The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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No comment from North Korea about Saturday's suspected missile launch
BEIJING - North Korean media made no mention Sunday of a suspected firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile the previous day, amid growing speculation that the country may carry out a nuclear test in the near future.
Pyongyang has also not commented about a weapon test since South Korea and Japan said the nuclear-armed nation fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday. North Korea's state-run media usually reports on weapons tests the day after they are carried out.
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Hong Kong's former security chief John Lee wins leadership race
HONG KONG - John Lee, the Hong Kong government's former No. 2, was selected as the city's next chief executive in an uncontested election Sunday, becoming the first person to secure the top job after rising through the ranks of the police force.
As the sole candidate, Lee received 1,416 votes from the 1,461-member Election Committee, mainly consisting of pro-Beijing members, while eight votes were not in support of Lee, according to the returning officer. The total valid vote count was 1,424.
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Japan, Pacific nations share concerns over China's pact with Solomons
TOKYO - Japan, Fiji and Palau share the same concerns over a security pact China recently signed with the Solomon Islands, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Sunday as he wrapped up a trip to the two Pacific island nations.
Hayashi told an online press conference from Palau that the pact could have a "significant impact" on the security of the Pacific and that Tokyo will step up cooperation with the United States, Australia and New Zealand to ensure stability and prosperity in the region.
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Okinawa urges dropping base transfer plan ahead of 50th return anniv.
NAHA, Japan - Okinawa Prefecture has called on the central government to scrap a plan to relocate a U.S. air base within the southern Japanese prefecture in its new proposals for creating a "peaceful and prosperous" future released Saturday ahead of the 50th anniversary of its reversion to Japan later this month.
The proposals also request a drastic review of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, as Okinawa hosts the bulk of U.S. military installations in Japan, and a spate of crimes and accidents involving U.S. soldiers and base personnel have angered residents. They view the agreement as overly protective of U.S. service members and civilian base workers if they are implicated in crimes.
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10% suffer COVID-19 aftereffects 1 yr after discharge: survey
TOKYO - Around 10 percent of people admitted to hospitals due to coronavirus symptoms continued to suffer from aftereffects a year after they were discharged, a recent survey compiled by a health ministry research group showed.
The most prevalent lingering symptom was reduced muscle strength at 7.4 percent, followed by difficulty in breathing at 4.4 percent and lethargy at 3.5 percent, according to the survey.
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Japan to boost tourism at Ainu culture complex: gov't spokesman
TOKYO - The Japanese government will promote inbound tourism to a major cultural complex in Hokkaido dedicated to the indigenous Ainu people, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Sunday.
Matsuno, who also heads the government's Ainu policy promotion headquarters, visited the Upopoy complex in the town of Shiraoi on the northern main island, his first trip since assuming the post of top government spokesman in October. He also held talks with Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki and local people preserving Ainu culture.
