The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Trump renews pledge to block Nippon Steel's bid for U.S. Steel
WASHINGTON - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump reiterated Monday that he will prevent Nippon Steel Corp. from acquiring United States Steel Corp., vowing to block the deal soon after returning to the White House next month.
"I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
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U.S. hits China with new semiconductor-related export controls
WASHINGTON - The U.S. government said Monday it will introduce new restrictions on exports of semiconductor manufacturing tools to China, in its latest attempt to hobble the Asian power's ambitions to develop artificial intelligence for military applications.
The Commerce Department added a total of 140 entities linked to China's chip industry to a blacklist that restricts their ability to trade with U.S. companies.
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Japan government mulls raising tax-free income threshold from Jan. 2026
TOKYO - The government and the ruling parties are considering applying a higher income tax exemption threshold from January 2026, in a move to incentivize part-timers to work longer hours amid Japan's labor shortage, a source close to the matter said Tuesday.
The schedule is expected if the government decides on raising the threshold for imposing income tax, currently set at a minimum annual income of 1.03 million ($6,900), in its tax reform plan for the next fiscal year starting April. Related bills will be subsequently deliberated in the Diet for likely enactment around the spring.
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Nomura president sorry for serious crimes committed by ex-employee
TOKYO - The president of Nomura Securities Co. apologized Tuesday for crimes, including attempted murder, committed by a former employee, pledging to enhance compliance in the Japanese finance giant's wealth management operations to prevent a repeat of a similar incident.
"This is something that should never have happened at a financial institution where customers place their trust in its services," company President Kentaro Okuda said at a press conference. "We will do everything necessary to regain customer trust."
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U.N. assembly adopts space nuke ban resolution drafted by U.S., Japan
NEW YORK - The U.N. General Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution drafted by countries including the United States and Japan to ban the deployment in space of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
The resolution, calling for the use of outer space "in full compliance with international law," passed with the support of 167 of the 193 assembly members, while four nations including Russia and North Korea voted against, and China and five others abstained.
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Japan museum named "world's most beautiful" at French award ceremony
TOKYO - Simose Art Museum in western Japan said Tuesday it has received this year's Prix Versailles award naming it the world's most beautiful museum.
The French world architecture and design awards, established in 2015, are announced annually at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The museum category was added this year, and the Japanese museum was nominated along with six others, including the A4 Art Museum in Chengdu, China, and the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt.
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Japan's crown prince, princess head to Turkey to mark 100 yrs of ties
TOKYO - Japan's Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko on Tuesday departed for a visit to Turkey where they will mark 100 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties.
The prince, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, and his wife left Tokyo's Haneda airport on a government plane in the morning. They will arrive Tuesday afternoon in the Turkish capital Ankara where they will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the following day, and return home on Dec. 8.
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Nearly 90% of Chinese view Japan negatively, 2nd-highest level: poll
TOKYO - Chinese people with an unfavorable impression of Japan in 2024 increased sharply from the previous year to nearly 90 percent, marking the second-highest level, an annual survey showed Monday as the two Asian neighbors remain at odds over various issues.
The figure rose 24.8 percentage points from 2023, amid lingering tensions around the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, disputes over wartime history and Japan's continued discharge of treated radioactive water from the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean.
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