Kyodo News Digest: Aug. 26, 2024
KYODO NEWS - 5 hours ago - 23:00 | All, Japan, World
Sailors from the Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian Navy training ship, pose for a photo with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel after making a port call on Aug. 25, 2024, at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in Tokyo during its world tour. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan accuses China military of airspace violation for 1st time
TOKYO - Japan's Defense Ministry said Monday that a Chinese military aircraft violated its airspace, marking the first time it has made such an accusation.
A Y-9 intelligence plane flew over waters off the Danjo Islands of the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki, in the East China Sea, for about two minutes from 11:29 a.m., prompting the Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets, according to the ministry.
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Digital Minister Kono joins ruling party presidential election
TOKYO - Digital Minister Taro Kono said Monday he will run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election, touting his track record of pushing for reforms in his third bid to become Japan's prime minister.
The outspoken Kono, 61, who went close to securing the top job before losing out to incumbent Fumio Kishida in 2021, said the Sept. 27 race should be a place for its contenders to show a clear vision for Japan at the global stage.
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Japan gov't takes issue with NHK radio's unscripted Senkaku remarks
TOKYO - The Japanese government on Monday said it was "regrettable" that a Chinese staffer described the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as China's territory in unscripted remarks on NHK radio, and urged the public broadcaster to prevent a recurrence.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the reporting during NHK's Chinese-language news program contradicts Japan's stance that the uninhabited islands are the country's "inherent territory" based on history and international law.
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Concerns over rice shortage growing in Japan amid higher demand
TOKYO - Concerns over a rice shortage are growing in Japan, with empty shelves becoming noticeable in supermarkets and stores, against the backdrop of rising demand.
Some consumers are trying to stockpile rice after the weather agency earlier this month issued its first-ever advisory warning of the increased risk of a megaquake along the Nankai Trough that stretches from central to southwestern Japan in the Pacific.
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Strong typhoon may reach western Japan Aug. 28, heavy rain expected
TOKYO - A strong typhoon is developing in the south of Japan, the weather agency said Monday, and may reach western Japan on Wednesday or sometime later this week, hitting areas of the Pacific coast with heavy rain and violent winds.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that Typhoon Shanshan, which was located south of the Japanese archipelago in the Pacific Ocean on Monday morning, is moving west-northwest at 20 kilometers per hour.
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North Korea's Kim calls for country's development of more suicide drones
BEIJING - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the development and production of more suicide drones to boost war preparedness as he inspected a performance test of various drones over the weekend, the country's state media said Monday.
During the test, organized by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defense Sciences on Saturday, various types of drones correctly identified and destroyed their designated targets after flying along different preset routes, the official Korean Central News Agency said.
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Japan's 101-yr-old princess in intensive care for mild pneumonia
TOKYO - Princess Yuriko, who turned 101 in June, has been in intensive care since Aug. 16 after developing a fever and being diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia, the Imperial Household Agency said Monday.
The widow of the late Prince Mikasa was moved to the intensive care unit of a Tokyo hospital as a precaution but has since recovered and is expected to return to the general ward soon, the agency added.
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Baseball: Dodgers manager says Ohtani "fine" after being hit by pitch
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani required X-rays after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch during Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, but the team's manager Dave Roberts later confirmed his player is "fine."
"Ohtani's okay," Roberts told a press conference after a 3-1 win over the Rays in the series finale at Dodger Stadium. "I think they took some scans and I heard they were negative."
Video: Italian Navy training ship visits Tokyo port
Aug 26, 2024 | KYODO NEWS
Japan accuses China military of airspace violation for 1st time
KYODO NEWS - 6 hours ago - 22:11 | World, Japan, All
Japan's Defense Ministry on Monday confirmed for the first time that a plane belonging to the Chinese military violated Japanese airspace, in the latest development that could fuel tensions between the two countries following repeated maritime provocations by China.
The Y-9 intelligence plane flew over waters off the Danjo Islands of the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki, in the East China Sea, for about two minutes from 11:29 a.m., prompting the Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets, according to the ministry.
The aircraft circled above waters southeast of the islands multiple times before and after entering Japan's airspace, eventually heading toward China around 1:15 p.m. The ministry said that ASDF fighters did not use weapons or signal flares.
A Y-9 intelligence plane of the Chinese military is spotted over the East China Sea on Aug. 26, 2024. It violated Japan's airspace the same day, the Japanese Defense Ministry said. (Photo courtesy of the ministry's Joint Staff)(Kyodo)
Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano summoned Chinese Charge d'Affaires Shi Yong and lodged an "extremely serious protest" over the airspace intrusion, seeking to ensure a similar flight will never happen again, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
While it was the first airspace violation by a plane belonging to China's military, Japan previously confirmed two similar incidents -- involving a Chinese marine surveillance plane and a drone that had taken off from a China Coast Guard vessel -- above waters near the Japanese-administered, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea in 2012 and 2017, respectively.
The two countries have long been at odds over the Senkakus, and Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly entered Japanese territorial waters around the uninhabited islets.
A senior Defense Ministry official said an analysis is needed to determine whether the incursion was intentional, adding that Japan should not "overreact" as the airspace violation was unlikely intended to escalate the situation.
Another Defense Ministry source said China "might be trying to provoke a reaction from Japan," while a government source said the airplane merely grazed the territorial airspace and possibly strayed off course.
