TOKYO -
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japanese company worker detained in China, possibly over rare earths
TOKYO/BEIJING - A Japanese employee of a major heavy electric machinery manufacturer's China unit has been detained in the country since last month, possibly over attempts to take products related to rare earths overseas, for which Beijing has tightened export controls, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
The Japanese government confirmed that two nationals were detained in May for allegedly violating a law over smuggling items prohibited from import or export, without disclosing further details for privacy reasons. But one of the detainees is the employee of the electric machinery maker, the sources said.
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Some BOJ policymakers called for continued rate hikes in June meeting
TOKYO - Some Bank of Japan policymakers called for continued rate hikes at their meeting earlier this month, with one member suggesting doing so in "intervals of a few months," a summary of opinions of the meeting showed Wednesday.
At the event where the BOJ lifted the key policy interest rate to a 31-year high of 1.0 percent from 0.75 percent, the member who advocated for rate hikes at regular intervals said the bank "should bring the policy rate closer to the neutral rate sooner." The neutral rate is the level at which the economy is neither stimulated nor slowed, which "appears to be at around 2 percent."
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Japan lodges protest over Chinese drilling rig anchoring in East China Sea
TOKYO - Japan has protested China's anchoring of a mobile offshore drilling unit in the East China Sea, the government said Wednesday, in the latest development in suspected exploratory drilling for a new gas field.
Japan confirmed China had anchored and fixed the mobile rig on the western side of the Japan-China median line, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a regular press conference in Tokyo, with the Japan Coast Guard issuing a navigation warning to nearby vessels on Monday.
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Emperor Naruhito voices hope for lasting Japan-Belgium friendship
BRUSSELS - Japan's Emperor Naruhito expressed hope for lasting friendship between Japan and Belgium at a banquet in Brussels on Tuesday hosted by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, as this year marks the 160th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.
"As longstanding and irreplaceable friends, I pray for enduring friendship between our two countries and for the happiness of our peoples," the emperor said in Japanese during a speech at the dinner, which he attended with Empress Masako at the Castle of Laeken.
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Japan weather agency warns of flooding from heavy rains in northern Kyushu
TOKYO - Japan's weather agency is forecasting heavy rains Wednesday in the northern part of Kyushu, the country's southwestern main island, warning of potential flooding in low-lying areas and rivers overflowing their banks.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said early Wednesday that so-called linear rainbands could form in Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki and Kumamoto prefectures from the morning to a little past noon, with the region seeing a higher likelihood of rain-caused disasters.
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N. Korea commissions new destroyer, plans to build 2 warships every year
BEIJING - North Korea has commissioned a new 5,000-ton destroyer, with leader Kim Jong Un calling for the annual building of two large warships under the five-year national defense development plan through 2030, state-run media said Wednesday.
At a commissioning ceremony held Tuesday in the western port city of Nampho for the multipurpose destroyer Choe Hyon, which was launched in April last year, Kim said the combat capability of the country's navy will "grow to be admirable beyond imagination," the official Korean Central News Agency said.
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Work begins to remove giant 150-meter hose washed up in Japan seaside town
KANAZAWA, Japan - Work began Wednesday to remove a giant 150-meter hose that washed up as debris along the rocky Sea of Japan coast in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, local government officials said.
The hose, made of iron and rubber tubing, is estimated to weigh 300 tons and has a diameter of about 2 meters at its widest section. It is thought that it was used for dredging work to suck up sediment from the seabed.
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Football: Tanaka wary of Sweden threat as Kubo stays sidelined
NASHVILLE - Japan midfielder Ao Tanaka on Tuesday warned his teammates to be wary of their upcoming World Cup opponents Sweden, as the Scandinavians look to bounce back from their 5-1 mauling by the Netherlands.
Injured Takefusa Kubo will remain sidelined for the Samurai Blue as they head into their final Group F match on Thursday at Dallas Stadium trailing group leaders Netherlands on goals scored.
