The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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North Korea fires short-range ballistic missile toward Sea of Japan
TOKYO/SEOUL - North Korea on Sunday fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan, according to Japanese and South Korean authorities, two days after a U.S. aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea for joint drills.
The projectile appears to have landed outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone after flying on an irregular trajectory, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters.
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Sumo: Tamawashi secures 2nd championship with win over Takayasu
TOKYO - Tamawashi clinched his second Emperor's Cup at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday, beating fellow title contender and regular training partner Takayasu in a thrilling final-day battle.
Veteran No. 3 maegashira Tamawashi (13-2) came in with a one-win lead over No. 4 Takayasu (11-4), who needed to force a playoff bout to preserve his bid for a maiden top-division championship at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
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Japan eyes upping defense spending to 40 trillion yen over 5 years
TOKYO - Japan is considering sharply increasing its defense spending to more than 40 trillion yen ($279 billion) over the next five years, government officials said Saturday.
The amount compares with the 27.47 trillion yen in total specified as defense costs for five years through fiscal 2023 in the country's Medium Term Defense Program.
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Genki Kawamura becomes 1st Japanese to win best director at San Sebastian
SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain - Genki Kawamura won best director for his movie "A Hundred Flowers" at the 70th San Sebastian International Film Festival on Saturday, becoming the first Japanese recipient of the award at the prestigious Spanish event.
The first feature film directed by Kawamura tells the story of a son who looks after his mother affected by dementia and recalls old memories of her.
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Japan's junior ruling party Komeito approves 8th term for leader
TOKYO - Komeito, the junior coalition partner of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, on Sunday endorsed an eighth term for its leader Natsuo Yamaguchi ahead of a spate of local assembly elections next spring.
After formally being approved at the party's convention in Tokyo, Yamaguchi, 70, said Komeito "will do (its) utmost to support the Kishida administration."
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Former Emperor Akihito undergoes surgery for cataracts in right eye
TOKYO - Japan's former Emperor Akihito on Sunday successfully underwent surgery for cataracts and glaucoma in his right eye, the Imperial Household Agency said.
The 88-year-old underwent surgery for cataracts in his left eye Monday after a medical examination confirmed a clouding of the lens in both eyes, according to the agency.
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Mazda in talks to end car production in Russia
TOKYO - Mazda Motor Corp. is discussing ending production of its cars in Russia with a joint venture as the country's protracted invasion of Ukraine has caused supply chain disruptions and made it difficult for the Japanese automaker to resume operations, a corporate source said Sunday.
Mazda stopped exporting auto parts to its plant in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok, run jointly with local manufacturer Sollers, in March and suspended the factory's operations.
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FOCUS: "Informal" Japan-South Korea summit may pave way for mended ties
NEW YORK - The first meeting in over two years between Japanese and South Korean leaders last week could be a harbinger of improving ties and a critical step toward cooperation in addressing the issues of North Korea's missile tests and nuclear aspirations.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held an "informal" meeting Wednesday in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
