The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan, U.S. vow to enhance strike abilities amid North Korean threat
TOKYO - Japan and the United States pledged Thursday to enhance the Asian nation's defense capabilities, including its new ability to strike targets in enemy territory, with North Korea's ongoing weapons development posing a security threat to the region.
Japanese ministers and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agreed in Tokyo that the two countries will deepen their cooperation with South Korea and Australia, a day after a failed North Korean satellite launch apparently using sanctions-defying ballistic technology.
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North Korea vows to launch spy satellite soon following failure
BEIJING/SEOUL - The younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to launch a military reconnaissance satellite soon, the country's state media reported Thursday, a day after its first attempt at doing so failed.
Kim Yo Jong, a senior official of the Workers' Party of Korea, said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, "It is certain" that the satellite "will be correctly put on space orbit in the near future and start its mission."
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Japan to expand support for "Global South" to tackle China, Russia
TOKYO - Japan decided Thursday to boost its infrastructure support for emerging and developing nations, referred to as the "Global South," in a bid to curb their dependence on China and Russia for vital materials and components for batteries and solar panels.
In updating its strategy to expand infrastructure exports, the government also refrained from mentioning economic cooperation with Russia for the second straight year, as Moscow has been at war with Ukraine since February 2022.
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Sota Fujii becomes 2nd player in shogi history with 7 major titles
TAKAYAMA, Japan - Shogi prodigy Sota Fujii won the prestigious Meijin championship Thursday, making him only the second player in the Japanese board game's history to hold seven major titles simultaneously after Yoshiharu Habu.
The 20-year-old Fujii wrapped up the best-of-seven Meijin series against his 39-year-old opponent by winning Game 5, played over two days in Takayama, Nagano Prefecture.
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Japan to boost child care spending to match Sweden
TOKYO - Japan said Thursday it will increase its spending on child care to a level on par with countries like Sweden, doubling it from the current size by the early 2030s as the rapidly aging nation aims to reverse the declining birthrate.
Under a draft plan to realize "unparalleled" child-rearing support, the government will boost annual spending by around 3.5 trillion yen over the next three years, though the debt-ridden nation is yet to decide how to fund it.
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Japan FY 2022 tax revenue likely hit record, may reach 70 tril. yen
TOKYO - Japan's annual tax revenue likely hit a record high for the third straight year in fiscal 2022 and may have reached the 70 trillion yen ($500 billion) mark for the first time, government data showed Thursday.
The rising trend reflects an increase in consumption tax revenue amid rising prices of every goods and companies paying more taxes on their income as the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wane.
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U.S. House passes debt limit bill days before possible default
WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday night passed a bill to suspend the government's borrowing limit for two years, with wide support from both sides of the isle, just days before a potential first-ever default on the national debt.
The House, narrowly controlled by Republicans, voted 314-117 to send the bill to the Senate before President Joe Biden can sign it into law.
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Toyota to start U.S. EV production in 2025, rev up battery efforts
NEW YORK - Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will start producing electric vehicles in its factory in the U.S. state of Kentucky from 2025 and will invest an additional $2.1 billion in battery production.
The Kentucky plant will be the company's first location for producing EVs in the United States, the world's largest economy, and will make three-row electric sport utility vehicles, the automaker said.
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Video: Typhoon Mawar approaching Japan's Miyako Island
