Kyodo News Digest: Nov. 21, 2023

Ryunosuke Tsukue competes in the men’s event during the national championships for squash, a sport confirmed for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, in a glass-walled court at Tressa Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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North Korea notifies Japan of new 9-day satellite launch window

TOKYO – North Korea notified Japan of its plan to launch a satellite-carrying rocket in a new nine-day window, the Japanese government said Tuesday, following two failures to put a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit earlier this year.

The launch window will start at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and close at 11:59 pm on Nov. 30, according to the Japan Coast Guard.

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Japan PM Kishida grilled over party revenue underreporting claims

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was grilled in parliament on Tuesday over allegations that his and four other major factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have underreported their incomes from fundraising parties.

In an extraordinary Diet session, Kishida explained that he became aware of the issue only when officials briefed him that his intraparty group corrected its funds reports, exacerbating the challenges his Cabinet faces amid sluggish support rates.

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Hawaii may allow Japanese tourists to pass border checks from Japan

TOKYO – The U.S. state of Hawaii is working with its national and Japanese immigration authorities to create a system that allows Japanese tourists to complete immigration and customs procedures before departing their country, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said recently.

Speaking in an interview with Kyodo News, Green said the new initiative would allow direct flights from Japan to more Hawaiian islands, even those with no immigration facilities, making travel more convenient and in turn boosting local economies that have seen a downturn in tourists from Japan since the coronavirus pandemic.

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Japan to ban cannabinoid HHCH from Dec. 2 after gummies make many ill

TOKYO – A Japanese health ministry panel on Tuesday decided to ban HHCH, a synthetic cannabinoid, from Dec. 2 after many people who consumed gummies containing the compound had to go to the hospital.

The panel will add hexahydrocannabihexol to the list of illicit drugs in Japan, encompassing possession, use and distribution, ministry officials said.

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9 injured after car plows into pedestrians in southwestern Japan

KITAKYUSHU, Japan – A minicar plowed into a group of pedestrians on a roadside in Fukuoka Prefecture on Tuesday morning, leaving nine people injured, including a high school student who was knocked temporarily unconscious and the vehicle’s driver, police said.

The prefectural police arrested the driver, 66-year-old Susumu Nakamura, on suspicion of causing injury through negligent driving in the accident that was reported around 8:15 a.m. He was released for treatment after being arrested.

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50 media workers killed in Israel-Hamas conflict

NEW YORK – At least 50 members of the media have been killed in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, a New York-based nonprofit organization said Monday.

The number has boosted the overall figure for this year so far to 61, the Committee to Protect Journalists said, saying the war has been the “deadliest” period for journalists since data was first gathered in 1992.

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Tennis: Injury-plagued Nishikori will not return before end of year

TOKYO – Former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori will sit out of the upcoming ATP Challenger Tour event played on home soil, the Japan Tennis Association said Tuesday.

The withdrawal from the Yokkaichi Challenger starting Nov. 27 in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, ends his hopes of making a return from a left knee injury before the end of the season.

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Baseball: MLB negotiating period to start for Japanese ace Yamamoto

LOS ANGELES – Major League Baseball said Monday its 30 clubs will have up to 45 days from Tuesday to negotiate a contract with Japanese starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The signing deadline for the 25-year-old right-hander, who was posted by the Orix Buffaloes after a dominant career in Japan, has been set at 5 p.m. EST on Jan. 4.

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