The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan mulls adding drone-swarm air defense to key security documents
TOKYO – Japan is considering reworking its key national security documents to allow it to strengthen its air defense network to better respond to attacks involving large numbers of unmanned aircraft, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
The government envisages using air defense missiles and high-powered lasers to shoot down drones, as well as high-energy microwaves to disable them, they said. The security documents are due for revision by the end of this year.
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Japan to hold int’l conference on plastic pollution in Tokyo in March
TOKYO – Japan is planning to host and mediate an unofficial international conference in Tokyo in March to draft a treaty to minimize plastic pollution, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday.
The talks are slated to run for three days from March 1 and are expected to draw around 15 countries and regions, including the United States, Saudi Arabia and the European Union.
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Japan, U.S. reaffirm plans to strengthen alliance, summit set for March
TOKYO – The Japanese government said Saturday that its national security adviser met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio the previous day in the United States and discussed the agenda for a planned bilateral summit in Washington next month.
Keiichi Ichikawa and Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, reaffirmed plans to strengthen their security cooperation as well as the alliance’s deterrence capabilities, according to the government.
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Fukuoka library reopens after 3 injured in knife attack
FUKUOKA – A library in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, reopened on Saturday after the city boosted security, two days after a knife attack injured three people.
The city has increased the number of guards by five and is considering installing additional surveillance cameras.
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Japan wary of disruption after U.S. top court blocks Trump’s tariffs
TOKYO – Japan is preparing for possible disruption to exports to the United States after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs on Friday, prompting him to announce fresh 10 percent levies.
Tokyo is expected to negotiate with Washington to prevent further tariff increases while committing to investing $550 billion in the United States under a plan previously drawn up in exchange for a reduction in tariffs on Japanese cars and other goods.
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China calls U.S. top court ruling on Trump tariffs “encouraging signal”
BEIJING – China said Saturday that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling declaring President Donald Trump’s tariffs unconstitutional sent “an encouraging signal to the world,” amid a prolonged exchange of bilateral retaliatory duties.
The South Korean presidential office, meanwhile, convened an emergency meeting in response, while countries that have been buffeted by Trump’s shifting tariff steps adopted a cautious stance as they assess the potential impact.
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Cargo ship navigator arrested after deadly collision in central Japan
TSU, Japan – The navigator of a cargo ship that collided with a fishing boat in central Japan and left two people dead was arrested Saturday for professional negligence, a local coast guard office said.
Hanon Sugimoto, 21, has admitted that she was at the helm of the 499-ton, 71-meter cargo vessel at the time of the collision on Friday afternoon, according to the coast guard office in Toba, Mie Prefecture.
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FamilyMart to expand stores with prize-winning games to 5,000 in Japan
TOKYO – Convenience store operator FamilyMart Co. plans to expand the number of stores with claw machines and other prize-winning games in Japan by threefold to about 5,000 outlets in the near future, with the aim of attracting more customers.
The company also plans to collaborate with popular anime to bring their worlds to life through store design, under the concept of “playable” convenience stores.
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VIDEO: Sled dog racing event held in Hokkaido
AloJapan.com