TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Newspaper denies Russia-detained reporter acted at Japan gov't behest
SAPPORO - A Japanese newspaper whose reporter has been detained in Russia on spying allegations denied Friday Moscow's claim that he was acting under instructions from Japanese intelligence agencies and vowed to make every effort to secure his early release.
"The Hokkaido Shimbun is a news organization independent of the government. We do not conduct reporting or gather information based on government directions," the newspaper's chief editor Takeshi Yamamoto said in a statement published in its Friday morning edition.
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Japan agency cancels mistakenly issued quake warning, trains disrupted
TOKYO - Japan's weather agency canceled a mistakenly issued warning of strong seismic shaking from an earthquake off northern Japan on Friday after overestimating the temblor's magnitude as a catastrophic 9.9, causing temporary train service disruptions in parts of the country.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said it is investigating the cause of the erroneous projection. It issued the warning for a wide area extending from northern to central Japan at around 12:40 p.m., saying that the earthquake had occurred in the Chishima Islands, also known as the Kuril Islands, off Hokkaido.
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Japan trade minister pledges to boost steps against rising kerosene prices
TOKYO - Japanese trade minister Ryosei Akazawa pledged Friday to bolster measures to address rising kerosene prices, with the resource-poor country already struggling to tackle energy inflation due in part to tensions in the Middle East.
The government plans to introduce subsidies for imports of more expensive foreign-produced kerosene, said Akazawa, who doubles as minister in charge of securing the stability of critical goods in response to the situation in the Middle East.
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Yakuza acquitted of 2013 murder of gyoza chain head amid possible framing
KYOTO - A Japanese court on Friday acquitted a yakuza gangster of the murder of the president of the company operating the Gyoza no Ohsho restaurant chain in 2013, amid suggestions he was framed.
During his trial at the Kyoto District Court, Yukio Tanaka, a 59-year-old senior member of an affiliate of Kudo-kai, one of Japan's major yakuza crime syndicates, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Ohsho Food Service Corp. President Takayuki Ohigashi, 72. Prosecutors had sought life imprisonment.
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Japan-Germany summit focusing on economic security eyed for late Oct.
TOKYO - A summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Tokyo focusing on economic security could take place on Oct. 28 at the earliest, diplomatic sources from both countries said Friday.
The leaders are expected to agree to bolster supply chains for semiconductors and critical minerals, issuing a joint document on cooperation in developing and producing defense equipment including drones, the sources said.
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Japan to open anti-dumping probe into Chinese titanium dioxide pigments
TOKYO - Japan's finance and trade ministries said Friday they will launch an anti-dumping investigation into pigments made from Chinese titanium dioxide after receiving a request from a domestic industry organization.
According to a petition filed in August by the Japan Titanium Dioxide Industry Association, a comparison of export prices for the product from China with its normal value showed that "the export price is below the normal value" and that it "has been imported into Japan at dumped prices.
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Japan's Yamato Transport confirms 5.31 mil. customer records leaked
TOKYO - Major Japanese parcel delivery company Yamato Transport Co. said Friday about 5.31 million customer data records, including names and addresses, had been leaked due to unauthorized access to its payment service system.
The service allows customers to pay for goods purchased online at convenience stores or other locations after receiving them. The data did not include credit card information or passwords.
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Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games competitions start ahead of opening ceremony
NAGOYA - Sporting action began at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games on Friday, two days before the opening ceremony, as Japan hosts the event for the first time.
Japan were beaten 1-0 by China in blind football, while in men's wheelchair basketball, the host nation defeated China 76-38.
Table tennis and badminton also got underway in Aichi Prefecture in central Japan.
