Kyodo News Digest: June 3, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 5 hours ago - 09:24 | All, Japan, World
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan PM may seek snap election if no-confidence submitted
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap general election if the main opposition party submits a no-confidence motion, a source close to the government leadership said Monday.
Ishiba, whose coalition holds a minority in the lower house, could take the move before any no-confidence motion is put to a vote in the chamber, the source said. If such a motion is submitted and approved, the prime minister must dissolve the lower house or the Cabinet must resign en masse within 10 days.
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Japanese baseball legend Nagashima dead at 89: Yomiuri newspaper
TOKYO - Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima, who rose to stardom for his on-field exploits during the country's era of rapid economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s, died Tuesday, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said. He was 89.
Nagashima, who was a key player of the Yomiuri Giants team that achieved nine consecutive Central League and Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973 and later managed the club, was a charismatic figure whose popularity transcended sports.
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White House says Trump "likely" to speak with China's Xi this week
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump is "likely" to speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, the White House said Monday, amid renewed trade tensions between the two countries.
The prospect for such talks, mentioned to reporters by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, comes after China hit back at the United States over alleged violations of a temporary bilateral trade agreement reached in mid-May in Geneva.
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South Koreans begin voting in presidential election
SEOUL - South Koreans began voting Tuesday in a presidential election to choose a successor to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose imposition of martial law deeply divided the nation and sent shockwaves across the country.
More than 14,000 polling stations opened at 6 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m. Of over 44 million eligible voters, about 34.7 percent have already cast ballots during early voting on Thursday and Friday.
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Japan crafts basic plan to support "employment ice age" generation
TOKYO - The government on Tuesday mapped out a basic framework to support people in their 40s to 50s who fell victim to Japan's "employment ice age," with a focus on easing retirement anxieties.
One key element is to provide "safety net public housing," operated in a way that prevents aging people from being denied a home.
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Japan's departure tax revenue hits record high in FY 2024
TOKYO - Japan's revenue from a departure tax collected from travelers in fiscal 2024 hit a record high amid an influx in the number of visitors, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
Although revenue from the tax for the full fiscal year, which runs from April to March, has yet to be calculated with final receipts gathered by the end of May, the total has already reached 48.1 billion yen ($34 billion), eclipsing the previous record of 44.3 billion yen in fiscal 2019, it said. The full total will be announced later.
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U.N. official looks to Japan as leader in disaster resilience efforts
GENEVA - The focus of work related to natural disaster recovery must shift from rapid rebuilding to long-term resilience and inclusivity, and Japan can play a leading role in such efforts, according to the chief of the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
"We must stop building back fast with big promises and start building back better and more resilient," said Kamal Kishore, special representative of the U.N. secretary general for disaster risk reduction, in a recent interview with Kyodo News.
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Japanese footballer in Australia arrested in betting scandal
SYDNEY - A Japanese footballer playing on an Australian A-League team has been arrested for alleged involvement in a betting scandal, Australian authorities said.
Riku Danzaki, 25, a midfielder for Melbourne-based A-League club Western United, is suspected of deliberately receiving yellow cards during matches to manipulate betting outcomes, local media said.
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