The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan halts use of 1.63 mil. Moderna vaccine doses over contamination
TOKYO - Japan's health ministry said Thursday foreign materials were found in some portions of unused doses of Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine and the use of around 1.63 million doses manufactured in the same production line has been suspended as a precaution.
Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., which is in charge of sales and distribution of the vaccine in the country, said it has yet to see any reports of safety issues. Some of the 1.63 million doses distributed to 863 vaccination centers have already been used.
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Taliban asks U.S. to retain embassy in Kabul, guarantees security
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD - The Taliban, which has gained almost complete control over Afghanistan, has asked the United States to retain its embassy in Kabul after the U.S. military pullout by Aug. 31, according to a Taliban official and diplomatic sources.
"We would like the U.S. to remain in Afghanistan very much," a senior Taliban official told Kyodo News in confirming that the Islamist group has conveyed that position to Washington.
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PM Suga, Kishida to vie for LDP leadership in Sept. 29 election
TOKYO - The ruling Liberal Democratic Party decided Thursday to hold its presidential election on Sept. 29, with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga facing a challenge by former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and possibly other LDP lawmakers amid growing public dissatisfaction over the government's coronavirus response.
The election, for which campaigning starting on Sept. 17, will effectively be a vote to decide Japan's leader as the LDP controls the House of Representatives, the powerful lower chamber of parliament.
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Tokyo Paralympics confirm 1st COVID-19 hospitalization
TOKYO - A person involved in the Tokyo Paralympics has been hospitalized with COVID-19, the games organizing committee said Thursday, the first such case linked to the event.
In confirming the hospitalization, organizers were keen to reiterate that the largest sporting event for athletes with disabilities is being held safely.
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Experts warn of untested COVID cases in Tokyo as average dips
TOKYO - Health experts warned Thursday it is too early to judge whether coronavirus cases in Tokyo are on a downward trend, despite relatively fewer numbers in recent days, citing the possibility that many infected people remain untested.
The metropolitan government reported 4,704 new infections, with the seven-day rolling average standing at 4,352.9 per day, down 8.8 percent from the previous week. The average dropped for the second straight day after marking its first decline in nearly two months.
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Japan continues efforts on Afghanistan evacuation mission amid chaos
TOKYO - Japan continued efforts Thursday to evacuate its nationals and local staff working at its embassy and other Japanese organizations in Afghanistan, officials said, amid chaos at the international airport in the capital Kabul with many people unable to reach there.
A Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft has been dispatched to Islamabad in neighboring Pakistan, as part of a mission which, according to a diplomatic source, will involve evacuating up to several hundred people from conflict-torn Afghanistan.
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Paralympics: Swimmer Suzuki wins Japan's 1st gold of Tokyo Games
TOKYO - Swimmer Takayuki Suzuki won Japan's first gold medal of the Tokyo Paralympics on Thursday in the men's 100-meter freestyle S4 category, his second medal of these games and seventh of his career.
Suzuki swam 1-minute, 21.58-seconds, overhauling silver medalist Luigi Beggiato of Italy in the second lap to win by 1.63. Roman Zhdanov of the Russian Paralympic Committee team finished third, more than 5 seconds behind Suzuki.
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Western Digital in talks to acquire Japan's Kioxia for $20 bil.
NEW YORK - U.S. semiconductor giant Western Digital Corp. is in advanced negotiations to acquire its Japanese peer Kioxia Holdings Corp. in a deal worth more than $20 billion, U.S. media reported Wednesday.
An agreement could be reached as early as mid-September and Western Digital CEO David Goeckeler would head the merged firm, according to the reports.
