Kyodo News Digest: Nov. 16, 2023

Blooming rakkyo shallot flowers create a purple haze across farmland near sand dunes in the western Japan city of Tottori on Nov. 14, 2023. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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

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Biden, Xi to agree on steps to calm fraught U.S.-China relationship

SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to agree Wednesday on increasing lines of communication and taking other steps to lower the temperature between Washington and Beijing in their first face-to-face talks in a year.

Biden told Xi it is “paramount” for them to “understand each other clearly” so as to avoid “misconceptions or miscommunication,” shortly after the two leaders, flanked by senior officials, sat opposite each other at a long table on a historic estate near San Francisco.

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U.N. Security Council adopts resolution for Gaza humanitarian pauses

NEW YORK – The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday called for humanitarian pauses and the protection of civilians in the war-torn Gaza Strip, in its first resolution adopted since last month’s attack on Israel by Hamas militants.

The key panel of the world body passed the resolution with the backing of a majority of its 15 members, after four similar motions failed due to splits between the United States, and Russia and China, all of which hold vetoes as permanent members.

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October foreign entries to Japan top pre-pandemic levels for 1st time

TOKYO – Japan saw an estimated 2,516,500 foreign visitors in October, up 0.8 percent from the same month in 2019, the first time the monthly figure has surpassed levels seen before the coronavirus outbreak, government data showed Wednesday.

The increase of visitors from Asia, Australia, parts of Europe, and North America, in particular, in an environment of a weak yen and resumed airline services contributed to the return of foreigners to Japan, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

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Baseball: Orix ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto headed for record 1st MLB contract

TOKYO – When Yoshinobu Yamamoto hits the market this winter following his posting by the Pacific League’s Orix Buffaloes, MLB teams expect his contract will easily surpass the $155 million Masahiro Tanaka received, currently the largest for a Japanese player ahead of his American debut.

“He may be the best pitcher we’ve ever seen come out of Japan,” one MLB team’s scout told Kyodo News. “He could get $200 million, partly because of that and partly because of this year’s market.”

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Japan PM travels to U.S. for APEC, talks with China, South Korea leaders

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida left for the United States Wednesday to attend a summit meeting in San Francisco of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and hold one-on-one talks with Chinese, South Korean and other leaders.

During his trip, Kishida is also slated to participate in a summit with nations involved in a U.S.-led initiative known as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a key part of Washington’s reengagement with the region amid China’s growing influence.

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Taiwan opposition unites to take on ruling party in presidential race

TAIPEI – Taiwan’s two main opposition parties on Wednesday decided on a joint ticket for the presidential election in January, increasing the chances for them to unseat the independence-leaning ruling party shunned by China.

Their joint bid is expected to make the leadership race, currently led by Vice President Lai Ching-te, 64, who heads the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, a close contest and could open the way for a change of the government after eight years of DPP rule.

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Filmmaker Kitano says Japan’s showbiz culture known to be brutal

TOKYO – Iconic Japanese filmmaker and comedian Takeshi Kitano said Wednesday the country’s entertainment industry has always tended to treat performers as commodities, with its traditional hierarchical structure often facilitating abuse of power.

Reflecting on the sexual abuse scandal involving the late Johnny Kitagawa, as well as the recent suspected suicide of a Takarazuka musical theater actress, Kitano, 76, said that since long ago, entering the Japanese entertainment world “was seen as something in which bad treatment happens.”

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Cannabis-derived gummies probed in Tokyo after almost 10 fall ill

TOKYO – Gummies allegedly containing substances derived from cannabis are under police investigation after nearly 10 people who ate them were taken to hospital recently in Tokyo, investigative sources said Wednesday.

Five people aged from their teens to their 50s were taken ill on Nov. 4 after eating the gummies, which were handed out by a man during a festival held at a park in western Tokyo, the sources said, adding that their symptoms included vomiting.

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