The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan parliament to convene extraordinary session on Oct. 20
TOKYO - Japan's parliament will convene an extraordinary session on Oct. 20, the head of the junior partner in the ruling coalition said Friday, the first parliamentary debate for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's new Cabinet since the reshuffle earlier this month.
The main focus of the session is whether a draft supplementary budget will be submitted to parliament to fund a new economic package the premier recently outlined.
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New wave of price hikes, tax-related rule changes await Japan in Oct.
TOKYO - Japanese households will see their budgets further squeezed by a new wave of price hikes scheduled for October on food and services, while freelancers and those self-employed may have to shoulder higher tax burdens under a new invoice system.
The persisting effects of a weaker yen, which inflates the prices of imported raw materials, are largely blamed for the price hikes as more and more Japanese firms pass them onto consumers. This, in turn, threatens to dent consumer sentiment when real wages are not rising.
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G-7 to set up fund to aid developing nations strengthen supply chains
TOKYO - The Group of Seven nations will create a fund to help developing nations build robust supply chains for products needed for decarbonization, sources familiar with the plan said Friday.
The fund will be used to help developing and emerging nations in the so-called Global South boost their capacity to process resources and produce items needed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, such as solar panels and electric vehicle batteries. Japan is planning to contribute $5 million to the envisaged fund at the World Bank, according to the sources.
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Rugby: Japan top Samoa to keep quarterfinal hopes alive
TOULOUSE, France - Japan kept alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Rugby World Cup on Thursday as they beat Samoa 28-22 in front of 31,794 fans at a hot and muggy Stadium de Toulouse.
The result, which sees England qualify for the quarterfinals as Pool D winners with a game in hand, moves the Brave Blossoms into second place on nine points, five ahead of Argentina, who are overwhelming favorites to win their third game of the pool stage against Chile on Saturday.
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Japan monitoring forex volatility, yen falling sharply: minister
TOKYO - Japan is closely watching volatility in foreign exchange markets and will respond appropriately to rapid movements, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said Friday, noting the yen has been depreciating significantly.
The remarks came after Suzuki was asked if Japanese authorities have a specific level in mind when it comes to currency intervention as the yen has been weakening toward the psychologically important 150 line relative to the U.S. dollar.
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New Japan defense chief, U.S. counterpart to meet Wed. in Washington
TOKYO - Japan's new Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said Friday he will hold his first in-person talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington next week to discuss strengthening the bilateral security alliance.
"I want to build an unwavering relationship of trust with Mr. Austin and demonstrate the strong coordination between Japan and the United States" during the meeting on Wednesday, Kihara told a press conference as he outlined his trip to the United States from Oct. 3 to 6.
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Japanese airlines flights from China almost fully booked for holiday
BEIJING - Japanese airlines' flights from China to Japan are almost fully booked during an eight-day holiday that began Friday, the airlines said, despite Chinese media reports last month that Japan-bound trips had been canceled following the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.
Japan tops the list of popular overseas destinations for Chinese travelers during the vacation period, which combines the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, data analysis made by Chinese internet search giant Baidu Inc. and other companies also showed.
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Japan parliament's lower house speaker to resign over health issues
TOKYO - Japan's House of Representatives Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda has decided to resign after undergoing treatment for various health issues in recent months, sources close to the matter said Friday.
The decision taken by the 79-year-old veteran lawmaker comes ahead of the convening of an extraordinary parliamentary session expected on Oct. 20.
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Video: Victims remembered in Indonesia on 5th anniv. of quake and tsunami
