Kyodo News Digest: Sept. 27, 2023

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

TOKYO - A Japanese lower house lawmaker was indicted Wednesday for receiving bribes from a wind power firm in exchange for exercising his influence in favor of the company, prosecutors said.

Masatoshi Akimoto, 48, who left the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after the incident came to light, was secretary general of an LDP parliamentary association for promotion of renewable energies. He advocated the enactment of a law on utilizing sea areas for renewable power generation that came into force in April 2019.

NAHA, Japan - The governor of Japan's Okinawa on Wednesday rejected the central government's demand to approve its modified plan on landfill work for the relocation of a key U.S. base within the southern island prefecture.

In a letter addressed to the government, Gov. Denny Tamaki said it was "difficult to approve" the modified plan to reinforce soft ground at a designated construction site by the Wednesday deadline.

TSUSHIMA, Japan - The mayor of Tsushima in southwestern Japan said Wednesday he has decided against applying to the state for a preliminary survey to gauge the island city's suitability to host an underground disposal site for highly radioactive waste from nuclear power generation.

The decision comes in contrast with the local assembly's approval earlier this month of a request filed by proponents urging the city to accept the survey.

TOULOUSE, France - Japan may have played and beaten Samoa in the last two Rugby World Cups before losing to the Pacific islanders in July in the Pacific Nations Series, but those games mean nothing as they head into Thursday's crunch Pool D game at Stadium de Toulouse.

The scenario is simple. Whoever wins in La Ville Rose retains a chance to make the quarterfinals. The loser may not even qualify for the next World Cup, a right that only goes to the top three in each pool.

Japan plans tax breaks to achieve economic security, wage growth

TOKYO - The government is considering offering tax breaks for companies that invest in strategically important sectors such as semiconductors and storage batteries, in a push to boost Japan's growth potential and ensure economic security, according to an outline unveiled Wednesday.

Alongside the plan, the government is also considering expanding tax reduction measures for small and midsize companies that have lagged behind larger firms in raising pay, which would be in line with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's push to increase wealth redistribution.

SHIZUOKA, Japan - A 73-year-old man fatally stabbed his wife and daughter who were staying in a neurology hospital in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Wednesday before apparently taking his own life, police said.

The police received an emergency call at around 2:20 p.m. about patients being attacked by the man, who was later identified as Kenichi Saito, at the hospital in Fujinomiya.

TOKYO - NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, announced on Wednesday that it will suspend new contracts with male talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc. until it ensures appropriate actions have been taken to address decades of sexual abuse by the agency's late founder, including adequate compensation for victims.

The policy will also extend to "Kohaku Uta Gassen," a popular live music show aired on New Year's Eve that features Japan's most popular singers, NHK president Nobuo Inaba said at a press conference.

Evergrande founder put under Chinese police control: report

BEIJING - The founder and chairman of embattled major property developer China Evergrande Group has been put under police control in the Asian country, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Hui Ka Yan was taken away by police earlier this month and is being monitored at a designated location. It is unclear why he has been under so-called residential surveillance, a type of police action that falls short of formal detention or arrest, the news agency said.

LONDON - Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML Holding N.V. said Tuesday it is considering setting up a support center in Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido in 2024 to work with recently-established Japanese chip producer Rapidus Corp.

An ASML official said the company plans to send some 40 to 50 engineers to work in the city of Chitose where they will be tasked with supporting Rapidus.

HANGZHOU, China - Rising Japanese skateboarding star Ginwoo Onodera suffered a shock loss in the men's street final at the Asian Games on Wednesday, finishing seventh without landing once in five single-trick attempts.

The 13-year-old Onodera was the odds-on favorite to win the event after he topped the qualification round a day earlier. In February, he became the youngest male medalist ever at a street skateboarding world championships when he took bronze in the United Arab Emirates at age 12.