The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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No-confidence motion against Kishida Cabinet voted down in Diet
TOKYO - Japan's House of Representatives on Friday voted down a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida submitted by the main opposition party, a day after he quelled speculation of an early dissolution of the chamber.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan criticized Kishida in the motion for failing to fully explain how to fund key policies, including measures to bolster the nation's defense capabilities and spark Japan's rapidly declining birthrate.
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Japan's Diet enacts legislation to promote LGBT understanding
TOKYO - Japan's parliament on Friday enacted legislation to promote understanding of sexual minorities after a period of intense debate between the ruling and opposition parties in the run-up to the closing of the regular Diet session next week.
The LGBT bill cleared the House of Councillors with the backing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito, as well as some opposition parties, following its passage through the House of Representatives earlier this week.
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Japan OKs defense, child care policy blueprint, delays tax decision
TOKYO - Japan endorsed Friday a policy blueprint to boost defense and child care spending without relying on tax hikes at least for the short term, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida treads carefully to avoid a political and public backlash.
This year's annual basic policy on economic and fiscal management also prioritizes labor market reform and wage growth as part of the premier's push for wealth redistribution.
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Baseball: Hall of Fame former Dragons ace Sugishita dies at 97
NAGOYA - Hall of Fame pitcher Shigeru Sugishita, who was best known for his mastery of what has become Japanese baseball's trademark pitch, the forkball, has died, his former team, the Chunichi Dragons, said Friday. He was 97.
Known as "the God of the forkball," Sugishita won 215 career games, all but four for the Dragons between 1949 and 1958. He won three Sawamura Awards as the Central League's most impressive starting pitcher.
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Baseball: Hall of Fame Carp ace pitcher Kitabeppu dies at 65
HIROSHIMA - Manabu Kitabeppu, a Hall of Fame pitcher who won 213 career games and was a mainstay of the Hiroshima Carp's Central League dynasty of the 1970s and 1980s, died Friday in Hiroshima after battling cancer. He was 65.
Kitabeppu won the Sawamura Award in 1982 and 1986 as the CL's most impressive starting pitcher and was the league's MVP in 1986. During his career, the Carp won five CL pennants and three Japan Series championships. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012.
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BOJ sticks to monetary easing, unconvinced about price, wage growth
TOKYO - Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda on Friday warned of "extremely high" uncertainty over the sustainability of recent inflation and wage growth, as the central bank decided to keep interest rates extremely low to support the economy.
After a two-day policy meeting, Ueda acknowledged that the pace of inflation has been slowing more moderately than expected, underscoring the challenges faced by the BOJ as rising prices of everyday goods put added "burdens" on consumers.
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Japan, U.S., Philippines confirm importance of Taiwan Strait peace
TOKYO - Japan, the United States and the Philippines agreed Friday on the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, amid China's increasing military assertiveness there and other parts of the Indo-Pacific region.
The three countries also pledged to deepen their trilateral cooperation to "maintain and strengthen a free and open international order," in a joint press release issued after the first three-way talks in Tokyo among their security advisors.
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Japan promotes tourism at international expo in Beijing
BEIJING - Japan is promoting tourism at a major international exposition that opened in Beijing on Friday, with demand for overseas trips recovering among local people after China lifted its stringent "zero-COVID" policy and reopened its borders earlier this year.
At a booth set up by the Japan National Tourism Organization, prefectures including Tokushima, Okinawa and Kumamoto showed promotional videos to introduce local tourist attractions. There was also a performance featuring the Okinawan "sanshin" string instrument while visitors could also try their hand at painting Japanese "furin" wind bells.
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Video: Premium watermelon in northern Japan
