TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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FOCUS: Japan needs to focus on ties with U.S., others as China deadlock persists
TOKYO - A year after ties with China went into a tailspin over remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on how Japan might respond to a crisis over Taiwan, Tokyo should focus on enhancing relations with the United States and other like-minded states rather than bowing to pressure to win a short-term improvement in its relationship with its neighbor, analysts said.
As China continues to press the narrative in the international arena that the Takaichi government's defense buildup policy reflects rising "neo-militarism," Japan needs to prove it remains a peace-loving nation respecting freedom of expression and the rule of law, and that its defense plans are decided with transparency, they said.
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Putin places Japan Tobacco's Russia assets under local management
MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered Japan Tobacco Inc.'s Russia assets to be placed under the temporary management of a Russian firm, in Moscow's latest move against a country imposing sanctions over the war against Ukraine.
The presidential decree covers the Russia assets of JT International, which consolidates the Japanese conglomerate's international business. Its Russia operation accounts for around 10 percent of Japan Tobacco's sales.
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Japan gov't, Okinawa hold 1st policy talks in 13 years.
TOKYO - Japan's central government and Okinawa Prefecture held their first meeting in about 13 years under a policy framework on Friday, seeking closer cooperation following the election of the prefecture's new governor.
The Okinawa Policy Council, attended by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, relevant ministers and Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja, met amid discussions over the southern island prefecture's development budget and a long-running controversial plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within Okinawa.
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Japan's real wages rise 2.2% in Sept., up for 9th consecutive month
TOKYO - Japan's real wages in September rose 2.2 percent from a year earlier, marking the ninth consecutive month of growth, government data showed Friday.
Nominal wages, including base and overtime pay, climbed 4.6 percent to 311,409 yen ($1,960) per worker, extending a streak of increases exceeding 3 percent to eight months -- the longest such run in more than 34 years, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said.
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Japan mulls exception to non-nuclear principles in security strategy
TOKYO - The Japanese government is considering explicitly stating an exception to its long-standing non-nuclear principles in an updated security strategy, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday, apparently aiming to enhance the effectiveness of U.S. nuclear deterrence protecting Japan.
One option under consideration is to state in the document that Japan would allow nuclear weapons to be brought into the country in an emergency, reflecting a position outlined by a foreign minister in parliament in 2010 and endorsed by successive governments, including that of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
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China deploys Dongfeng-61 ICBM unveiled at 2025 military parade
BEIJING - China's rocket force has begun using the Dongfeng-61 intercontinental ballistic missile, unveiled at a military parade in Beijing last year, in routine training, state-run China Central Television said Thursday.
The land-based ICBM was unveiled at a September 2025 parade in Tiananmen Square marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's formal surrender in World War II.
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SMBC Consumer Finance data leak affects up to 320,000 customers
TOKYO - SMBC Consumer Finance Co. said Thursday that personal information of up to 320,000 customers had been leaked following unauthorized access to a system used for loan guarantees and other services, making it one of a growing number of Japanese companies to report major data breaches.
The leaked information included driver's license numbers, names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, annual income and contract details, according to the company, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. No images of identification documents, such as driver's licenses, were included.
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FEATURE: Japan flower farmer turns to exotic 'caviar of the forest'
NAGOYA - Tiny, jewel-like beads of citrus pulp that burst in the mouth are at the heart of a Japanese farmer's bid to reinvent her business as demand for traditionally grown chrysanthemums declines.
Akina Suzuki, 42, has turned to cultivating finger limes, an unusual Australian fruit nicknamed the "caviar of the forest" for the tiny, colorful pearls packed inside its finger-shaped skin.
