The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan sees heavy New Year holiday traffic after COVID-19 downgrade
TOKYO - Travelers flooded airports and major train stations in Japan on Friday to head to their hometowns in the first New Year holiday season since the government downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal flu.
To ease overcrowding, Central Japan Railway Co. and West Japan Railway Co. have made many of their shinkansen bullet train seats reservation-only during the year-end and the New Year period for the first time.
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Nikkei rises 28% in 2023, highest year-end finish since 1989
TOKYO - The Nikkei stock index on Friday finished up 28 percent from a year earlier, ending at its highest level since 1989 on the back of an economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and solid company earnings supported by the yen's weakness.
Stocks were mixed on the final trading day of the year, however, with the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average finishing down 75.45 points, or 0.22 percent, from Thursday at 33,464.17, the highest year-end level since the record high of 38,915.87 during Japan's asset-inflated bubble economy.
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China picks ex-navy commander Dong Jun as new defense chief
BEIJING - China named former navy commander Dong Jun as the country's new defense minister on Friday, state-run media said, after Li Shangfu, who had held the portfolio, was removed from the post in October amid speculation over his involvement in a corruption case.
Dong's appointment was decided at a Standing Committee session of the National People's Congress, China's parliament, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Since disappearing from public view in late August, no information on Li's condition has been available.
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Hong Kong police vow to pursue democratic activist Agnes Chow for life
HONG KONG - Hong Kong police condemned Friday pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow for jumping bail after leaving the territory to study in Canada from September, and vowed to pursue her "for life" to bring her to justice.
Under an agreement with the police, Chow was originally scheduled to report back to Hong Kong on Thursday, but announced earlier this month that she would remain in Canada for fear of being detained and would likely never return to the former British colony.
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Jetstar cancels 15 domestic flights due to prolonged strike
TOKYO - Budget carrier Jetstar Japan Co. canceled 15 domestic flights Friday as it could not secure enough workers for operation amid an ongoing strike by some union members, affecting some 2,600 people, the company said.
The company expects flight cancellations on Saturday and is preparing for reimbursements while arranging to transfer affected passengers to alternative flights with other airlines.
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IOC sees Japan as potential host of 2026 Olympic Esports Games
TOKYO - The International Olympic Committee has called on Japan to host an Olympic Esports Games in 2026, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.
The IOC's inaugural Olympic Esports Week was held in June 2023 in Singapore. Four months later, IOC President Thomas Bach announced plans to create an Olympic Esports Games amid the rapid growth of esports, especially among young people.
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IOC Pres. Thomas Bach confident of successful Paris Games
GENEVA - International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Thursday expressed confidence that the 2024 Paris Olympics would be a success.
"With the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 only months away, the athletes, the fans, the entire Olympic community -- all of us -- are looking forward to a new era of Olympic Games: younger, more inclusive, more urban, more sustainable," Bach said in his New Year's message.
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Bill to restrict wind farm construction set to be submitted to Diet
TOKYO - The Japanese government is set to submit a new bill to a regular diet session convening early next year to restrict the construction of wind farms as they can potentially interfere with the Self-Defense Forces' radar systems, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.
The legislation will obligate businesses to notify the government of their construction plans if those facilities are built in areas designated by the defense minister, according to the sources.
Video: Sacred rope exchange at western Japan waterfall
