Kyodo News Digest: Oct. 4, 2024
Source: – Kyodo News+
Photo shows the interior of a mud-covered house in Swannanoa, North Carolina, Oct. 2, 2024, about a week after Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern United States. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan PM vows to ease public anxiety amid security, economic woes
TOKYO – Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday promised to restore trust in politics following a series of scandals and tried to reassure the public amid security threats from Japan’s neighbors and higher living costs.
The former defense minister called the security environment facing Japan “the most severe and complex since World War II,” in his first speech in parliament after being elected prime minister earlier this week.
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Japan team seeks approval for pig kidney transplant to human fetus
TOKYO – A Japanese medical team said Friday it has applied to obtain approval to conduct a clinical study to temporarily transplant pig kidneys into unborn children with severe kidney disease.
Animal-to-human transplants have never been conducted in Japan, and the team aims to be the first to do so in 2026.
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Tokyo approves ordinance to prevent abuse by customers in Japan’s 1st
TOKYO – The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on Friday approved a draft ordinance to prevent customers from abusing workers in a first for Japan, a country where customers are famously referred to as “gods” in the service sector and enjoy a superior position.
Coming into effect next April, the ordinance against so-called “customer harassment” outlines the responsibilities of customers, although it carries no penalties if violated.
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New Japan PM urges ministers to craft economic steps before election
TOKYO – Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday instructed ministers to map out a relief package designed to support households struggling with higher prices and stimulate regional economies, ahead of a snap election scheduled for Oct. 27.
At a news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the government also plans to compile a draft supplementary budget for fiscal 2024 through March to fund the economic measures immediately after the House of Representatives election.
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G7 urges all parties in Middle East conflict to act with restraint
NEW YORK – The leaders of the Group of Seven countries on Thursday urged all parties involved in the conflict in the Middle East to act with restraint, while condemning Iran’s latest missile attack on Israel.
“A dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks fueling uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East, which is in no one’s interest,” the G7 leaders said in a statement, calling on “all regional players to act responsibly and with restraint.”
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Japan SDF planes arrive in Jordan to ready for Lebanon evacuation
TOKYO – Two Japan Air Self-Defense Force airplanes have arrived in Jordan for the possible evacuation of Japanese nationals from neighboring Lebanon, the Defense Ministry said Friday, amid the escalating conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
The C-2 transport airplanes landed at a Jordanian airport after departing from a base in the western Japan prefecture of Tottori on Thursday morning. Another aircraft is set to fly to Greece as part of efforts to provide operational flexibility and disperse risk.
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Japan’s Miyazaki Airport to be checked for more unexploded bombs after blast
TOKYO – The transport ministry said it will check Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan for unexploded bombs from World War II after one exploded on a taxiway and led to the cancellation of dozens of flights earlier this week.
“This is something that could affect the safety of flights,” said transport minister Tetsuo Saito at a press conference in announcing the measure, adding he has instructed officials to consider surveying other airports, including Sendai, Fukuoka and Naha.
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Sport climbing: Anraku retains World Cup overall title in bouldering
TOKYO – Japan’s 17-year-old Sorato Anraku won his second straight overall title in men’s bouldering in the sport climbing World Cup on Thursday.
The Paris Olympics silver medalist in the combined boulder and lead event, Anraku had three podium finishes from five bouldering World Cup events this season, including a win at the second meet in May in Salt Lake City.
Video: A hotel renowned by many Japanese backpackers in northern India shuts down
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