The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Suga rules out dissolving lower house soon, focuses on COVID response
TOKYO - Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday ruled out dissolving the House of Representatives for a general election anytime soon given Japan's severe COVID-19 situation, tamping down speculation he will do so in mid-September.
Suga, who also told reporters he will not postpone the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership race scheduled for Sept. 29, is set to reshuffle LDP executives including Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai as soon as Monday, people familiar with the matter said.
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Japan mulls COVID emergency extension by 2 weeks as cases remain high
TOKYO - Japan is considering extending the COVID-19 state of emergency covering Tokyo and 20 of Japan's 47 prefectures by another two weeks, as it looks increasingly unlikely the current situation will warrant the lifting of the measure on its planned Sept. 12 expiry, government sources said Wednesday.
While new infections have been decreasing in some areas, the country is still struggling to contain surging coronavirus infections and the strain they impose on the medical system in many others. The government COVID-19 task force will meet next week to make an official decision, the sources said.
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Japan's Princess Mako, boyfriend to marry by yr-end, with no ceremony
TOKYO - Princess Mako, a niece of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and her boyfriend Kei Komuro will marry by the year-end and may start a new life in the United States, but without holding the related ritual ceremonies in a rare decision, a government source said Wednesday.
Amid public unease about their marriage due to a money dispute between Komuro's mother and her former fiance, the princess will likely decline a lump-sum payment of up to about 150 million yen ($1.36 million) usually given to female royal family members upon their departure from the household, the source said.
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Japan's Sugimura wins individual BC2 boccia Paralympic gold
TOKYO - Japan's Hidetaka Sugimura won a Paralympic gold medal in the individual BC2 boccia tournament Wednesday at Ariake Gymnastics Centre.
Sugimura, 39, is the first Japanese to reach the podium in an individual boccia event at the Paralympics.
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Japan launches agency to speed up digitalization
TOKYO - Japan's Digital Agency was launched Wednesday as the country seeks to accelerate digitalization of local and central government services after the novel coronavirus pandemic further exposed the need for reform.
Digitalization minister Takuya Hirai is in charge of the new agency, which is headed by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, while Yoko Ishikura, honorary professor of Hitotsubashi University, assumed the top bureaucrat post of digital supervisor.
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Australia offers visas as Afghan Paralympians contemplate next steps
SYDNEY - An Afghan pair who managed to make it to the Tokyo Paralympics despite the confusion arising from the Taliban's return to power have been granted humanitarian visas by Australia, a lawyer involved in their evacuation said Wednesday.
Alison Battisson of Human Rights for All stressed, however, that the two, female Taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli, who competed in the men's long jump this week, "need to be given the space to decide what they want to do" after the world's largest sporting event for people with disabilities is over.
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U.K. to hold 1st talks with TPP members in Sept. to join trade pact
TOKYO - The United Kingdom will hold its first meeting with members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact later this month to discuss London's application to join the deal, the Japanese government said Wednesday.
Following its departure from the European Union, the United Kingdom is aiming to enhance its economic presence in the Asia-Pacific region. The 11-member TPP is trying to expand its area after the United States withdrew from the pact under former President Donald Trump.
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China implements revised law to boost power of maritime authorities
BEIJING - China on Wednesday implemented a revised law to strengthen the power of its maritime safety authorities, amid concern that the move could escalate tensions with other countries, including Japan, in nearby waters.
As Beijing claims that the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea are part of its territory, the amended Maritime Traffic Safety Law could target Japanese vessels navigating around the uninhabited islets, called Diaoyu in China.
