The logo of talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc. is removed as a Johnny’s store in Osaka closes down on Oct. 16, 2023, following a sex abuse scandal involving the agency’s late founder. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Biden will visit Israel on Oct. 18 to reaffirm U.S. security commitment
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reaffirm Washington’s “ironclad commitment to its security,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Blinken made the announcement following hours of talks with Netanyahu in Israel amid growing concern that its war with Hamas could turn into a wider and longer conflict.
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Japan PM sends offering to war-linked Yasukuni shrine for fall rite
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday sent a ritual offering to the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, seen by some of Japan’s Asian neighbors as a symbol of the country’s past militarism, on the occasion of its fall festival.
Kishida sent the “masakaki” offering on the first day of the biannual rite, but the dovish moderate is likely to refrain from an in-person visit during the three-day event as he has done since taking office in October 2021, people close to him said.
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Putin to attend infrastructure forum in China, hold talks with Xi
BEIJING – Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in an upcoming two-day international forum in Beijing on China’s signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative and hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Russia’s Tass news agency and the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who arrived in the Chinese capital earlier in the day ahead of the forum starting Tuesday, said in a meeting with Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi that Putin and Xi will discuss “every aspect of bilateral relations” at their upcoming talks, according to the Tass report.
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Japan vows to promote security camera use to curb child sexual abuse
TOKYO – Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday announced his government’s intention to provide subsidies to nursery and educational institutions for the installation of security cameras as a measure to prevent child sexual abuse.
But the government has abandoned its plan to submit a bill aimed at creating a new system to block convicted sex offenders from jobs related to children during the upcoming extraordinary parliament session, said Ayuko Kato, the minister in charge of child policies.
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Russia restricts Japan seafood imports amid Fukushima water release
TOKYO – Russia is restricting Japanese seafood imports as a “precautionary measure” in the wake of the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, Russian authorities said Monday, triggering a strong objection from Tokyo.
The Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, in a statement, said Russia has joined China’s temporary restrictive measures regarding the import of fish and other seafood from Japan.
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AI, virtual reality take center stage at Japan’s annual electronics show
CHIBA, Japan – Artificial intelligence and virtual reality took center stage as Japan’s major annual electronics show opened to the media on Monday, with NEC Corp., Sony Group Corp. and other major tech companies demonstrating their latest technologies.
A total of 684 companies and organizations, up from 562 last year, are participating in this year’s Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies, scheduled to open to the public from Tuesday through Friday in the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, near Tokyo.
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Olympics: Baseball-softball among 5 additional sports in 2028
MUMBAI – The International Olympic Committee on Monday confirmed baseball-softball, both won by Japan at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, among the five sports to be added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Cricket, lacrosse, squash and flag football — a limited-contact version of American football — were the four other sports ratified on the second day of the IOC session.
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M6.0 quake jolts southern Japan islands, no tsunami warning issued
TOKYO – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 jolted islands in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, on Monday, the weather agency said, adding there was no threat of a tsunami.
The quake occurred at around 7:42 p.m., registering 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of Miyako Island, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
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U.S. agency in Taiwan repeats commitment to boosting island’s defense
TAIPEI – The chair of the American Institute in Taiwan reiterated Monday Washington’s commitment to assisting the democratic island in boosting its defense capacity and expanding its opportunities to participate on the global stage during a meeting with leader Tsai Ing-wen, the presidential office said.
Laura Rosenberger, the U.S.-based head of the institute, said the United States will ensure Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and will provide the island with the assistance it needs, adding that Washington’s commitment is “rock-solid” and bipartisan, according to a statement issued by Tsai’s office.
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Video: Johnny’s stores selling goods related to Johnny & Associates Inc. idols close
