The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan may host next in-person Quad summit next spring: sources
WASHINGTON - The leaders of Japan, the United States, Australia and India may hold their second in-person summit in Japan next spring, according to sources familiar with the matter, in a show of strengthening ties among the "Quad" members amid China's growing assertiveness.
The Japanese government has sounded out the idea of hosting the talks, the sources said. If realized, it will be the first time for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who took office in October, to attend such a gathering.
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Toshiba to split into 3 firms as shareholder pressure mounts
TOKYO - Toshiba Corp. said Friday it will split into three listed firms that would focus on infrastructure, devices and semiconductors, in a major overhaul of the embattled Japanese conglomerate facing intense pressure from foreign activist shareholders.
The envisaged split-up of the behemoth, with a history spanning over a century, would streamline business operations and appease shareholders disgruntled by lackluster efforts to boost growth and corporate value. Toshiba aims to complete the listing of the firms in the latter half of fiscal 2023.
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Japan eyes no attendance cap at large events even in virus emergency
TOKYO - Japan plans to remove the spectator attendance limit for large-scale events and allow venues to be filled to capacity even under a COVID-19 state of emergency by using a system to check whether visitors have been vaccinated or have tested negative for the virus, government sources said Friday.
Under the current guidelines, attendance at large-scale events such as professional sports games and concerts is capped at 5,000 spectators or 50 percent of venue capacity, whichever is larger.
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Japan's new economic stimulus package to exceed 40 tril. yen: sources
TOKYO - Spending by the Japanese government on a set of economic stimulus measures to be finalized next week will exceed 40 trillion yen ($350 billion), sources close to the matter said Friday.
Government and ruling party sources previously eyed COVID-19 relief measures worth over 30 trillion, but the size has expanded due mainly to cash handouts for children aged 18 or younger, aid for students facing financial difficulties and support for small businesses, according to the sources.
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Japan opts to secure COVID oral medicine for 1.6 mil. people
TOKYO - The Japanese government decided Friday to secure COVID-19 oral medication for 1.6 million people in preparation for a potential sixth wave of novel coronavirus infections in Japan.
The coronavirus response package, which was decided at a special task force meeting Friday morning, also includes a plan to increase the country's hospitalization capacity for COVID-19 patients by 30 percent compared to the peak level during the fifth wave of infections this summer.
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Toyota's Japan output to normalize on easing supply crunch
NAGOYA - Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday all 28 production lines at its 14 plants in Japan will return to normal for the first time in seven months as a supply crunch eases, with its global output in December expected to reach 800,000 vehicles, a record high for the month.
The output forecast of about 300,000 units in Japan and 500,000 units overseas compares with about 760,000 in December last year.
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American journalist sentenced to 11-year prison term in Myanmar
YANGON - An American journalist who serves as managing editor of the online news magazine Frontier Myanmar was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a court in Yangon on Friday, the magazine said.
Danny Fenster was convicted on three charges based on the allegation that he was working for banned media outlet Myanmar Now in the aftermath of the Feb. 1 military coup, the magazine said in a statement.
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Alibaba racks up record sales on Single's Day shopping splurge
BEIJING - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Inc. said Friday that it ended its annual "Single's Day" shopping event, raking in a record-breaking 540.3 billion yuan ($84 billion) in sales for 11 days through Thursday.
The outcome suggested consumer spending in China has remained robust despite growing risks to an economic downturn, such as a potential collapse of a debt-laden property developer, a power shortfall and tightening government regulations on the IT sector.
