TOKYO -
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan bankruptcies in Jan.-June top 5,000 for 1st time in 12 years
TOKYO - The number of corporate bankruptcies in Japan in the first half of 2026 involving debts of at least 10 million yen ($62,000) rose 7.1 percent from a year earlier to 5,346, topping 5,000 for the first time in 12 years, a credit research company survey showed Wednesday.
The figure comes as a weaker yen has accelerated inflation, putting pressure on the finances of businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, Tokyo Shoko Research said.
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Beverage firm Asahi's net profit falls 36.7% in 2025 after cyberattack
TOKYO - Japanese beverage firm Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. said Wednesday its net profit for 2025 fell 36.7 percent from a year earlier to 121.57 billion yen ($749 million), hit by shipment disruptions caused by a cyberattack on its systems in September.
Operating profit dropped 30.9 percent to 185.87 billion yen, while sales fell 1.5 percent to 2.89 trillion yen as shipments of beer and food were temporarily halted and production suspended at many of its plants in Japan, the company said.
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Olympics: IOC drops Nordic combined from 2030 Winter Games
GENEVA - The International Olympic Committee decided Tuesday to exclude Nordic combined skiing from the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps, drawing immediate criticism from skiing's global ruling body.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) said the decision, made at an online meeting of the IOC Executive Board, removed a "cornerstone" event that has been part of every Winter Olympics since the inaugural games in Chamonix, France, in 1924.
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Sompo Holdings to buy U.S. workers' compensation insurer
TOKYO - Sompo Holdings Inc. said Tuesday it will acquire Service Insurance Companies, a U.S. workers' compensation insurer, to strengthen the group's U.S. business for small and midsize companies.
Sompo Holdings will buy the U.S. company through a local subsidiary. It did not disclose the purchase price, although it is estimated at about 30 billion yen ($185 million) to 50 billion yen.
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Japan parliament enacts revised law for "demand-based" rice production
TOKYO - Japan's parliament enacted a revised staple food law on Wednesday to improve rice reserve measures and promote a demand-led approach to production, removing reference to output adjustments seen as a continuation of a longstanding cutback policy.
The change departs from a pledge made less than a year ago by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's predecessor Shigeru Ishiba to switch to a boosted production model, with an eye to stabilizing the price of the staple food. Critics say it effectively continues de facto production controls to support farmers, a key base for Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
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Japan logs 3.97 tril. yen current account surplus in May on firm exports
TOKYO - Japan posted a current account surplus of 3.97 trillion yen ($24.2 billion) in May, as the trade balance swung into the black on strong exports of semiconductor-related devices to other parts of Asia and autos bound for the United States, government data showed Wednesday.
The Finance Ministry said in the preliminary report that persistent diplomatic tensions led to a shrinking surplus in the travel balance and a decline in the number of Chinese visitors to Japan, causing services trade to fall into the red.
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Baseball: Dodgers superstar Ohtani hits 300th home run of MLB career
LOS ANGELES - Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani hit the 300th home run of his Major League Baseball career as the Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Tuesday.
Ohtani launched a 409-foot (125-meter) blast to center field off a 2-0 pitch from Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen in the first inning to register home runs in back-to-back games at Dodger Stadium.
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Tennis: Osaka falls to Muchova in Wimbledon quarterfinals
LONDON - Japan's former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka was beaten 7-6(4), 6-4 by Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The four-time Grand Slam winner had booked her place in the last eight with a straight-sets victory over top seed Aryna Sabalenka, having never previously gone beyond the third round at the All England Club.
