Kyodo News Digest: Aug. 11, 2025

Kyodo News

a day ago

TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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China fired warning shots at Japan destroyer in 2024 entry: sources
TOKYO - Chinese vessels fired at least two warning shots at a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer in July last year when it inadvertently entered Chinese territorial waters off the country's eastern province of Zhejiang despite repeated warnings, diplomatic sources said Sunday.
The Suzutsuki was tasked with monitoring Chinese military drills on the high seas. The rare move by the Chinese vessels suggests the two Asian neighbors were in a touch-and-go situation that could have escalated into a conflict.
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Heavy rain cancels western Japan bullet trains, more delays expected
OSAKA - Some bullet train services in western and southwestern Japan were canceled all day Sunday due to heavy rain, operator JR West said, with further disruption likely the following day.
Sanyo Shinkansen Line services between Hiroshima and Hakata stations were canceled after being stopped at 1:30 p.m., the operator said. Trains between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima were also delayed as bullet trains needed to return from Hiroshima or Okayama to Shin-Osaka.
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British fighter jet makes emergency landing at Kagoshima airport
KAGOSHIMA, Japan - A British F-35 stealth fighter jet made an emergency landing Sunday at Kagoshima airport in southwestern Japan due to a malfunction, airport officials said.
Some departures and arrivals of commercial flights at the airport were affected as a runway was closed for around 20 minutes following the incident at around 11:30 a.m., officials said. No injuries were reported.
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Firms believing Japan economy growing falls to 30% amid tariff woes
TOKYO - Just a third of major Japanese firms said the domestic economy was continuing to grow, falling from the 71 percent that said so in January, reflecting uncertainty over the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, a Kyodo News survey showed recently.
In the survey of 113 companies, just 33 percent said they expect moderate growth, while those that responded they were either "concerned" or "somewhat concerned" regarding the levies hit 68 percent.
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Senior China party official detained for questioning: WSJ
BEIJING - A senior international liaison official of China's ruling Communist Party has been taken away by authorities for questioning, with the reason for his detention unknown, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
Liu Jianchao, head of the Communist Party's International Liaison Department and widely considered a potential candidate for China's foreign minister, was detained after returning to Beijing from a work trip abroad in late July, according to the U.S. paper.
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Team pulls out of Japan high school baseball c'ship amid abuse claims
TOKYO - A high school baseball team has withdrawn from one of Japan's most popular national tournaments, the school's principal said Sunday, amid social media controversy over reports of abuse.
The Koryo High School team's withdrawal from the annual summer national high school baseball championship follows revelations that the event's national body issued a severe reprimand in March over a case in which four students physically abused a younger boy at a dormitory in January.
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Japan concerned about Israeli plan to take control of Gaza City
TOKYO - Japan is "strongly concerned" about Israel's decision to take control of Gaza City, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Saturday.
The minister's statement came after Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to take over the northern city of the war-torn Gaza Strip, drawing criticism from other countries and the United Nations.
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Football: Japan national team's record scorer Kamamoto dies at 81
OSAKA - Kunishige Kamamoto, widely regarded as the best striker in Japanese football history after scoring an all-time men's record 75 goals in 76 games, died Sunday of pneumonia, the Japan Football Association said. He was 81.
The Kyoto native won the bronze medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, where he was the tournament's top scorer with seven goals, helping Japan achieve their best finish to date at the Summer Games.
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Video: Wet weather does not dampen spirits at Yosakoi Festival