The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Scandal-hit biggest LDP faction execs asked for voluntary questioning
TOKYO - Japan's prosecutors have asked former top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno and other executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction to submit to voluntary questioning over a political funds scandal, sources close to the matter said Thursday.
Matsuno stepped down as chief Cabinet secretary last week amid allegations he failed to report more than 10 million yen ($70,000) in income from tickets he sold for fundraising events hosted by the intraparty group, the sources said.
----------
South Korea's top court upholds wartime labor damages order for Japan firms
SEOUL - South Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld decisions by lower courts ordering two Japanese firms, Nippon Steel Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., to pay damages to South Koreans for wartime labor.
The rulings came as a disappointment to the Japanese government and the companies, but Seoul quickly reassured that plaintiffs would be eligible to receive compensation from a South Korean government-backed foundation rather than the sued firms, aligning with a plan Seoul announced in March for solving the wartime labor issue.
----------
Transport ministry probes Daihatsu HQ amid safety testing scandal
OSAKA - Japan's transport ministry on Thursday conducted investigations at Daihatsu Motor Co.'s headquarters in Osaka Prefecture, a day after the small car unit of Toyota Motor Corp. was forced to halt shipments at home and abroad due to a safety test falsification scandal affecting most models in its range.
The ministry is looking into whether any production approval reports were rigged and will consider administrative penalties such as revoking approval if necessary.
----------
Figure skating: Shoma Uno off to solid start at Japan's nationals
NAGANO, Japan - Despite not being at his best, two-time defending world champion Shoma Uno won the men's short program Thursday, the first day of Japan's national figure skating championships, which double as the final qualifying meet for March's world championships in Montreal.
According to officials, Uno broke his left skate after this month's Grand Prix Final in Beijing. After his mistake-free program at Nagano Big Hat, Uno admitted to taking a cautious approach.
----------
MLB star Ohtani No. 1 among Japanese men in "athlete image" survey
TOKYO - MLB two-way star Shohei Ohtani has been ranked No. 1 among Japanese male athletes for both his 2023 performance and for how much is expected of him in 2024, a survey by Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc. concluded Thursday.
The announcement came with the results of a study to measure "overall athlete image." The internet survey, conducted Dec. 1-5 by the unit of ad giant Hakuhodo Inc., rated table tennis star Hina Hayata as this year's top-performing Japanese female athlete.
----------
Japan eyes FY 2024 nominal GDP above 600 tril. yen, faster income growth
TOKYO - Japan's nominal gross domestic product will top 600 trillion yen ($4.2 trillion) in fiscal 2024 for the first time, a target set by the government about a decade ago, a Cabinet Office estimate showed Thursday, expecting income growth to outpace inflation.
After higher import costs of energy and raw materials boosted prices of everyday goods, inflation will ease to 2.5 percent in fiscal 2024 from 3.0 percent this year. Income growth per capita, meanwhile, will accelerate to 3.8 percent from 2.4 percent, helped by the government's planned temporary tax cut, according to the office.
----------
Football: Dutch club Sparta add Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Mito
TOKYO - Dutch first-division football club Sparta Rotterdam on Thursday announced the acquisition of Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Mito, who won the J-League's best young player award this year.
The 21-year-old plans to join Sparta on Jan. 2 from Albirex Niigata, on a contract that runs until 2028.
----------
Samsung to receive $140 mil. gov't subsidy for chip facility in Japan
TOKYO - South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. will receive a subsidy of up to 20 billion yen ($140 million) to build a new research and development facility for advanced semiconductors near Tokyo, Japan's industry ministry said Thursday.
The provision of the subsidy for the facility in Yokohama to one of the world's leading chipmakers is part of Japan's efforts to increase domestic chip production.
Video: Japan-made defense radar handed over to Philippine operators
