The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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North Korea fires missile ahead of satellite launch window: Japan
North Korea fired a missile on Tuesday ahead of the satellite launch window it announced earlier, according to Japan's J-Alert early warning system.
The Defense Ministry said North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile, while South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North launched a supposed military spy satellite southward.
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North Korea notifies Japan of new 9-day satellite launch window
TOKYO - North Korea notified Japan of its plan to launch a satellite-carrying rocket in a new nine-day window, the Japanese government said Tuesday, following two failures to put a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit earlier this year.
The launch window will start at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and close at 11:59 pm on Nov. 30, according to the Japan Coast Guard.
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Japan PM Kishida grilled over party revenue underreporting claims
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was grilled in parliament on Tuesday over allegations that his and four other major factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have underreported their incomes from fundraising parties.
In an extraordinary Diet session, Kishida explained that he became aware of the issue only when officials briefed him that his intraparty group corrected its funds reports, exacerbating the challenges his Cabinet faces amid sluggish support rates.
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Japan to ban cannabinoid HHCH from Dec. 2 after gummies make many ill
TOKYO - A Japanese health ministry panel on Tuesday decided to ban HHCH, a synthetic cannabinoid, from Dec. 2 after many people who consumed gummies containing the compound had to go to the hospital.
The panel will add hexahydrocannabihexol to the list of illicit drugs in Japan, encompassing possession, use and distribution, ministry officials said.
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9 injured after car plows into pedestrians in southwestern Japan
KITAKYUSHU, Japan - A minicar plowed into a group of pedestrians on a roadside in Fukuoka Prefecture on Tuesday morning, leaving nine people injured, including a high school student who was knocked temporarily unconscious and the vehicle's driver, police said.
The prefectural police arrested the driver, 66-year-old Susumu Nakamura, on suspicion of causing injury through negligent driving in the accident that was reported around 8:15 a.m. He was released for treatment after being arrested.
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Hawaii may allow Japanese tourists to pass border checks from Japan
TOKYO - The U.S. state of Hawaii is working with its national and Japanese immigration authorities to create a system that allows Japanese tourists to complete immigration and customs procedures before departing their country, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said recently.
Speaking in an interview with Kyodo News, Green said the new initiative would allow direct flights from Japan to more Hawaiian islands, even those with no immigration facilities, making travel more convenient and in turn boosting local economies that have seen a downturn in tourists from Japan since the coronavirus pandemic.
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Tennis: Injury-plagued Nishikori will not return before end of year
TOKYO - Former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori will sit out of the upcoming ATP Challenger Tour event played on home soil, the Japan Tennis Association said Tuesday.
The withdrawal from the Yokkaichi Challenger starting Nov. 27 in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, ends his hopes of making a return from a left knee injury before the end of the season.
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Baseball: MLB negotiating period to start for Japanese ace Yamamoto
LOS ANGELES - Major League Baseball said Monday its 30 clubs will have up to 45 days from Tuesday to negotiate a contract with Japanese starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The signing deadline for the 25-year-old right-hander, who was posted by the Orix Buffaloes after a dominant career in Japan, has been set at 5 p.m. EST on Jan. 4.
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Video: Christmas tree lighting at Univeral Studios Japan in Osaka
