Kyodo News Digest: Dec. 6, 2022
Japan and Croatia supporters take a selfie near Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, on Dec. 5, 2022, ahead of a World Cup round of 16 football match between the two countries. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Football: Japan’s World Cup ends in loss to Croatia on penalties
AL WAKRAH, Qatar – Croatia broke Japanese hearts with a 3-1 win on penalties following a 1-1 deadlock at the end of extra time in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday, ending the Samurai Blue’s bid to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time.
Saved penalties from Takumi Minamino and Kaoru Mitoma put Japan in a hole to start the shootout, with a further futile attempt by captain Maya Yoshida sinking their hopes of advancing.
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China holds memorial service for former leader Jiang Zemin
BEIJING – China held a memorial service Tuesday for Jiang Zemin, a former president who died last week at the age of 96, with the general public instructed to watch a live broadcast of the ceremony to pay tribute to the former Communist Party chief.
Senior party members, as well as government and military officials, were among the participants of the memorial, held at the Great Hall of the People. Jiang is credited for guiding China’s rapid rise to major-power status as party leader between 1989 and 2002.
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Japan to probe handling of abuse cases at nurseries nationwide
TOKYO – The government said Tuesday it will look into child mistreatment cases at nurseries across the country and how municipalities have handled them, following the arrest of three nursery teachers in central Japan for allegedly abusing toddlers.
The case at the nursery in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, which also highlighted the municipality’s tardy disclosure and the nursery head’s alleged coverups, is “extremely regrettable” and “should not have happened,” health minister Katsunobu Kato told a press conference.
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Dancers perform Japanese traditional “Furyu-odori” folk dances on Dec. 3, 2022 to celebrate their addition to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
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N. Korea fires artillery shells into sea as S. Korea drills continue
BEIJING – North Korea’s military has fired artillery shells into the sea off the country’s east coast in response to the firing of rocket launchers by South Korea in joint drills with the United States, South Korean military sources said Tuesday.
The firing of several dozens of rounds from Kangwon Province follows similar shelling by the North the previous day and further heightened border tensions as live-fire drills by the South Korean and U.S. militaries continue near the inter-Korean border.
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Japan’s Rapidus, Belgium firm to join hands on advanced chip R&D
TOKYO – New Japanese semiconductor producer Rapidus Corp. and a Belgian nanotechnology organization are joining hands in developing advanced chips, industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Tuesday.
Collaboration between the manufacturer, set up by eight major Japanese companies, and Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, also known as Imec, will give rise to a global alliance amid intensifying competition in the computer chip-making industry.
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Fans thank Japan football players for good games after World Cup exit
TOKYO – Fans and supporters extended their appreciation and encouragement to Japan’s soccer players on Tuesday after they exited the World Cup in a stinging shootout loss to Croatia.
While the Samurai Blue were unsuccessful in their bid to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time, many people were hopeful of the team’s future after earlier witnessing strong performances including thrilling comeback wins against giants Germany and Spain.
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Mother of late “Terrace House” star sues TV broadcaster
TOKYO – The mother of Hana Kimura, a former cast member of the popular reality show “Terrace House,” said Tuesday she has filed a lawsuit against the program’s Japanese broadcaster and two other companies, claiming her daughter committed suicide because of the show.
In the suit filed at the Tokyo District Court, Kyoko Kimura is seeking around 142 million yen ($1 million) in compensation from the three companies including Fuji Television Network Inc., alleging they produced the TV show in such a way that viewers would dislike her daughter.
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Record 34% of central gov’t workers took paternity leave in FY 2021
TOKYO – A record 34 percent of male central government workers in Japan took paternity leave in fiscal 2021, the minister in charge of civil service reform said Tuesday.
The figure, up five percentage points from the previous fiscal year, surpassed the government’s target of raising the ratio of men taking such leave to 30 percent by 2025, Taro Kono said at a press conference.
