The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Toyota posts record 1st-half profits, lifts outlook on weaker yen
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. raised its full-year outlook Wednesday due to the windfall from a weaker yen, as it reported record earnings for the first half of the fiscal year on solid post-pandemic vehicle sales in all major markets.
The world's largest carmaker by volume lifted its net profit forecast for the year to March 2024 to a record 3.95 trillion yen ($26 billion) from its previous projection of 2.58 trillion yen. The new figure represents 61.1 percent growth from the last fiscal year.
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North Korea in final stage of satellite launch preparation: S. Korea
SEOUL - A South Korean lawmaker said the nation's spy agency informed a committee Wednesday that North Korea is presumed to be in the final stage of preparation for another military spy satellite launch.
North Korea unsuccessfully launched rockets carrying satellites in May and in August. Soon after second failed one, state-run media reported that a third attempt would be made in October.
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Baseball: Oyama's walk-off single evens Japan Series for Tigers
NISHINOMIYA, Japan, Yusuke Oyama hit a walk-off single as the Hanshin Tigers beat the Orix Buffaloes 4-3 in Game 4 to even the Japan Series at two games apiece Wednesday.
In front of a crowd of 41,050 at Hanshin's iconic Koshien Stadium, Oyama singled to left off former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jacob Waguespack with one out and the bases loaded.
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Japan's foreign minister to visit Israel, Jordan this week
TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tuesday that she will visit Israel and Jordan later this week, in the latest effort to help calm the intensifying war between the Middle Eastern country and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Kamikawa, who would become Japan's first minister to make a trip to Israel since the Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas on the nation, said at a press conference that she is also arranging talks with key Palestinian figures during her four-day visit from Thursday.
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Japan "on standby" to take all possible steps amid yen decline
TOKYO - Japan is "on standby" to take all possible steps to counter excessive volatility in the currency market, its top currency diplomat said Wednesday, expressing concern over rapid yen movements as the currency fell to a one-year low against the U.S. dollar.
The latest verbal warning by Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs, came as yen selling accelerated despite intervention fears after the Bank of Japan loosened its grip on long-term government bond yields but maintained monetary easing on Tuesday.
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FOCUS: Long unwinding road awaits BOJ after slackening reins on yields
TOKYO - The Bank of Japan on Tuesday effectively removed its yield cap in response to an unexpected surge in U.S. Treasury yields and entrenched cost-push inflation, sending its strongest signal yet that it is preparing to unwind monetary stimulus to come more into line with its global peers.
BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said the latest policy tweak is unlikely to cause 10-year government bond yields to rise sharply above the previously-set ceiling of 1.0 percent, and it is intended to pre-empt forex volatility and other risks that may materialize.
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N. Korea decides to close H.K. consulate general amid weak economy
BEIJING - North Korea has decided to close its consulate general in Hong Kong, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday, amid reports that Pyongyang is also shutting down its diplomatic missions in Spain and African nations due to financial difficulties.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press conference that Beijing "respects" Pyongyang's decision to pull out of Hong Kong, saying, "All countries have the right to establish or withdraw their diplomatic missions abroad based on their actual circumstances and needs."
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Japan, Britain eye ministerial security talks in Tokyo next week
TOKYO - Japan and Britain are arranging a security meeting involving their foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo next week, Japanese government sources said Wednesday, aiming to further enhance cooperation amid China's maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
The two governments' first "two-plus-two" talks since a virtual one in February 2021 would take place on the fringes of the Group of Seven industrialized nations' two-day foreign ministerial gathering in the Japanese capital from Tuesday, according to the sources.
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Japan mulls economic package of around 17 tril. yen amid inflation
TOKYO - The government is making arrangements for an upcoming economic package to be worth around 17 trillion yen ($112 billion), including tax cuts for households hit by rising prices and other steps to support the economy, sources familiar with the plan said Wednesday.
The size of the package, to be formalized Thursday, may increase further as consultations with the ruling coalition are under way, the sources said. A supplementary budget will be crafted for the current fiscal year to next March to fund most of the planned spending.
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Video: Man arrested after holing himself up at post office
