TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan top court rules 2025 upper house vote gap in unconstitutional state
TOKYO - Japan's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the up to 3.13-fold disparity in the weight of votes in the July 2025 Senate election was in a "state of unconstitutionality," but dismissed requests to nullify the results.
The top court said in the ruling that parliament's efforts to reduce vote disparities had "stalled," describing the 3.13-fold gap as "hard to ignore."
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Japan's Senate takes up food tax cut bill amid opposition scrutiny
TOKYO - Japan's Senate began deliberations Wednesday on a bill to cut the consumption tax on food and beverages, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attending the plenary session.
The ruling coalition lacks a majority in the less powerful upper house, unlike in the House of Representatives, making opposition support crucial. The government plans to detail a separate income-linked cash benefit program, including eligibility thresholds and payment amounts.
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Amazon Japan withdraws unfair discount requirement after watchdog probe
TOKYO - Japan's antitrust watchdog on Wednesday approved a plan from the Japanese unit of Amazon.com Inc. to improve its practices following a probe into the online retailer for allegedly unfairly demanding that vendors cut the prices of products sold on its website.
Amazon Japan G.K. had been under scrutiny for a potential antitrust law violation for allegedly requiring vendors provide products at prices at or lower than those on other rival online retailing sites in order for them to be prominently featured.
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NTT Docomo says 5G SA service mostly restored across Japan
TOKYO - NTT Docomo Inc. said Wednesday it had restored most of its 5G standalone mobile service following disruptions across Japan, although some customers were still experiencing problems.
The major telecommunications carrier said earlier Wednesday that voice calls, data communications and text messaging on the high-speed service, known as 5G SA, had been unstable since around 10:34 a.m.
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Nissan's July-Sept. net loss narrows year on year, outlook unchanged
YOKOHAMA - Nissan Motor Co. on Wednesday reported a narrower year-on-year net loss for the July-September quarter and maintained its full-year forecast for a return to profitability.
The carmaker posted a net loss of 43.5 billion yen ($274 million) in the three months ended September, compared with 106.2 billion yen a year earlier.
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Japan ruling bloc to discuss nuclear subs ahead of security papers review
TOKYO - The ruling bloc led by the Liberal Democratic Party is expected to discuss an option of possessing nuclear-powered submarines and reviewing Japan's long-held non-nuclear principles ahead of the upcoming key security documents update, an LDP lawmaker said Wednesday.
At the meeting of the party's Research Commission on Security on Wednesday, there were calls for the consideration of introducing such submarines, and of "nuclear sharing," an arrangement under which the United States would deploy nuclear weapons in Japan for joint operation, Taro Honda, the secretary general of the commission, said.
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Man arrested over theft of watch worth 46 mil. yen in Tokyo
TOKYO - A 30-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of stealing a luxury watch worth about 46 million yen ($290,000) from a shop in Tokyo, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
The man allegedly stole an Audemars Piguet watch from the shop in the Nakano Broadway shopping complex at night on Oct. 29.
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Sumo: Returning yokozuna Hoshoryu suffers back-to-back losses
FUKUOKA - Returning yokozuna Hoshoryu suffered his second straight loss at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, succumbing to a push out against No. 2 maegashira Ura and dropping to 2-2 on Wednesday.
The Mongolian-born grand champion, coming back from knee surgery in July, offered little resistance as Ura (1-3) shoved him straight out from the opening collision, compounding his loss to No. 1 maegashira Fujiryoga the previous day.
