The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Line operator says 440,000 personal records leaked in data breach
TOKYO - As many as 440,000 items of personal data, including more than 300,000 linked to the Line messaging app, have been leaked, Japanese tech giant LY Corp. said Monday, due to unauthorized access to an affiliate's computer system in October.
There have been no reports of misuse so far, the company said.
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Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group CEO Jun Ota dies at 65
TOKYO - Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. President and CEO Jun Ota died Saturday due to pancreatic cancer, the company said. He was 65.
Deputy President Toru Nakashima will perform Ota's duties until a successor is selected, the Japanese financial firm said Monday.
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FOCUS: 3 Asian powers' framework sparks hope for cooperation on North Korea
BUSAN, South Korea - The foreign ministers from Japan, China, and South Korea agreed in Busan on Sunday to communicate closely over North Korean issues, sparking hope that cooperative possibilities on the matter can be explored within their three-way framework amid deepening Moscow-Pyongyang ties.
The trilateral mechanism, resuming direct foreign ministerial talks after a four-year hiatus due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, is often seen as ineffective in addressing North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, given Beijing's significant economic influence over Pyongyang.
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Japan PM grilled over alleged gifts to IOC for Tokyo's Olympic bid
TOKYO - Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was grilled in parliament on Monday by the opposition bloc over Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase's remarks that he provided gifts to International Olympic Committee members during the bid to host the Tokyo Games.
The comments made by the former lawmaker, who belongs to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and headed its Tokyo Olympic bidding promotion committee, have caused ripples as he said he used the Cabinet Secretariat's discretionary funds, known as "secret funds," for the gifts for the IOC members.
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National leader Luxon sworn in as New Zealand's prime minister
SYDNEY - Christopher Luxon, leader of the center-right National Party, was sworn in as New Zealand's prime minister on Monday, in the first change of government in six years amid expectations for a recovery from the economic downturn.
The businessman-turned-politician will lead a three-party coalition government with right-wing ally the ACT party and the populist New Zealand First party. National won the Oct. 14 general election, defeating the Labour Party, which had held power since 2017.
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Japanese violinist comes 3rd in international contest for young talent
PARIS - Japanese violinist Koshiro Takeuchi took third place in a prestigious international competition for up-and-coming artists in Paris on Sunday.
The 18-year-old from Tokyo was among the five who made it to the finals in the violin category of the Long-Thibaud Competition, with Ukrainian Bohdan Luts, also 18, taking first place, while another Japanese national, Miyu Kitsuwa, 22, came fifth.
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Boxing: Kazuto Ioka set for Dec. 31 title defense against Venezuela's Perez
TOKYO - Japan's Kazuto Ioka will defend his World Boxing Association super flyweight championship against Venezuelan Josber Perez in Tokyo on New Year's Eve, the fight's organizers announced Monday.
The match at Ota City General Gymnasium will be Ioka's first defense of the title he won by beating American Joshua Franco at the same venue in June.
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Baseball: Free agent Kenta Maeda set to join Detroit on 2-year deal
LOS ANGELES - Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda is set to join the Detroit Tigers after agreeing to a two-year, $24 million contract, MLB.com reported Sunday.
The 35-year-old pitcher, who became a free agent following four years with the Minnesota Twins, will reportedly undergo a physical before the deal is finalized.
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Video: Yata Fire Festival in Wakayama
