Kyodo News Digest: Nov. 24, 2023

Illuminated autumn leaves are reflected on the surface of a pond, creating an enchanting “upside-down maple” effect, at Sogi Park in Toki, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, on Nov. 21, 2023. (Kyodo)

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

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Japan’s lower house approves 13.2 tril. yen FY 2023 extra budget

TOKYO – Japan’s lower house on Friday approved a 13.20 trillion yen ($88 billion) supplementary budget for the current business year to next March to implement additional inflation relief measures intended to support struggling households.

The budget plan, which includes the issuance of 8.88 trillion yen worth of government bonds to secure the necessary funding, goes to the upper house for deliberations, with the government seeking to have it enacted by the end of November.

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Gaza cease-fire begins, Hamas set to release hostages

JERUSALEM – A four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas began in the Gaza Strip on Friday, with Israel committing to a pause in its offensive in return for the freeing of around 50 women and children from among the hostages held by the Palestinian militant group.

The cease-fire, which was brokered by the United States and Qatar, began at 7 a.m. local time, with the first 13 women and children set to be released at around 4 p.m.

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Japan’s 330-meter tallest skyscraper Azabudai Hills opens in Tokyo

TOKYO – Japan’s tallest skyscraper opened in the heart of Tokyo on Friday, with visitors on its first business day expressing their excitement about the capital’s new nature-rich 330-meter landmark.

Some 30 million people are expected to visit the Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower and its surrounding facilities each year, said Mori Building Co., the developer of the 640 billion yen ($4.3 billion) complex.

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Nissan to invest additional 2 bil. pounds in British EV production

SUNDERLAND, England – Nissan Motor Co. on Friday announced an additional investment of up to 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) to expand electric vehicle production at its Sunderland plant in Britain.

The plant, Britain’s biggest car factory, will be the production site for electric versions of the popular Qashqai and Juke sport utility vehicle models, in addition to the Leaf, the Japanese automaker’s flagship electric vehicle.

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Japan warns China, Russia share goal of creating new global order

TOKYO – A think tank linked to Japan’s Defense Ministry warned Friday that China and Russia share a “common strategic goal” of creating a new international order so that they can use force to change the status quo more easily.

Both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin “have a hostile view of the existing global order based on the fundamental values of freedom and democracy,” Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies said in its China Security Report.

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3 parties form coalition as New Zealand gets 1st new gov’t in 6 years

SYDNEY – New Zealand’s center-right National Party, which won the October general election, signed a coalition agreement Friday to form the country’s next government with the right-wing ACT Party and the populist New Zealand First Party.

New Zealand will see its first change of government in six years when the new government is sworn in on Monday, after the Labour Party led by outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins suffered a crushing defeat in the Oct. 14 election, losing almost half of its seats.

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Japan confirms object launched into space by North Korea orbiting Earth

TOKYO – Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said Friday that the government has confirmed “some object” launched by North Korea is “orbiting the Earth,” after Pyongyang launched what it has said is a reconnaissance satellite into space earlier this week.

Kihara told reporters that the latest assessment was made in collaboration with the United States and South Korea, but refrained from commenting on whether the North’s satellite launch was successful.

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Japan’s October CPI up 2.9%, service prices see quickest gain in 30 yrs

TOKYO – Japan’s core consumer inflation accelerated to 2.9 percent in October from a year earlier, with services prices marking the fastest gain in three decades, government data showed Friday, keeping up pressure on the Bank of Japan as the key gauge has remained above its target for well over a year.

The pace of increase in the nationwide core consumer price index excluding volatile fresh food items rose from 2.8 percent in September, as the government scrambles to ease the pain of higher prices on households with new inflation relief measures.

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