TOKYO -
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Sony Semiconductor, TSMC to invest 747 billion yen in next-gen sensors
TOKYO - Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp. said Tuesday it will begin mass production of next-generation image sensors with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in 2029, with the two companies investing a combined 747 billion yen ($4.7 billion).
The production base of the Sony Group Corp. subsidiary and the world's largest contract chipmaker will be established in Kumamoto Prefecture, which suffered a magnitude-7.1 earthquake in late July and where TSMC already operates.
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Ex-Japan Business Federation head Hiroshi Okuda dies at 93: source
TOKYO - Former Japan Business Federation head Hiroshi Okuda, who also served as president and chairman of Toyota Motor Corp., has died, according to a source with knowledge. He was 93.
The cause of death was not immediately clear.
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N. Korea launches what could be a ballistic missile: Japan Defense Ministry
TOKYO - North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile eastward Wednesday morning that is believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.
The missile was launched at around 5:59 a.m. from an area near North Korea's east coast and traveled approximately 690 kilometers, with a maximum altitude of about 90 km, the ministry said. No damage or injuries have been reported.
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Typhoon makes landfall in eastern Japan's Kanto region
TOKYO - A typhoon made landfall in east Japan's Kanto region, which includes Tokyo, on Tuesday night, the weather agency said, warning of flooding in low-lying areas, rising river levels and possible overflows.
Typhoon Chan-hom followed an unusual east-to-west path, steered by winds around a high-pressure system lingering north of the Japanese archipelago. It is expected to reach western Japan and weaken into a tropical depression by early Wednesday afternoon.
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Aeon says staff allowed to reenter quake-hit mall despite ban before blast
TOKYO - Major Japanese retailer Aeon Co. said Tuesday that employees were allowed to reenter a quake-hit shopping mall in Kumamoto Prefecture despite a company rule barring evacuees from doing so, and seven workers were subsequently killed in a blast at the facility in late July.
The retailer said on-site personnel at Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima allowed employees to reenter after they asked to retrieve valuables such as car keys and mobile phones and to close cash registers following the powerful earthquake.
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Japan successfully launches H3 rocket carrying positioning satellite
TANEGASHIMA, Japan - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on Tuesday successfully launched an H3 rocket and put a positioning satellite into orbit, marking the second successful launch in a row of Japan's flagship rocket after a failure last December.
The H3 rocket No. 9 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima, a small island in southwestern Japan, early Tuesday, carrying the Michibiki No. 7 positioning satellite, part of the country's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System used to provide location information for smartphones and vehicle navigation.
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Japan mulls compensating local governments for revenue lost to food tax cut
TOKYO - Japan is considering compensating local governments for revenue losses from a planned reduction in the consumption tax rate on food and beverages from April 2027, government sources said Tuesday.
Amid growing concern among local governments about the impact on public services, the state is looking to use special local grants to cover temporary revenue losses from the tax cut, which Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has described as a "long-cherished dream."
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Kumamoto Castle set to reopen to visitors 2 weeks after M7.1 quake
KUMAMOTO, Japan - Quake-hit Kumamoto Castle will reopen to visitors later this week, the city said Tuesday, two weeks after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck southwestern Japan.
Kumamoto Castle, designated as a national special historic site, will reopen to visitors Thursday after the city confirmed the safety of the visitor route and the interior of the main tower.
