arrangement for short-term Japanese visitors on Saturday, allowing stays of up to 30 days in a move believed to be aimed at promoting tourism and trade amid a downturn in the world’s second-largest economy.

The preferential treatment had been suspended since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The step will be effective through the end of next year.

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Japan, Britain, Italy weigh Saudi Arabia joining fighter jet project

LONDON – Japan, Britain and Italy are considering inviting Saudi Arabia to join their next-generation fighter jet development project with its financial support, a British government source said Friday.

Britain is looking to provide support for engineers in the Middle Eastern nation and its defense industry in return for its financial contribution to the trilateral project, under which the three countries aim to deploy the first jet by 2035, the source said.

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Japan gov’t panel proposes duty to report infrastructure cyberattacks

TOKYO – A government panel called Friday to make it mandatory for critical infrastructure operators to report cyberattacks, as part of its proposals for Japan’s plan to draft a bill to boost its preemptive cyber defense capabilities.

In its recommendations for the introduction of “active cyber defense,” the panel also said the confidentiality of communications, guaranteed by Japan’s Constitution, could face “necessary and reasonable restrictions for the public welfare.”

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Greece withdraws from 2025 World Expo in Osaka, becoming 8th nation

OSAKA – Greece has decided to withdraw from the World Expo scheduled for next year in Osaka, Japan, the organizer said Friday, with the European country citing fiscal constraints.

It is the eighth country to drop out after initially planning to participate in the expo, to be hosted by the commercial hub of western Japan, amid concerns about the event’s ballooning costs.

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China journalist accused of info leak to Japan gets 7-year jail term

BEIJING – A Beijing court on Friday handed down a seven-year jail term to a former senior editor at a major Chinese newspaper affiliated with the ruling Communist Party who had been accused of leaking information to Japanese diplomats, sources familiar with the matter said.

Dong Yuyu, a former deputy head of the Guangming Daily editorial department, had pleaded not guilty to the charge and is set to appeal the court decision, the sources said.

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Japan PM vows cross-party approach in Diet to achieve policies

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday he will strive to build consensus across party lines as his minority government looks for opposition support to achieve policy goals after a dismal election outcome.

In his first policy speech in parliament since his ruling coalition lost its majority of the House of Representatives in a late October general election, Ishiba vowed to realize an opposition plan to raise the income threshold for tax payments.

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Japan gov’t OKs 13.9 tril. yen extra budget to curb inflation burdens

TOKYO – The Japanese government on Friday approved a 13.9 trillion yen ($92.6 billion) supplementary budget for the fiscal year through March to fund a new economic package aimed at alleviating inflation-driven financial pressures on households.

But Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner lost their majority in the Oct. 27 general election, raising uncertainty over whether the budget will pass smoothly during a 24-day extraordinary Diet session from Thursday.

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