The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Credit card transaction disruptions reported nationwide in Japan
A nationwide disruption of credit card transactions was reported on Saturday, with East Japan Railway Co.'s ticketing machines and major convenience stores temporarily experiencing an inability to accept credit card payments.
Major credit card firm JCB Co. said a subsidiary that handles card settlement data experienced system trouble, apparently causing the disruption. The issue was resolved by 9 p.m., it said.
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PM Kishida wary of joint China, Russia bomber flights near Japan
TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed wariness Saturday about recent joint Chinese and Russian bomber flights over waters near Japan, warning that his country is facing the toughest and most complex security environment in postwar times.
"Attempts to change the status quo unilaterally around our country are intensifying," Kishida said in a speech at the Air Self-Defense Force's Iruma Air Base in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo, adding a "swift" deployment of long-range missiles to boost defense is needed.
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Indo-Pacific ministers to reach broad economic deal in upcoming talks
SAN FRANCISCO - The United States, Japan and other nations in the Indo-Pacific region are expected to reach a broad agreement on economic rule-making during their ministerial meeting next week but will not broach the thorny issue of setting digital trade standards, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
The envisioned agreement in San Francisco comes as the 14 members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework rush to devise deliverables on rules that can be implemented in a region where China is expanding its clout.
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Fireworks festivals in Japan dim their lights amid financial woes
OTSU, Japan - A growing number of Japan's annual fireworks festivals are being forced to cancel due to funding shortages exacerbated by rising prices of materials and the pandemic-induced tourism downturn.
The pyrotechnic displays, a cherished summer staple in Japan drawing visitors from home and abroad, are very costly. Typically funded by both the public and private sectors, such events are increasingly difficult to hold due to a decrease in government subsidies and corporate sponsorships and donations.
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Japanese man's 12-year prison term over espionage finalized in China
BEIJING - A 12-year prison term of a Japanese man facing espionage allegations in China has been finalized after a high court dismissed his appeal earlier this month, a Japanese government source said Saturday.
The man's case has been among a series of incidents in which Japanese citizens have been detained for alleged involvement in spying activities. Most recently, an employee of Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma Inc. was formally arrested in October.
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Biden, Xi to meet Nov. 15 in U.S., new "framework" eyed for complex ties
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Joe Biden will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping next Wednesday on the sidelines of an economic conference in San Francisco, the White House said, with the two prioritizing the creation of a "framework" to better manage their nations' fraught relationship that has been characterized by friction and mistrust.
The first sit-down in a year, also formally announced Friday by China, comes after months of coordination between the world's two major powers. Senior Biden administration officials said everything from Taiwan and the South China Sea to semiconductor trade and human rights will be on the agenda.
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Figure skating: Japan's Hana Yoshida wins 1st career Grand Prix title
CHONGQING, China - Japan's Hana Yoshida won her first figure skating Grand Prix title Saturday when she came from behind to win the Cup of China, while compatriot Shoma Uno was second in the men's competition.
Yoshida, who went into her free skate in third place, finished with 203.97 points, 0.75 ahead of compatriot Rinka Watanabe, when short program winner Loena Hendrickx of Belgium struggled with two of her combination jumps and slumped to third.
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Baseball: Japanese lefty Imanaga to be posted for MLB move
YOKOHAMA - DeNA BayStars left-hander Shota Imanaga will try to sign with an MLB team this offseason through the posting system, the Central League club said Saturday.
The 30-year-old, who started for Japan in the final of this year's World Baseball Classic against the United States, informed the Yokohama-based BayStars of his intention to pitch in the U.S. majors.
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Speed skating: Japan's Yamada wins 2nd World Cup gold in men's 1,500
OBIHIRO, Japan - Masaya Yamada bagged his second gold medal of the season-opening speed skating World Cup round in Hokkaido on Saturday, winning the men's 1,500 meters a day after triumphing in the 1,000.
Yamada was first across the line at Meiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval in Obihiro in 1 minute, 45.47 seconds, beating second-placed Jordan Stolz of the United States by 0.02. China's Ning Zhongyan was third.
Miho Takagi, meanwhile, earned her first gold of the meet in the women's 1,500 after claiming Friday's 1,000 silver.
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Video: Thousands of people march in Tokyo calling for peace in Gaza