Related coverage:
Japan gov't takes issue with NHK radio's unscripted Senkaku remarks
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Japan, China top diplomats agree to deepen dialogue to solve disputes
Aug 26, 2024 | KYODO NEWS
Digital Minister Kono joins ruling party presidential election
KYODO NEWS - 11 hours ago - 17:38 | All, Japan
Digital Minister Taro Kono said Monday he will run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election, touting his track record of pushing for reforms in his third bid to become Japan's prime minister.
The outspoken Kono, 61, who went close to securing the top job before losing out to incumbent Fumio Kishida in 2021, said the Sept. 27 race should be a place for its contenders to show a clear vision for Japan at the global stage.
He backpedaled on his earlier push to end Japan's reliance on nuclear power, saying that replacing old power plants with new ones is an option.
"I will implement reforms that are critical for the future of Japan," Kono said at a press conference, adding the party needs the public's trust to do so.
The leadership race will be held because Kishida is stepping down at the end of his current three-year term next month. The next LDP chief is almost certain to become premier as the LDP-Komeito coalition controls both houses of parliament.
Japanese Digital Minister Taro Kono speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Aug. 26, 2024, announcing his candidacy for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Kono is known as a reform-minded ninth-term member of the House of Representatives and is often labeled a political maverick. Educated at Georgetown University in the United States, he has served as foreign and defense minister. He is fluent in English.
"It is going to be an election in which we need to clearly show the roles and responsibilities of Japan globally and put them into action," he said, as he cited aggressive moves by China and Russia, concerns about a Taiwan contingency and heightened tensions in the Middle East.
The presidential election will be the first since most of the ruling party's factions decided to disband after coming under intense scrutiny following a slush fund scandal. Kishida has expressed his belief that the LDP should undergo a period of renewal.
During the press conference, Kono said he will urge lawmakers who did not properly report political funds to return the relevant amounts, in response to the scandal engulfing the LDP, where some income from fundraising parties went unreported.
Kono belongs to a still-existing faction led by LDP Vice President Taro Aso, who has refused to dissolve it. One of the lawmakers who backed Kono's previous leadership bid has said he should leave the faction if he runs for party president.
In the 2021 LDP election, he was aligned with Shinjiro Koizumi and Shigeru Ishiba. Koizumi and Ishiba, who did not run in the election, are the public's preferred candidates to succeed Kishida, according to opinion polls, but the leader is chosen by LDP members and the party's sitting parliamentarians.
Former defense minister Ishiba, 67, announced his candidacy on Saturday, calling it his "last" attempt and the culmination of his 38-year political career. Meanwhile, 43-year-old Koizumi, a former environment minister, is also expected to join what is becoming a crowded race.
In other developments, industry minister Ken Saito, 65, has expressed his willingness to run and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 63, the right-hand man of Kishida, is considering a bid.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, 71, is also preparing to declare her candidacy, indicating over the weekend that she has cleared the first hurdle to run by securing the backing of 20 LDP members.
Kishida has encouraged whoever is willing to succeed him to contest the election, including members of his Cabinet.
The election will likely see around 10 members vying for the LDP's top job, thus determining the country's next prime minister.
Former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, was the first to announce his bid, ahead of Ishiba. Sanae Takaichi, 63, who took over the post from Kobayashi, is also expected to run.
Related coverage:
Japan's Foreign Minister Kamikawa to run in LDP leadership race
Ex-defense chief Ishiba says to run for Japan ruling party president
Japan ruling party chief vote set for Sept. 27 to replace Kishida
Aug 26, 2024 | KYODO NEWS
Japan gov't takes issue with NHK radio's unscripted Senkaku remarks
KYODO NEWS - 13 hours ago - 14:48 | All, Japan, World
The Japanese government on Monday said it was "regrettable" that a Chinese staffer described the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as China's territory in unscripted remarks on NHK radio, and urged the public broadcaster to prevent a recurrence.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the reporting during NHK's Chinese-language news program contradicts Japan's stance that the uninhabited islands are the country's "inherent territory" based on history and international law.
"We urge NHK to be mindful of its social responsibility as a public broadcaster and prevent a recurrence," Hayashi told a regular press conference.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi holds a press conference in Tokyo on Aug. 26, 2024. (Kyodo)
The Chinese contract worker, who was at an NHK-affiliated company and is in his 40s, said the Japanese-controlled islands were China's after he read a story on the radio on Aug. 19 about graffiti found at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. He went off-script for about 20 seconds, according to the broadcaster.
File photo taken on Aug. 4, 2020, shows the logo of Japanese public broadcaster NHK, formally called Japan Broadcasting Corp., on its building in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward. (Kyodo)
NHK said his contract was terminated, and it plans to seek damages from him.
Despite some recent thawing in bilateral ties, disagreements remain over the Senkakus, which China also claims and calls Diaoyu, as well as wartime history.
The Chinese staffer also said in English during the radio program that people should not forget wartime comfort women or the Nanjing Massacre, according to NHK.
The massacre was carried out in 1937 by Japanese troops, while the term comfort women refers to those who were procured for wartime Japanese military brothels.
NHK President Nobuo Inaba attended a meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday to offer an apology. The broadcaster has shifted to airing prerecorded news in Chinese in response to the incident.
Related coverage:
Japan, China top diplomats agree to deepen dialogue to solve disputes
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Japan destroyer sailed into China territorial waters despite warnings
Aug 26, 2024 | KYODO NEWS
Concerns over rice shortage growing in Japan amid higher demand
KYODO NEWS - 14 hours ago - 14:22 | Japan, All