Kyodo News Digest: Nov. 11, 2023

Tatsuya Shinhama of Japan competes en route to winning the men’s 500 meters at the World Cup speed skating meet in Obihiro, northern Japan, on Nov. 10, 2023. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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

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PM Kishida wary of joint China, Russia bomber flights near Japan

TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed wariness Saturday about recent joint Chinese and Russian bomber flights over waters near Japan, warning that his country is facing the toughest and most complex security environment in postwar times.

“Attempts to change the status quo unilaterally around our country are intensifying,” Kishida said in a speech at the Air Self-Defense Force’s Iruma Air Base in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo, adding a “swift” deployment of long-range missiles to boost defense is needed.

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Indo-Pacific ministers to reach broad economic deal in upcoming talks

SAN FRANCISCO – The United States, Japan and other nations in the Indo-Pacific region are expected to reach a broad agreement on economic rule-making during their ministerial meeting next week but will not broach the thorny issue of setting digital trade standards, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.

The envisioned agreement in San Francisco comes as the 14 members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework rush to devise deliverables on rules that can be implemented in a region where China is expanding its clout.

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Fireworks festivals in Japan dim their lights amid financial woes

OTSU, Japan – A growing number of Japan’s annual fireworks festivals are being forced to cancel due to funding shortages exacerbated by rising prices of materials and the pandemic-induced tourism downturn.

The pyrotechnic displays, a cherished summer staple in Japan drawing visitors from home and abroad, are very costly. Typically funded by both the public and private sectors, such events are increasingly difficult to hold due to a decrease in government subsidies and corporate sponsorships and donations.

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Global oil demand to peak before 2030 amid energy transition: IEA

LONDON – Global demand for oil is set to peak by 2030 driven by the “sufficient” momentum of the clean energy transition toward low-emission energy sources across the global economy, the International Energy Agency said in a recent report.

Moves such as greater investment in renewable energy like solar power and the rise in the use of electric vehicles have begun to change the global energy system, long reliant on fossil fuels, according to the IEA’s 2023 Energy Outlook released Oct. 24.

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Biden, Xi to meet Nov. 15 in U.S., new “framework” eyed for complex ties

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping next Wednesday on the sidelines of an economic conference in San Francisco, the White House said, with the two prioritizing the creation of a “framework” to better manage their nations’ fraught relationship that has been characterized by friction and mistrust.

The first sit-down in a year, also formally announced Friday by China, comes after months of coordination between the world’s two major powers. Senior Biden administration officials said everything from Taiwan and the South China Sea to semiconductor trade and human rights will be on the agenda.

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Italy to host G7 summit on June 13-15, 2024, PM Meloni says

ROME – Italy will host a summit of leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized nations from June 13 to 15, according to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Meloni said in a social media video post on Friday that the meeting will take place in Borgo Egnazia, a luxury resort in the country’s southern region of Puglia.

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Baseball: Japanese lefty Imanaga to be posted for MLB move

YOKOHAMA – DeNA BayStars left-hander Shota Imanaga will try to sign with an MLB team this offseason through the posting system, the Central League club said Saturday.

The 30-year-old, who started for Japan in the final of this year’s World Baseball Classic against the United States, informed the Yokohama-based BayStars of his intention to pitch in the U.S. majors.

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Speed skating: Japan’s Yamada wins 2nd World Cup gold in men’s 1,500

OBIHIRO, Japan – Masaya Yamada bagged his second gold medal of the season-opening speed skating World Cup round in Hokkaido on Saturday, winning the men’s 1,500 meters a day after triumphing in the 1,000.

Yamada was first across the line at Meiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval in Obihiro in 1 minute, 45.47 seconds, beating second-placed Jordan Stolz of the United States by 0.02. China’s Ning Zhongyan was third.

Miho Takagi, meanwhile, earned her first gold of the meet in the women’s 1,500 after claiming Friday’s 1,000 silver.

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Video: Thousands of people march in Tokyo calling for peace in Gaza