The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Japan police chief to step down over ex-PM Abe's assassination
TOKYO - The top bureaucrat of the Japanese police offered Thursday to step down to take responsibility for the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Itaru Nakamura, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, expressed his intention at a press conference where the agency announced the results of its investigation into the police's failure to protect Abe when he was fatally shot while delivering a stump speech in the western city of Nara last month.
----------
Abe's state funeral to cost gov't 250 million yen: sources
TOKYO - The controversial state funeral for slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next month is going to cost the Japanese government around 250 million yen ($1.8 million), government sources said Thursday.
The amount, to be approved by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet as early as Friday, is expected to include costs for renting the venue, the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo, and COVID-19 precautions, according to the sources.
----------
Fukushima nuclear debris removal delayed further to FY2023
TOKYO - The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which suffered core meltdowns in 2011, and the Japanese government said Thursday they will postpone the removal of radioactive fuel debris, originally slated to begin this year, by around 12 to 18 months.
It marks the second delay in removing melted fuel from the plant's No. 2 unit, which was to begin in 2021 but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
----------
Okinawa gubernatorial race begins with U.S. base relocation in focus
NAHA, Japan - Campaigning began for the Okinawa gubernatorial election on Thursday with candidates backed by the ruling and opposition parties set to clash over the contentious and long-running issue of the relocation of a key U.S. Marine Corps base within the southern island prefecture.
Reviving the all-important tourism industry is also a focus of the Sept. 11 election with the Okinawan economy having taken a heavy battering from travel restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic.
----------
Ohtani story has origins in Fighters' fearlessness: ex-skipper Hillman
TOKYO - A year after becoming the American League's unanimous MVP, Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani continues to shine, and it is worth noting that without a fearless organization behind him from the start of his pro career in Japan in 2013 the batting and pitching star's story would be quite different.
Although Ohtani's two-way role was necessitated by the need to keep him from going to the United States as a pitcher out of high school, the Nippon Ham Fighters committed 100 percent to the novel decision.
----------
Nikkei snaps 5-day losing streak, utility issues bought
TOKYO - Tokyo's Nikkei index rebounded Thursday to snap a five-day losing streak, helped by buying in utility issues after Japan signaled a return to nuclear power to secure stable energy supply the previous day.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 165.54 points, or 0.58 percent, from Wednesday at 28,479.01. The broader Topix index finished 9.42 points, or 0.48 percent, higher at 1,976.60.
----------
Badminton: Defending women's champ Akane Yamaguchi into worlds q'finals
TOKYO - Japanese defending champion Akane Yamaguchi reached the women's singles quarterfinals of badminton's BWF World Championships on Thursday by beating 14th-seeded compatriot Sayaka Takahashi in straight games.
Yamaguchi, the winner last year in Huelva, Spain, and the top seed, was made to work before taking the first game 21-18 but cruised 21-7 in the second to clinch the round-of-16 win in 36 minutes at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
----------
Taiwan plans record military spending amid China security fears
TAIPEI - Taiwan on Thursday earmarked a record annual NT$586 billion (US$19.4 billion) for its defense budget in the new fiscal year starting in January, amid China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region and heightened cross-strait tensions.
The Executive Yuan, or Cabinet, approved a general budget of NT$2.71 trillion for fiscal 2023, a 20 percent increase from a year earlier. Of that amount, NT$586.3 billion has been requested by the Defense Ministry, up about 14 percent, or NT$70 billion, from the current year.
