TOKYO -
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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U.S. voters go to polls with midterms serving as referendum on Trump
WASHINGTON - U.S. voters headed to the polls Tuesday in midterm elections widely seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump's second term amid concerns over the cost of living and the war in Iran.
Public opinion surveys indicate the opposition Democratic Party is set to regain a majority in the House of Representatives, reflecting voter dissatisfaction with Trump, his Republican Party and their governing record.
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Ryoshin Takagi, last surviving member of "itai-itai" disease lawsuit, dies
TOYAMA, Japan - Ryoshin Takagi, who was the last surviving plaintiff in the landmark "itai-itai" disease lawsuit against a major Japanese company, has died, his family said Tuesday. He was 96.
Takagi died at a hospital in the central Japanese city of Toyama at 5:15 p.m. on Sunday from malignant pleural mesothelioma, according to his family.
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Dead baby found floating in ocean off western Japan
YAMAGUCHI, Japan - A fisherman found a baby floating in the ocean off the western Japanese prefecture of Yamaguchi on Tuesday with police later confirming the body was that of a naked newborn boy.
Police will seek to determine the cause of the baby's death, investigating the case as a possible murder or abandonment of a body. The infant likely died a few days ago and the body had no traces of injury, according to the police.
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Japan ruling camp faces key Diet showdown over tax cut bill with opposition
TOKYO - Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's push for reducing the consumption tax on food and beverages to cope with inflation is facing a key hurdle in parliament as her ruling camp wants to have it clear the House of Representatives this week.
Opposition parties are urging Takaichi to explain in her own words about the necessity of the two-year tax cut from 8 percent to 1 percent from April by attending a parliamentary committee session deliberating on the bill before it can be put to a vote.
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Scandal-ridden ex-farm minister handed out free headbands at election rally
TOKYO - Former Japanese farm minister Kazuo Yana distributed free headbands during a campaign kickoff ceremony in his constituency for the February general election, people with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday, in what could amount to an election law violation.
Japan's public offices election law prohibits the provision of gifts or benefits to voters, even though experts cite the difficulty of drawing a line between what specific behavior should and should not constitute an act of vote-buying.
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Taiwan official sees Communist Party meeting paving way for Xi's 4th term
TAIPEI - Chinese President Xi Jinping is widely expected to secure a fourth five-year term as general secretary at the ruling Communist Party's twice-a-decade congress next year, after a key party meeting last week paved the way for his continued leadership, according to a Taiwan government official.
Shen Yu-chung, deputy minister of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees cross-strait policy, said at a Taipei symposium on Monday the fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee "further consolidated Xi Jinping's position as the unquestionable central leader, whose authority cannot be challenged."
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FEATURE: Japan's battlefield pilgrimages offer solace, but challenges remain
TOKYO - More than 80 years after his grandfather was killed fighting in the Philippines during World War II, Takahiro Kawaguchi finally made the journey to the battlefield where he died, fulfilling a long-held wish to pay his respects.
The 54-year-old Tokyo lawyer was among about 80 people who traveled to the Philippines in February under a Japanese government program that helps bereaved families visit places where their relatives lost their lives during the war.
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Football: Asian Cup postponed to Dec. 2027 amid Saudi unrest
TOKYO - The Asian Football Confederation announced Tuesday the Asian Cup originally scheduled for early next year in Saudi Arabia has been postponed and will start instead in December 2027.
A number of sporting events and international conferences in the region have been postponed or canceled in recent weeks amid the ongoing unrest in Saudi Arabia, which has come under attack by Yemen's Houthi group.
