TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan's Takaichi heads to India eyeing stronger economic security ties
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi departed for a three-day trip to India on Wednesday, as she seeks to boost cooperation on economic security with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
Japan is seeking to strengthen ties with India in the leaders' meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, as it sees the country as an increasingly valuable economic partner and a key player in maintaining a rules-based international order amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.
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China arrests 2 Japanese Fuji Electric workers over rare earths: sources
BEIJING - China has formally arrested two Japanese employees of Fuji Electric Co. who were detained in May in the northeastern port city of Dalian in connection with alleged attempts to take rare earth-related products overseas, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
Local customs authorities separately arrested the two in mid- and late June on suspicion of violating a law on the smuggling of prohibited imports or exports, after they were detained over the same case on May 18 and 25, respectively, the sources said.
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Average land price in Japan rises 2.9% on redevelopment, tourism demand
TOKYO - The average price of land in Japan rose 2.9 percent in 2026, climbing for the fifth consecutive year due to redevelopment projects in urban areas and booming tourism, government data showed Wednesday.
As of Jan. 1, the nationwide average price logged the fastest pace of increase since the calculation method was changed in 2010, according to the data released by the National Tax Agency.
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Japan triples departure tax to combat overtourism, visa fees up 5-fold
TOKYO - The Japanese government on Wednesday tripled the departure tax to 3,000 yen ($18) per person to fund measures against issues arising from the surge in inbound tourism.
Fees for foreigner visitors who need visas to enter Japan were also hiked on Wednesday, rising fivefold to 15,000 yen for single-entry and 30,000 yen for multiple entries. Meanwhile, on the same day, the government reduced passport application fees for Japanese nationals to make up for the added burden from the departure tax.
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Xi shows resolve to achieve unification with Taiwan at ruling party anniv.
BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed his resolve to achieve unification with Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island claimed by Beijing, in a speech to an event celebrating the 105th anniversary of the ruling Communist Party's founding.
"Resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China's complete reunification is a historic mission and an unshakable commitment" for the ruling party, said Xi, who has served as its general secretary since 2012.
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AI demand pushes Japan big manufacturers' business confidence to 8-yr high
TOKYO - Business confidence among major Japanese manufacturers in June improved to the highest level in eight years, as robust demand related to chips and artificial intelligence offset risks posed by the Middle East conflict, the Bank of Japan's Tankan survey showed Wednesday.
The sentiment index measuring confidence among companies such as those in the auto and electronics sectors rose to 22 from 17 in March for the fifth straight quarterly increase, beating the average market forecast of 16 in a Kyodo News tally.
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Japan female imperial succession far off despite legal change
TOKYO - Japan is facing the longstanding issue of ensuring a stable imperial succession due to the shrinking size of the imperial family and is now seeking to reverse that trend.
An envisaged revision of the Imperial House Law would clear the way for the adoption into the imperial family of male members of former branches that were stripped of their status after World War II and enable female members to retain their imperial status after marriage to commoners.
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Japan 2026 1st-half new car sales rise 1.8%, up 2nd straight year
TOKYO - New car sales in Japan rose 1.8 percent in the first half of 2026 from a year earlier, increasing for the second straight year as a series of new model launches boosted demand, industry body data showed Wednesday.
Automakers sold a total of 2,387,189 units, including minivehicles, from January to June, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association. Demand was also supported by the abolition in April of a local vehicle purchase tax based on environmental performance.
