The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Court orders Okinawa governor to approve work to relocate key U.S. base
NAHA, Japan - A Japanese court ordered Wednesday the Okinawa governor to approve a modified plan for landfill work to relocate a key U.S. base within the southern island prefecture, endorsing the central government's attempt to push forward the delayed plan mired in controversy and court battles.
The Fukuoka High Court's Naha branch said Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki needs to approve it within three weekdays after receiving a copy of the ruling. Failing to do so would allow the land minister to circumvent the reluctant governor and approve the modifications by proxy.
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Japan 2023 foreign arrivals top 20 mil. already in November, 1st in 4 yrs
TOKYO - The number of foreign visitor arrivals in Japan in 11 months from January totaled 22,332,000, topping 20 million in a calendar year for the first time since 2019, government data showed Wednesday, a fresh sign of the tourism boom's resurgence in the country following the coronavirus pandemic.
For November alone, the country recorded an estimated 2,440,800 foreign visitors, exceeding the 2 million mark for the sixth consecutive month, on the back of a significant increase in the number of travelers from Asia and North America amid a weak yen and resumption of airline services, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
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Daihatsu to stop all vehicle shipments amid improper testing
TOKYO - Daihatsu Motor Co. said Wednesday it will stop all shipments in domestic and overseas markets after the Toyota Motor Corp. subsidiary found most of its car models were affected by improper vehicle tests.
The move comes after the minivehicle maker acknowledged earlier this year data-rigging in collision tests for six of its models, including those sold in Thailand and Malaysia.
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87,000 China quake evacuees persevere in freezing cold weather
JISHISHAN, China - About 87,000 people evacuated from mountainous areas in northwestern China that were struck by a major earthquake earlier this week have been persevering in freezing cold weather, with the death toll from the disaster topping 130, local authorities and media reports said Wednesday.
The 6.2 magnitude quake that occurred around midnight Monday in Jishishan county of China's Gansu Province, where temperatures can fall below minus 10 C, has injured around 1,000 people in the region and neighboring Qinghai, where at least a dozen residents remain missing.
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Japan asked China to shelve Senkaku claim before emperor's 1992 visit
TOKYO - Tokyo secretly asked Beijing not to make territorial claims to the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea to avoid friction ahead of the Japanese emperor's visit to China in 1992, according to Japanese diplomatic documents declassified Wednesday.
Then Japanese Ambassador to China Hiroshi Hashimoto asked influential Chinese officials to refrain from publicly speaking about the issue of the uninhabited islets and historical disputes, in line with a secret order from then Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa in April 1992, the Foreign Ministry's records showed.
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Japan to partially lift ban on ride-hailing services from April
TOKYO - The Japanese government decided Wednesday to partially lift a ban on ride-hailing services to address a nationwide shortage of taxi drivers, with the changes to come into effect from April.
The partial lifting will allow drivers with a standard license to offer taxi services using their own vehicle in areas and times when taxis are in short supply, on the condition they are under the management of a taxi company.
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China's Xi, Russian PM agree to expand economic cooperation
BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin agreed to further expand bilateral economic cooperation as they met in Beijing on Wednesday, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Noting that China and Russia have achieved the goal of raising annual bilateral trade volume to $200 billion, Xi showed his willingness to further promote their "high-level political relations" and jointly advance the process of boosting economic and social development, the ministry said.
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Japan hands over air radar system to Philippines
SAN FERNANDO, Philippines - Japan formally handed over an air surveillance radar system to the Philippines on Wednesday, the first export of a complete defense product since its long-held arms trade ban was eased in 2014.
The system, which can detect approaching fighter jets and missiles, will help bolster the Southeast Asian country's defense amid China's growing aggressiveness in the South China Sea, according to Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.
Video: "Cinderella Express" glass shoes on display at railway museum in Nagoya
