The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan, Philippines agree to boost defense ties amid China's rise
MANILA - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed Friday to bolster defense cooperation between their countries amid China's expanding military presence in the region.
At their meeting in Manila, Kishida and Marcos confirmed that they will begin negotiations on a new bilateral treaty, known as a reciprocal access agreement, to strengthen security ties and facilitate joint defense drills, according to their joint press appearance.
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Japan calls on Israel for humanitarian pause in war against Hamas
AMMAN - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Friday called on Israel to pause its war against Hamas so that aid can be delivered to the Gaza Strip, as the Middle Eastern country continues air and ground attacks despite growing and widespread demands for a humanitarian truce.
During a meeting with her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, in Tel Aviv, Kamikawa also said that all parties are called upon to act in accordance with international law, and hostages held by Hamas should be freed immediately, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
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South Korea's DJ Soda reaches settlement over groping at Japan event
OSAKA - Popular South Korean performer DJ Soda reached a settlement with three audience members over their alleged groping of her during a performance at an event in Japan, the organizer of the event said Friday.
TryHard Japan, which organized the music festival in August in Sennan, Osaka Prefecture, said it dropped a criminal complaint against the three on Wednesday following the settlement.
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Ex-Red Cross head Maurer among 103 foreigners decorated in Japan
TOKYO - Peter Maurer, former president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, is among the 103 foreigners recognized in this year's fall decorations for their notable contributions to Japan, the government said Friday.
Maurer, 66, a Swiss diplomat who served as the head of the ICRC from 2012 to 2022, will be bestowed with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest honor to be conferred in the fall commendations.
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SDF plane with Japanese, other evacuees arrives in Tokyo from Israel
TOKYO - A Self-Defense Forces plane, carrying 46 people, including Japanese and others from Asia, arrived in Tokyo on Friday from Israel in the second such operation since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas last month.
The KC-767 transport and refueling airplane carrying the evacuees, including 20 Japanese, 15 South Koreans, four Vietnamese and one Taiwanese, arrived at Haneda airport at 6:45 p.m., according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
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FOCUS: "Tax hike glasses" Kishida struggling to sell his gov't's story
TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida this week announced income tax cuts in hopes of improving his administration's fortunes, countering scorn directed his way by disaffected online commentators who nicknamed him "tax hike glasses" due to his apparently unfashionable eyewear and pledges to fund massive defense spending.
Kishida instructed the ruling parties to consider measures to ease the cost of living burden amid cost-push inflation in an apparent bid to prop up sliding approval ratings for his Cabinet, which have plunged to their lowest-ever levels.
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Baseball: Shohei Ohtani named AL's most outstanding in Players Choice Awards
LOS ANGELES - Shohei Ohtani was selected as the American League's Outstanding Player by his peers for the second time in this year's Players Choice Awards announced Thursday.
The two-way superstar, who officially entered free agency the same day following his sixth season with the Los Angeles Angels, previously earned the award in 2021, when he was also named Player of the Year.
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U.S., China climate envoys to meet ahead of possible Biden-Xi summit
WASHINGTON - U.S. climate envoy John Kerry will travel to California this weekend to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua, the State Department said Thursday, about two weeks ahead of a possible summit between the presidents of the two countries.
Kerry will visit the Sunnylands estate in the U.S. West Coast state from Saturday to Tuesday, it said. The United States and China, which have been trying to ease tensions between them, have recognized that climate change is one of their few potential areas of cooperation.
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All Blacks captain Sam Cane to join Tokyo Sungoliath in League One
TOKYO - All Blacks captain Sam Cane will play for Tokyo Sungoliath in the upcoming Japan Rugby League One season, the club announced Friday.
New Zealand Rugby said the 31-year-old loose forward is exercising a sabbatical option in his contract to depart New Zealand-based Super Rugby side the Chiefs and head to Japan.
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Video: Street performance World Cup in Shizuoka
