The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Tokyo Olympic exec's home searched on suspicion of bribery
TOKYO - Prosecutors searched the Tokyo home Tuesday of an executive of the now-defunct Tokyo Olympic organizing committee on the grounds he may have accepted bribes, investigative sources said.
Haruyuki Takahashi, 78, is believed to have received around 45 million yen ($330,000) from major business suit retailer Aoki Holdings Inc. after a company he headed reached a consulting deal with the firm. Aoki's Olympic sponsorship was announced about a year later.
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Japan defense minister had help from Unification Church in elections
TOKYO - Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Tuesday he had received help in past elections from members of the Unification Church, becoming the latest ruling party lawmaker to disclose connections with the group at the center of controversy over the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
"I have associated with a few members (of the church) and received their help as volunteers," Kishi, Abe's younger brother, said at a press conference, adding that he believed they had provided support in a phone campaign aimed at voters.
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Osaka to raise COVID-19 alert to highest level amid record cases
OSAKA - Japan's western prefecture of Osaka is set to raise its coronavirus alert to the highest of three levels, officials familiar with the plan said Tuesday, as the area's daily infection count hit a record 25,762 amid a fresh wave of COVID-19.
The alert level will be raised to red from yellow, the second highest, possibly on Wednesday as the prefecture's hospital bed occupancy rate has climbed to 49.6 percent.
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Former Emperor Akihito on mend after heart failure diagnosis: palace
TOKYO - Former Emperor Akihito has been diagnosed as suffering heart failure, the Imperial Household Agency said Tuesday, but is on the mend after receiving treatment.
The 88-year-old received the diagnosis after undergoing an examination on his heart at the University of Tokyo Hospital in the center of the Japanese capital on Sunday, according to the agency.
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Japan executes assailant in fatal 2008 rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara
TOKYO - Japan executed a man on Tuesday over a 2008 rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district in which seven people were killed and 10 others injured, the justice minister said, marking the country's first hanging since last December.
Tomohiro Kato, 39, ran down pedestrians with a truck in a vehicle-free pedestrian zone in the district on June 8, 2008, killing three people and injuring two. After exiting the vehicle, he fatally stabbed four other people with a dagger and injured another eight, according to the ruling finalized in 2015.
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Japan to convene 3-day extra parliamentary session from Aug. 3
TOKYO - Japan plans to convene a three-day extra Diet session from Aug. 3 to choose a new president of the upper house and for a memorial speech to be delivered for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was shot to death on the campaign trail earlier this month, ruling party lawmakers said Tuesday.
Akira Amari, who served as a minister in charge of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact under the Abe administration and was a close aide to the former premier, is expected to give a speech in parliament on Aug. 5 to mourn his death, according to the ruling party executives.
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ASEAN denounces execution of Myanmar democracy leaders
PHNOM PENH - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has condemned the execution by Myanmar's military junta of four people, including an ally of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The issue, related to the 2021 coup that plunged the nation into turmoil, is likely to draw attention when foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its dialogue partners such as Japan, China and the United States meet in Cambodia next week.
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Taiwan's Tsai inspects largest military drill simulating China attack
TAIPEI - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen observed a joint naval exercise on Tuesday as part of the live-fire phase of the annual Han Kuang military exercises amid recurrent Chinese incursions around the self-ruled island.
Boarding a warship in Yilan County, northern Taiwan, Tsai inspected the Han Kuang exercises featuring naval vessels and air force fighters, marking the first time for her to do so since taking office in May 2016.
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Japan to give 92.9 bil. yen subsidy to Kioxia-Western Digital chip plant
TOKYO - Japan will provide a subsidy up to 92.9 billion yen ($680 million) to Kioxia Corp. and Western Digital Corp. for a semiconductor production facility as part of efforts to secure stable domestic chip production, the industry minister said Tuesday.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda said the government had approved the capital investment plan to enhance the capacity of the facility, which is a joint venture by Kioxia with the U.S. chip giant.
