The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan's former Emperor Akihito turns 90, continues to reflect on war
TOKYO - Japan's former Emperor Akihito turned 90 on Saturday, after having spent another peaceful year with his wife, former Empress Michiko while continuing to reflect on war and peace and those impacted by natural disasters, the Imperial Household Agency said.
Keeping current with the latest news through newspapers and television, the former emperor, who stepped down from the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, has also expressed concern over the extensive damage caused by heavy rains and the record-breaking heat in Japan this summer.
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Biden signs $886 billion defense bill to boost Indo-Pacific deterrence
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday signed into law an $886 billion defense policy package including measures to counter Chinese military activity in the Indo-Pacific region and assist the Taiwanese forces.
The National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year to September 2024 includes $14.7 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, part of U.S. efforts to enhance military capabilities through drills with its allies and partner countries in the region.
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Palestine envoy hopes to showcase resilience at 2025 Osaka Expo
TOKYO - Palestine hopes to showcase the resilience of its people at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, although challenges posed by the Israel-Hamas war could jeopardize its participation in the event, according to its representative to Japan.
"We, the people that are being killed and our lives being taken away from us, are coming to show the world we love life," Waleed Siam, representative of the Permanent General Mission of Palestine in Japan, told Kyodo News in a recent interview.
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Rugby: Wild Knights overwhelm Black Rams to continue winning start
SAITAMA, Japan - Saitama Wild Knights continued their perfect start to the Japan Rugby League One season on Saturday, powering past Black Rams Tokyo 44-17 for their third straight win in Division 1.
Japan hooker Atsushi Sakate scored the first two tries of the match, while wing Ryuji Noguchi also went over twice before the break at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium as Black Rams suffered their third straight defeat.
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Japan LDP faction suspected of misusing funds for polls amid scandal
TOKYO - The largest faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is suspected of having misappropriated revenue from fundraising parties to support upper house election campaigns for years, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday.
The faction had returned to lawmakers running for House of Councillors elections all revenue from sales of fundraising tickets they sold for the group without declaring the income in political funds reports, intending to use them as secret funds, according to the source.
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Japan eases rules on weapons exports to enhance security ties
TOKYO - Japan relaxed its strict regulations on defense equipment transfers Friday in a bid to ramp up security ties with like-minded countries and foster related domestic industries through weapons and ammunition exports.
The first major change in Japan's weapons export system since 2014, when the country removed its arms embargo policy maintained under its war-renouncing Constitution, comes amid an increasingly severe security environment due to geopolitical tensions with China, Russia and North Korea.
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JAL flew some domestic flights without required checks in September
TOKYO - Japan Airlines Co. flew four domestic flights without required checks and engaged in other irregularities regarding maintenance work, the transport ministry said Friday as it slapped the airline's unit with a business improvement order over the incidents.
While the improper maintenance did not directly impact actual services, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry determined that the case involving JAL Engineering Co. constituted a serious violation that jeopardized airline safety.
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Japan's Shiseido to buy DDG Skincare Holdings for $450 million
TOKYO - Shiseido Co. said Saturday that it will acquire U.S. cosmetics company DDG Skincare Holdings LLC for $450 million to bolster sales of high-end skincare products as part of efforts to diversify its businesses.
DDG Skincare Holdings is known for its exfoliators sold under the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare brand launched by a practicing dermatologist. The company's sales are estimated at $94 million in 2023, up 18 percent from a year earlier.
Video: Penguins walk at Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido
