The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan confirms 1st case of Omicron variant
TOKYO - Japan has confirmed its first case of infection by the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, a government source said Tuesday, less than a week after it was first discovered in South Africa.
A man in his 30s was found to be infected with the heavily mutated strain after arriving from Namibia at Narita airport near Tokyo on Sunday, according to the source.
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Kenta Izumi elected leader of Japan's main opposition party
TOKYO - The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan elected its policy chief Kenta Izumi as its new leader on Tuesday, tasking the 47-year-old with reforming the party and leading it into the next summer's House of Councillors election after it suffered a humiliating election loss in October.
Izumi won in a runoff against veteran lawmaker Seiji Osaka, 62, in a four-way race to choose the successor to Yukio Edano, who stepped down to take responsibility for the CDPJ's loss in the general election against Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ruling coalition.
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Japan crown prince made decision to forgo daughter's marriage rites
TOKYO - Crown Prince Fumihito, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, said that he made the "judgement call" to forgo traditional ceremonies for the wedding of his eldest daughter Mako Komuro due to public unease over a money dispute involving her husband's family.
The crown prince told a press conference in Tokyo ahead of his 56th birthday on Tuesday that as a result "it gave the impression that the events and ceremonies of the imperial family are extremely trivial."
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Japan FY 2022 budget to top 107 tril. yen, record for 10th yr in row
TOKYO - Japan's initial budget for fiscal 2022 starting in April is expected to surpass 107 trillion yen ($950 billion), marking a record high for the 10th straight year, mainly due to growing social security and national defense costs, government sources said Tuesday.
As it did when compiling the initial budget for the current fiscal 2021 that totaled 106.61 trillion yen, the government plans to set aside 5 trillion yen for reserve funds to continue to fight the coronavirus pandemic, according to the sources.
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Myanmar court postpones 1st verdict of Suu Kyi
YANGON - A court in Myanmar on Tuesday postponed the first verdict in the trial of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to Dec. 6, sources close to the matter said.
The special court in the capital Naypyitaw set up by the ruling military was to deliver the verdict on the cases of incitement and breaching COVID-19 restrictions brought against Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the generals seized power in February.
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Duterte's pick drops out of Philippine presidential race
MANILA - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's top choice for a successor on Tuesday dropped out of the race for the May 2022 presidential election.
Sen. Christopher Go announced his withdrawal so as "not to further put on a tight spot" the president, whom he said he "loves more than as a father."
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Soccer: Emperor's Cup semis, final to be held without spectator limit
TOKYO - Venues for the upcoming Emperor's Cup semifinals and final will be allowed to reach full capacity, the Japan Football Association announced Tuesday, in a major relaxation of coronavirus safety measures for large sporting events.
The Dec. 12 semifinals and Dec. 19 final of the tournament are set to be Japan's first major sports events without attendance limits since the start of the pandemic.
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Badminton: Japan's Momota drops from world No. 1 after more than 3 years
TOKYO - Japan's Kento Momota dropped to No. 2 in the latest Badminton World Federation men's singles rankings released Tuesday, relinquishing top spot for the first time in more than three years.
Denmark's Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Viktor Axelsen climbed one position to No. 1 after winning the Indonesia Open on Sunday. He lost the top rank to Momota in 2018.
