The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Okinawa halts vaccines after Japan's another Moderna contaminated lot found
NAHA, Japan - The Okinawa prefectural government said it halted inoculation at a mass COVID-19 vaccination site Sunday following the discovery of contaminants in another lot of Moderna Inc. vaccine, apart from the lots already suspended from use.
More than 1,500 people were slated to receive jabs at the site in Naha before black and pink substances were found in a vial and three syringes during pre-inoculation inspections Saturday afternoon.
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Paralympics: Naohide Yamaguchi wins Japan's 3rd gold, sets world record
TOKYO - Swimmer Naohide Yamaguchi won the men's SB14 100-meter breaststroke gold for Japan on Sunday to take the host nation's third title at the Tokyo Paralympics and second in the pool.
Yamaguchi improved his own world record with a 1-minute, 03.77-second time to beat Australian Jake Michel by 0.51 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Scott Quin of Britain won bronze.
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Japan airlifts 14 Afghans from Kabul to Islamabad at U.S. request
TOKYO - Japan has transported 14 Afghans aboard a Self-Defense Forces aircraft from Kabul to Islamabad in neighboring Pakistan at the request of the United States amid heightened tensions in the Afghan capital following bombing attacks near the city's airport, government sources said Saturday.
The 14 Afghans, who are not local staff of the government-related entities, were evacuated Thursday in the first SDF airlift of foreign nationals to another country as part of a mission to evacuate Japanese citizens.
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Athletes evacuated from Afghanistan now in Tokyo for Paralympics
TOKYO - Two athletes from Afghanistan have arrived in Tokyo to compete in the world's biggest sporting event for people with disabilities after being evacuated from their country, now under the control of the Taliban, and welcoming the duo was "extremely emotional," an International Paralympic Committee official said Sunday.
The two are female para-taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi and male track athlete Hossain Rasouli, who left Afghanistan a week ago and arrived Saturday evening in Tokyo on a flight from Paris, according to Paralympic officials.
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Japan weighs mixing and matching COVID vaccines: minister
TOKYO - Japan's health ministry is weighing mixing and matching different COVID-19 vaccines to help ease supply concerns and accelerate the country's inoculation program, the minister in charge of vaccinations said Sunday.
Japan has mostly used COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. or Moderna Inc. for its inoculation program. AstraZeneca Plc's vaccine, manufactured in Japan under license, was approved in July for use in people aged 40 or older.
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2 men die in Japan after receiving dose of suspended Moderna vaccines
TOKYO - Two men died after each was administered a dose of Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine that was among lots later suspended from use following the discovery of contaminants, the health ministry said Saturday.
The two men, 30 and 38, died within days of receiving their second shots on Aug. 22 and 15, respectively, and no foreign matter was found in either of the vials of vaccine used on the two men, the ministry said.
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Suspect in Tokyo acid attack arrested in Okinawa
TOKYO - A male university student who was put on a nationwide wanted list following an acid attack earlier in the week at a Tokyo subway station was arrested Saturday in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, police said.
Hirotaka Hanamori, 25, is suspected of throwing sulfuric acid at a 22-year-old man at Tokyo Metro's Shirokane-takanawa Station in the capital's Minato Ward on Tuesday night.
