TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
UNESCO body recommends Japan's shodo calligraphy for cultural heritage list
TOKYO - An advisory body of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has recommended adding Japanese calligraphy, known as shodo, to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the Japanese government said Thursday.
Following the recommendation, a formal decision on its inscription is expected at a session of UNESCO's intergovernmental committee in Xiamen, China, to be held Nov. 30 to Dec. 5.
----------
N. Korea tests new air defense missile, holds cruise missile drill
BEIJING - North Korea said Thursday it conducted a test-firing of new air defense missile system and a fire strike drill of a cruise missile unit the previous day, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
The test proved the technical specifications and reliability of the new material and the intelligent multiple guided mode of the projectile, target identification and tracking capability of the air defense missile system, KCNA said.
----------
Muji among latest firms hit by data breach, card data may have leaked
TOKYO - Muji brand operator Ryohin Keikaku Co. said Wednesday that about 1.09 million customer records, including credit card numbers, may have been leaked following unauthorized access to its system.
About 345,000 of the potentially leaked Muji Card customer records contain full numbers of currently valid credit cards and dates of birth, the operator said.
----------
U.S. midterm results not to affect strength of alliance: Japan gov't
TOKYO - The U.S. midterm election results will not affect the strength of its security alliance with Japan at a time of increasing global uncertainty, the top Japanese government spokesman said Wednesday, emphasizing that the bilateral ties are essential to advance national interests and ensure global peace and stability.
"We will continue to work closely together at every level -- including between leaders and foreign ministers -- to elevate the Japan-U.S. alliance to new heights," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said after the Democratic Party retook control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's elections in a blow to Republican President Donald Trump.
----------
Aquafarmers in Japan aim to stimulate demand for supersize eels
TOKYO - A group of aquafarmers said Wednesday it will cultivate demand for giant eels, weighing about twice as much as those normally found on the market, as part of its drive to cope with declining stocks of juvenile eels and strengthen the farming industry.
The union of eel farmers' cooperatives plans to sell such supersized eels of 500 grams or more at affordable prices from November, including via some online markets, supermarkets and restaurants. An eel of that size could serve two to three people.
----------
Man shoots himself with gun snatched from police officer near Tokyo
SAITAMA, Japan - A 37-year-old man snatched a gun from a police officer who was trying to subdue him and shot himself in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo, police said Wednesday.
The man was unconscious when taken to hospital following the incident at a waste disposal plant shortly after 10 a.m., the police said. He has been identified as a police officer who was not on duty.
----------
ASIA WATCH: India's first census in 15 years confronts caste sensitivities
NEW DELHI - India's first census in 15 years aims to fill a critical gap in its population data, but questions about caste are meeting resistance, raising doubts over how accurately the exercise can capture the country's social divisions.
More than 3 million census workers are gathering information on the world's most populous nation, home to over 1.4 billion people, using digital technology in an exercise that could reshape government policy and political representation.
----------
FEATURE: Warming winters, rising costs threaten school skating in northern Japan
OBIHIRO, Japan - The longstanding tradition of teaching children to skate in the northern Japanese city of Obihiro is under threat as warmer winters and rising costs force schools to reconsider lessons that have long been part of local life.
Known as a "skating kingdom," the city in Hokkaido plans to phase out ice hockey lessons at junior high schools by the 2028 academic year, while the future of speed skating classes at elementary schools is also under review.
