Environmental group members call for Japan to stop financing fossil fuels in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 2, 2021, while the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties, known as COP26, is under way. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Nintendo lowers Switch console sales outlook due to chip shortage

OSAKA - Nintendo Co. on Thursday lowered its sales forecast for its Switch console to 24 million units, down 1.5 million units, in the current business year through March due to a prolonged global semiconductor shortage.

However, supported by strong demand for games on the popular console, Nintendo upgraded its net profit forecast for fiscal 2021 even though the first half result through September was 19.4 percent lower than a year earlier at 171.83 billion yen ($1.5 billion) on sales of 624.27 billion yen, down 18.9 percent.

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New ruling party No. 2 Motegi vows preparation for next election

TOKYO - Toshimitsu Motegi on Thursday left his foreign minister post and became the ruling Liberal Democratic Party secretary general, vowing to press ahead with reforming the party and getting it ready for the House of Councillors election next year.

The appointment of Motegi came after his predecessor Akira Amari resigned following his defeat in a single-seat district in Sunday's House of Representatives election, an unprecedented humiliation for the LDP while in power, even though he was elected through the proportional representation ballot. Amari had been in the post for only a month.

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Figure skating: Injury forces Yuzuru Hanyu out of Nov. 12 NHK Trophy

TOKYO - With just three months to go before the start of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the Japan Skating Federation announced Thursday that two-time defending men's champion Yuzuru Hanyu will skip his first competition of the season due to a right ankle injury.

The 26-year-old Hanyu was slated to compete at the NHK Trophy in Tokyo, starting Nov. 12. The tournament is the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating.

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Weak yen lifts Toyota's FY 2021 profit outlook despite output cuts

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. on Thursday raised its net profit outlook for the business year to next March to 2.49 trillion yen ($22 billion), boosted by a weaker yen despite output cuts triggered by a parts shortage.

Toyota revised its previous forecast estimate of 2.3 trillion yen after posting a record net profit in the six months to September even as automakers grappled with a global chip crunch and supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Japan Crown Princess Kiko's father Tatsuhiko Kawashima dies at 81

TOKYO - Tatsuhiko Kawashima, the father of Japan's Crown Princess Kiko and a professor emeritus at Gakushuin University, died on Thursday, according to the Imperial Household Agency. He was 81.

His death followed the marriage of his granddaughter former princess Mako Komuro to her commoner boyfriend Kei Komuro on Oct. 26.

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Taiwan leader, 1st official EU parliament delegation hold talks

TAIPEI - President Tsai Ing-wen held talks Thursday with a European Parliament delegation making a historic first visit to Taiwan, much to the consternation of China which claims the democratic, self-ruled island as part of its territory.

With a purported disinformation campaign by China aimed at polarizing Taiwanese society in mind, Tsai stressed the need for a "democratic alliance against disinformation," such as by stepping up cooperation with Europe.

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China likely to own at least 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030: Pentagon

WASHINGTON - China is likely to possess at least 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, the Pentagon said Wednesday in its annual report on the Chinese military, a sharp increase from last year's projection of Beijing reaching a total of 400 over a period of 10 years.

The latest estimate by the U.S. Defense Department suggests growing concern in Washington over the potential for rapid growth of China's nuclear arsenal as the rivalry between the two countries intensifies in various fields.