TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Cyberattack-hit GMO left system vulnerable for over 2 years
TOKYO - GMO Internet Group Inc. CEO Masatoshi Kumagai said Monday that the company has not sufficiently addressed security vulnerability, even though it was informed of weakness in 2024 before it was hit by a recent data leak caused by unauthorized access.
At the firm's first press conference since the cyberattack surfaced last month, Kumagai apologized over the incident and damage to customers' assets. The company announced Kumagai and three other executives will be slapped with pay cuts.
----------
Japan launches disaster management agency to boost response, reduce damage
TOKYO - The Japanese government on Monday launched a new agency to oversee its response to disasters in the quake-prone country and prepare damage reduction measures for a myriad of crises.
Headquartered in Tokyo, the National Disaster Management Agency will establish regional hubs to enhance coordination with local governments to deal with disasters, including potential megaquakes along the Japan Trench, the Chishima Trench, the Nankai Trough and directly beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area.
----------
1 Japanese dead, 1 likely among unidentified victims in Spain train crash
TOKYO - Spanish authorities have confirmed one Japanese dead and suggested another is likely among the unidentified foreign victims in a high-speed train crash in central Spain last week, Japan's top government spokesman said Monday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara cited a press release issued by the Spanish authorities on Sunday after a reporter asked about the situation of the two Japanese nationals on the passenger lists at a press conference in Tokyo.
----------
JAL's April-Sept. net profit drops 42.2% as rising fuel costs weigh
TOKYO - Japan Airlines Co. said Monday its net profit for the April-September period fell 42.2 percent from a year earlier to 39.07 billion yen ($247 million), weighed down by rising fuel costs amid tensions in the Middle East.
Soaring fuel prices and the yen's persistent depreciation drove up fuel costs, pushing operating expenses 16.5 percent higher from a year earlier to 1.04 trillion yen, the air carrier said.
----------
Japan urges U.S. to tighten discipline after another U.S. Marine arrested
TOKYO - Japan asked the United States to thoroughly enforce discipline among military personnel in the country after a U.S. Marine in Okinawa Prefecture was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol during curfew hours imposed following a murder case involving another Marine, the top spokesman said Monday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference that Tokyo urged Washington to take preventive measures following the "regrettable" incident on Saturday in the southern island prefecture, home to many U.S. military bases.
----------
Anthropic to raise $3.5 bil. in Japan as part of U.S. initial public offering
TOKYO - U.S. artificial-intelligence developer Anthropic PBC said Monday it will raise up to $3.5 billion from Japanese investors as part of its U.S. initial public offering.
The amount, equivalent to about 550 billion yen, would be the largest ever raised in Japan through an IPO by a foreign company, according to Mizuho Securities Co., which will manage the sale.
----------
Suspected leader of fraud ring arrested in 2.2 bil. yen scam
TOKYO - Tokyo police have arrested the suspected leader of a fraud ring who investigators believe swindled about 2.2 billion yen ($14 million) from victims in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, the police said Monday.
Narihito Sasaki, 34, whose occupation is unknown, was arrested on suspicion of charges including fraud. The group is suspected of targeting victims in Tokyo as well as Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures between February 2023 and November last year.
----------
Baseball: Over 10 MLB clubs to hold interview with high school star Oda
TOKYO - Over 10 MLB clubs will interview Yokohama High School pitching star Shoki Oda, its team manager Hiroaki Murata said Monday.
The 18-year-old expressed his intent to head to the United States straight out of high school before he was drafted by the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball as their first pick on Oct. 22.
