The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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APEC summit faces hurdle to reach consensus amid trade friction, wars
SAN FRANCISCO - The leaders of the 21 Asia-Pacific economies that collectively account for more than half of global trade faced a formidable challenge in trying to reach consensus as their summit got under way on Wednesday amid U.S.-China rivalry, Russia's war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Fresh out of a much-hyped meeting earlier in the day with Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Joe Biden is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in San Francisco, with Russian President Vladimir Putin once more absent.
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Japan ruling lawmaker's office searched over mayor race scandal
TOKYO - Prosecutors on Thursday searched the constituency office of ruling party lawmaker Mito Kakizawa and other locations amid allegations that the recently resigned senior vice justice minister paid money to local assembly members in return for supporting a candidate he backed in a Tokyo ward mayoral election.
Several assembly members of Koto Ward have already been questioned on a voluntary basis about the suspected payments by House of Representatives member Kakizawa that may constitute vote buying, investigative sources said.
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Biden, Xi agree to reopen military communication channels
SAN FRANCISCO - U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Wednesday to reopen military-to-military lines of communication at several levels and take steps on transnational challenges such as counternarcotics to help foster trust between the two major powers.
Following more than four hours of talks with Xi on an estate near San Francisco, Biden said promoting dialogue means that they will also pick up the phone when the urgent need arises.
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Sony lures record female engineers despite talent shortage in Japan
TOKYO - Sony Corp. is increasing its hiring of female engineers, aiming to achieve a record-high percentage among its new hires for the next fiscal year, challenging the entrenched stereotype in Japan that typically associates men with such roles.
The ratio of women is expected to reach an all-time high of about 30 percent among new recruits for engineers and researchers at the leading technology firm, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday, a rare achievement in the country that has grappled with a shortage of female talent in the field.
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Deals reached on more pillars of U.S.-led IPEF economic initiative
SAN FRANCISCO - A U.S.-led economic initiative for the Indo-Pacific region came a step closer to completion on Thursday as the 14 negotiating nations agreed on two of three remaining pillars, allowing their leaders to showcase a framework seen as a counter to China's rise.
The participating countries called the agreement on the two areas -- fairness and clean energy economies -- "substantive conclusions" supporting the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework spearheaded by U.S. President Joe Biden. They will create a minister-level body to check the progress annually.
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China firmly opposed to Biden's fresh labeling of Xi as "dictator"
BEIJING - China expressed firm opposition Thursday to U.S. President Joe Biden's fresh reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a dictator shortly after their summit meeting near San Francisco, saying his remarks were "extremely wrong" and an "irresponsible political manipulation."
Without naming Biden, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference in Beijing that there are always some people with "ulterior motives" who try to disrupt Sino-U.S. relations, but such efforts will not succeed.
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Pre-entry tuberculosis checks planned for some long-stay foreigners
TOKYO - Japan plans to introduce mandatory pre-arrival tuberculosis screening for people from some countries planning mid- to long-term stays from next fiscal year, health minister Keizo Takemi said Thursday.
The targeted countries are expected to be China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines and Vietnam, with most foreign nationals diagnosed with the infectious disease while in Japan coming from those six nations, according to a source familiar with the matter.
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Car rams into Israeli Embassy barricade in Tokyo, injures officer
TOKYO - A car crashed into a barricade set up near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday, injuring a riot police officer who was on guard amid heightened security due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, police said.
The police arrested 53-year-old Shinobu Sekiguchi, a member of a right-wing group, at the scene for allegedly obstructing the officer's duties by hitting him with the minivehicle at around 10:50 a.m. on a street some 60 meters northwest of the embassy.
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Video: Harry Potter theme park lit up for Christmas
