The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Yen tumbles to lower 144 range vs. U.S. dollar, hits new 24-yr low
TOKYO - The yen tumbled to the lower 144 range and hit a new 24-year low of 144.38 against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday in Tokyo, as the currency market responded to speculation that the Federal Reserve will not halt its interest rate hikes any time soon following upbeat U.S. economic data.
After topping the 143 line in New York overnight, the dollar continued to be bought in Tokyo as stronger-than-expected U.S. nonmanufacturing data from the Institute for Supply Management increased the likelihood that the Fed will continue with aggressive interest rate hikes, dealers said.
----------
Japan raises daily arrival cap to 50,000 as tourism sector sluggish
TOKYO - Japan increased its daily entry cap on arrivals from 20,000 to 50,000 on Wednesday, as the country's tourism sector has been languishing in the face of strict COVID-19 border controls imposed for more than two years.
Starting on the same day, incoming travelers who have been vaccinated at least three times do not need to take coronavirus tests within 72 hours of departure and show proof they are not infected.
----------
Ex-Olympic exec suspected of using consulting firm to accept bribes
TOKYO - Haruyuki Takahashi, a former Tokyo Olympic organizing committee executive at the heart of a corruption scandal, is suspected of using close business ties between his consulting firm and another headed by an acquaintance to receive bribes from publisher Kadokawa Corp., sources close to the matter said Wednesday.
The consulting firm headed by Takahashi, 78, had business dealings regularly with the consulting firm headed by Kazumasa Fukami, 73, according to the sources. The two men are both former employees of advertising giant Dentsu Inc.
----------
Japan warns of possible intervention to address "one-sided" yen moves
TOKYO - Japan on Wednesday signaled it may intervene if the yen continues its rapid depreciation, warning it will take necessary action as "rapid and one-sided" moves drove the currency to a fresh 24-year low against the U.S. dollar.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said the movement of the yen should be stable and reflect economic fundamentals, calling for stability in currency markets. "We need to monitor the negative aspects (of the weak yen)," he told reporters.
----------
Nissan, Honda to boost battery procurement amid electric vehicle push
TOKYO - Two Japanese automakers on Wednesday unveiled measures to boost their capacity to procure batteries, with Nissan Motor Co. saying it will acquire one of its key suppliers, as the producers look to accelerate the development of electric vehicles.
While Nissan has announced its acquisition of lithium-ion battery maker Vehicle Energy Japan Inc., Honda Motor Co. said its Chinese unit will set up a joint venture later this month with local automakers to jointly procure EV batteries.
----------
Japan gov't not to resubmit immigration bill in fall parliament
TOKYO - The Japanese government has decided to forgo resubmitting a controversial bill revising immigration rules at an extraordinary parliamentary session expected to be convened in this fall, an official with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday.
The bill aimed at amending the immigration law was withdrawn from last year's ordinary Diet session amid backlash over Japanese measures on people applying for refugee status and the government's response to 33-year-old Sri Lankan Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali's death in a Nagoya detention facility in 2021.
----------
Xi, Putin to hold talks in Uzbekistan next week: Russian media
BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will meet in Uzbekistan next week, Russia's Tass news agency said Wednesday.
It would be the first meeting between the two since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in late February. They last met in Beijing earlier that month as Putin visited the Chinese capital for the Winter Olympics.
----------
Japanese language school decertified over abuse of Vietnamese student
TOKYO - Japan's immigration agency stripped a Japanese language school of its certification Wednesday after it found a staff member physically restrained a Vietnamese student last October.
The staff member at the Nishinihon International Education Institute in the southwestern city of Fukuoka was found to have restrained the student for several hours using a chain and padlock wrapped around his belt, according to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan.
