27 September 2024

Kyodo News Digest: Sept. 27, 2024

Fugu are sorted ahead of the season’s first auction of the puffer fish at a market in Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, in the early hours of Sept. 26, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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

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Ex-defense chief Ishiba set to become new Japan PM

TOKYO – Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to become Japan’s next prime minister after winning the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election on Friday in a runoff vote, defeating economic security minister Sanae Takaichi.

In his fifth presidential bid, Ishiba won 215 of the 409 valid votes cast by LDP lawmakers and rank-and-file members, while Takaichi secured 194. He is a policy expert well-versed in defense, agriculture and regional revitalization.

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Special permission to stay in Japan given to over 200 foreign minors

TOKYO – Special permission to stay in Japan has been granted to 212 foreign minors and their family members who did not have residence status and could have been deported, the immigration agency said Friday.

The humanitarian measure at the justice minister’s discretion was applied to minors under 18, born and attending school in Japan, and with parents without criminal histories. Calls have been rising for consideration for such foreign children, many of whom only speak Japanese.

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Toyota global output drops 11.2% in August as quality scandal bites

TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday its global production in August dropped 11.2 percent from a year earlier to 709,571 vehicles, falling for the seventh straight month, as output was partially suspended due to a vehicle certification scandal and a typhoon.

Domestic output slid 22.2 percent to 185,680 vehicles as production of its popular Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross models remained suspended after being halted in June.

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Japan main opposition head hopes for combative debate with LDP Ishiba

TOKYO – The leader of Japan’s main opposition party on Friday voiced expectations for a combative debate with Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as speculation grows that a general election may be held soon.

“Ishiba is not the type to shy away from debate,” said Yoshihiko Noda, who served as prime minister for more than a year through December 2012 and was chosen as the new leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on Monday.

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China restates opposition to Japan lawmakers visiting Taiwan

BEIJING – China reiterated its opposition to Japanese politicians’ visits to Taiwan Friday after Shigeru Ishiba, the former defense minister who visited the self-ruled island in August, won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters that China hopes for stable ties with Japan but declined to comment on the result of the election, calling it internal affair of Japan.

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Yen jumps to 142 vs. dollar on Ishiba’s LDP election win

TOKYO – The yen jumped to the upper 142 range against the U.S. dollar Friday in Tokyo, after former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba won Japan’s ruling party election, defeating economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, who advocates monetary easing.

The Japanese currency briefly surged over 3 yen versus the dollar after Ishiba, who supports the normalization of Japan’s monetary policy, won the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, paving the way to become the nation’s next prime minister.

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Japan to dispatch SDF planes to evacuate nationals in Lebanon

TOKYO – The Japanese government said Friday it will dispatch Self-Defense Forces airplanes to prepare for a possible evacuation of its citizens in Lebanon amid fears of the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah escalating.

Upon the request of the Foreign Ministry, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara instructed the SDF to send transport aircraft to Jordan and Greece, where they will be placed on standby.

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U.S. 100% duty on Chinese EVs comes into effect

WASHINGTON – The U.S. government on Friday quadrupled the tariff rate on Chinese electric vehicles to 100 percent and sharply raised tariffs on Chinese goods in other areas of strategic importance, such as steel and solar products.

With China only hinting so far about the possibility of countermeasures, the steep U.S. tariff hikes have come into effect. The rate on steel and aluminum products was lifted to 25 percent from the previous range of zero to 7.5 percent, while duties on solar cells and semiconductors were doubled to 50 percent.

Video: Press gets sneak peek of Nintendo museum in Kyoto

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