The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Japan to expand COVID-19 state of emergency to 8 more prefectures
TOKYO - The Japanese government is set to decide Wednesday to bring eight more prefectures under its COVID-19 state of emergency as the country grapples with its largest wave of infections.
Hokkaido, Miyagi, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Shiga, Okayama and Hiroshima will come under the measure from Friday until Sept. 12, joining 13 other prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka, as approved by a panel of experts in infectious diseases and other fields.
----------
Japan ex-Foreign Minister Kishida to run in LDP leadership race
TOKYO - Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is set to run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership race, sources close to him said Wednesday, pitting him against Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga who doubles as the party chief.
Meanwhile, Suga told Toshihiro Nikai, the No. 2 LDP leader, in talks the same day that he has nothing against following the schedule for the party's presidential election once it is set, a source familiar with their meeting said.
----------
G-7 vows to ensure safe Afghanistan evacuation, keep Taliban on watch
TOKYO/WASHINGTON - The Group of Seven industrialized nations on Tuesday vowed to work to safely evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan following the unexpectedly swift takeover by the Taliban, while urging the militant group to respect human rights in the country and prevent terrorism.
During a virtual meeting of the G-7 leaders to discuss Afghanistan, U.S. President Joe Biden conveyed his intention to stick to his self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31 for completing the withdrawal of American troops there as he seeks to end the war that started following the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on the United States.
----------
Japan's top COVID-19 adviser raps IOC Bach's return to Tokyo as senseless
TOKYO - Japan's top COVID-19 adviser on Wednesday criticized International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach for visiting Tokyo again to attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympics, saying it runs counter to "common sense" amid an alarming rise in coronavirus infections.
"I wonder why he bothered to come. He should be able to judge with common sense," said Shigeru Omi, chairman of a government subcommittee on the coronavirus response, at a parliamentary committee session.
----------
Paralympics: 14-yr-old swimmer Yamada wins Japan's 1st medal in Tokyo
TOKYO - Miyuki Yamada won the host nation's first medal of the Tokyo Paralympics on Wednesday, in the process becoming the youngest Japanese to reach the podium in the history of the Summer Games at just 14 years of age.
Yamada won silver in the women's 100-meter backstroke S2 class, touching the wall in 2 minutes, 26.18 seconds, finishing 9.57 behind reigning Paralympic and world champion Yip Pin Xiu of Singapore.
----------
Japan, Britain hold joint naval drill south of Okinawa Island
TOKYO - Japan and Britain have held a joint naval drill in the Pacific Ocean south of Okinawa Island, Japan's Defense Ministry said Wednesday, as the two countries deepen defense cooperation amid China's growing military clout.
The drill, conducted on Tuesday, involved the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Ise and a strike group of the British aircraft carrier the Queen Elizabeth, marking the first time for the Royal Navy's largest warship to exercise with the Self-Defense Forces near the Japanese archipelago.
----------
U.S. vice president in Hanoi, offers 1 mil. vaccine doses to Vietnam
HANOI - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said during her trip to Vietnam on Wednesday that the United States will provide an additional 1 million coronavirus vaccine doses to the country to help it fight the pandemic.
During her talks with Vietnamese officials, including President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, in the capital Hanoi, Harris also served notice to China over its claims in the disputed South China Sea, where Vietnam has territorial disputes with its northern neighbor.
----------
Surging COVID cases delay emergence of pent-up demand: BOJ member
TOKYO - The Japanese economy remains in a "severe" situation amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the surging number of COVID-19 cases is causing a delay in the emergence of pent-up demand, a Bank of Japan board member said Wednesday.
Toyoaki Nakamura, who sits on the BOJ's Policy Board, said the Japanese economy is picking up as a trend but cautioned against downside risks due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant during a virtual meeting with local business leaders in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan.
