The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan lifts FY 2023 inflation outlook to 2.6%, above BOJ's target
TOKYO - Consumer inflation in Japan will accelerate faster than previously estimated to 2.6 percent in the fiscal year ending next March, the Cabinet Office said Thursday, well above the Bank of Japan's target.
The government had estimated that consumer prices, which include energy and volatile fresh food items, would rise 1.7 percent in fiscal 2023. For fiscal 2024, prices are estimated to gain 1.9 percent.
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Biden to host 3-way summit with Japan, S. Korea on Aug. 18: sources
TOKYO - U.S. President Joe Biden is planning to host a trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea on Aug. 18, Japanese government sources said Thursday, with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats likely to be top of the agenda.
The summit involving Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to be held at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, near Washington, according to the sources.
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China's blanket seafood testing deals blow to Japanese firms
SHANGHAI - China's blanket radiation testing on seafood imports from Japan introduced earlier this month is estimated to cause some 100 million yen ($720,000) in damage to five Japanese companies, with the losses expected to widen, sources familiar with the bilateral relationship said Thursday.
The five firms had fresh fish and other imported items kept in southern China for prolonged procedures that require about two weeks for chilled seafood and about one month for frozen ones to clear customs, the sources said.
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GSDF recruit to undergo psychiatric test after shooting instructors
GIFU, Japan - A Ground Self-Defense Force recruit who fatally shot two of his instructors and injured another during a live-fire training exercise in central Japan last month will be subjected to a psychiatric evaluation, prosecutors said Thursday.
The 18-year-old will be detained for approximately four months through Nov. 24 for the examination, the Gifu Summary Court said after accepting the request by prosecutors for his detention.
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Japan posts 1st trade surplus in nearly 2 yrs in June
TOKYO - Japan posted a 43 billion yen ($300 million) trade surplus in June, returning to the black for the first time in nearly two years amid robust U.S.-bound exports and falling energy import costs, government data showed Thursday.
For the first six months of 2023, resource-poor Japan ran a trade deficit of 6.96 trillion yen, though it was almost 13 percent lower than a year ago.
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Japan crime rises in first half of 2023 as COVID restrictions ease
TOKYO - The number of crimes recorded in Japan in the first six months of 2023 increased by more than 20 percent compared to the same period the previous year, due in part to an increase in street crime and break-ins amid an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, police data showed Wednesday.
A total of 333,003 cases were reported in the first half of the year, up by 21.1 percent from the previous year, rising for the first time in 21 years on a January-June basis, according to the National Police Agency.
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Japanese to spend more in summer break for 2nd straight yr: survey
TOKYO - Japanese people plan to increase their spending in the upcoming summer vacation period for the second straight year, with an average budget of 72,668 yen ($520), as pandemic restrictions become a thing of the past, a survey by an insurance firm showed Thursday.
In the survey by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co., planned spending rose 4,036 yen from a year earlier. The results come as Japan enters its first summer holiday period since COVID-19's legal status was downgraded to the same as seasonal flu while pay hikes are giving people more spending money, despite widespread inflationary pressures.
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Sumo: Nishikigi gets shock loss, Hokutofuji rejoins at top in Nagoya
NAGOYA - Overnight leader and No. 1 maegashira Nishikigi fell to a surprise second defeat Thursday at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, where No. 9 Hokutofuji rejoined his fellow rank-and-filer in pole position for the title after 12 days.
Nishikigi (10-2) was facing makuuchi-division debutant No. 14 Shonannoumi (8-4), and each wrestler quickly secured a left underarm belt hold. Nishikigi, broke the deadlocked match first, sought the same hold with his right but missed, left his body overextended, and fell victim to an armlock throw.
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Video: Fire on pleasure boat in Tokyo Bay
