Kumamon, the official black bear mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, poses at an office opened in Tokyo’s Yaesu business district on September 21, 2022 to promote the prefecture in southwestern Japan through its activities. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of select news summaries from Kyodo News.
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Japan conducts yen buying intervention for first time in 24 years
TOKYO – Japan entered the foreign exchange market on Thursday amid the yen’s abrupt decline, the Treasury Ministry said in its first intervention to support the currency in 24 years, as rising import costs have dragged down the country’s household and corporate sectors.
The surprise market operation comes as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been urged to take action to mitigate the negative impact of price hikes, with public support ratings for his cabinet falling recently.
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BOJ decides to maintain ultra-low interest rate policy despite yen’s sharp fall
TOKYO — The Bank of Japan on Thursday maintained its policy of ultra-low interest rates to support the pandemic-hit economy as widely expected, adopting a dovish stance despite the yen’s sharp fall in a global tightening wave spurred by rising inflation detained.
Following the policy decision, the yen broke the psychologically important 145 level against the US dollar and Governor Haruhiko Kuroda ruled out rate hikes in the near future. To stop the yen’s relentless slide, Japan intervened in the foreign exchange market by buying the yen for dollars for the first time in 1998.
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Japan is asking foreign guests to wear face masks at Abe’s state funeral
TOKYO – Japan will ask foreign guests attending the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next week to wear protective face masks to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, the top government spokesman said Thursday.
“We will urge foreign dignitaries and other attendees to wear face masks on the day of the state funeral and to take infection prevention measures such as: B. the preparation of disinfectants,” said Chief of Cabinet Hirokazu Matsuno at a press conference.
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US dollar falls from 145 yen to 140 yen after Japanese intervention
TOKYO — The US dollar briefly tumbled about five yen to the 140-yen area on Thursday after the Japanese government stepped into the market to prop up the Japanese currency, its first such intervention in 24 years.
The US currency traded at a fresh 24-year high in the upper 145-yen range after the Bank of Japan decided to extend monetary easing at the end of its regular meeting on Thursday.
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UN-backed tribunal upholds life sentence for ex-Khmer Rouge leader
PHNOM PENH — A United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia that tried former Khmer Rouge leaders over the country’s 1970s genocide upheld a lower court sentence on Thursday to life in prison against Khieu Samphan, the former head of the radical communist regime .
Thursday’s decision was the final verdict of the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia, which have implemented a two-tier trial system. With no one else to be brought to justice, this marks the end of the legal process that began in 2006 to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 1975-1979 reign of terror that is believed to have claimed nearly 2 million lives.
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SoftBank in talks with Samsung over chip designer Arm
TOKYO – SoftBank Group Corp. announced on Thursday that it will hold talks with South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. over a potential strategic alliance of Arm Ltd., a British chip designer under the Japanese tech conglomerate, to accelerate its smartphone chip business.
SoftBank chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said he will visit South Korea to hold talks with Samsung, a major maker of smartphones, displays, chips and batteries.
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Taiwan and the Czech Republic vow closer cooperation amid tensions in China
TAIPEI — Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday agreed with a delegation led by Czech Senator Jiri Drahos to deepen cooperation in semiconductors, medicine and science and technology amid tensions between China and the self-governing island.
Tsai told Drahos, a former president of the Czech Academy of Sciences, that the delegation’s visit shortly after the Chinese military drills in Taiwan “shows an unwavering friendship that comes from like-minded countries supporting each other.”
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Japan holds first tourism fair in two years to help virus-hit industry
TOKYO — For the first time in two years, a major international tourism event was held in Japan on Thursday, with the travel industry hoping to weather the setbacks of the coronavirus pandemic as the country gradually eases its border restrictions.
Tourism Expo Japan, one of the largest events of its kind worldwide, opened at the Tokyo Big Sight Exhibition Center, with representatives from more than 70 countries and regions and the 47 prefectures of Japan promoting international and domestic travel after being canceled in 2021 due to COVID-19.
