Japan’s Cabinet approves record defense budget

For decades, the United States and Soviet Russia were the only countries that had landed on the moon. Then came China and India. Now, Japan is trying for the second time in 2023.

Tokyo has summoned the Chinese ambassador over hundreds of crank calls believed to originate from China. Japan has begun to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which Beijing says is not safe.

People in northeastern Japan, especially fishermen, fear that the controversial decision to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant will inflict new hardships on them.

Countries around the world continue to report extreme temperature records. In India, August was not only the hottest but also the driest on record.

Japan is marking 100 years since a devastating earthquake triggered a widespread inferno in Kanto, a region that includes the capital Tokyo. Most victims perished in the fire.

After corruption allegations in the defense ministry, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy is bringing in a new leader. Rustem Umerov has strong links to Crimea — and to Turkey.

The release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant prompted China to ban Japan's seafood imports. Japanese officials say they are now looking to boost export markets in places such as Taiwan, the US and Europe.

Japan's lunar mission comes two weeks after India successfully landed its craft on the moon's south pole.

Gambling in Japan operates in the shadows, yet it accounts for nearly half of sales in the country's leisure sector. And for some, a harmless pastime can turn into a dangerous addiction. About three million Japanese are thought to have experienced a gambling addiction at some point in their lives. Earlier this year, the government approved plans to build Japan's first casino, a long-awaited move that has divided public opinion. Our correspondents report on Japan's troubled relationship with gambling.

Fumio Kishida named new foreign and defense ministers in reshuffling his 19-member Cabinet. The Liberal Democrat leader is facing trouble at home as he sinks in opinion polls ahead of possible snap elections.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during Cold War defense spending was three to four percent and said it must happen again.

Li Shangfu has not been seen in public since August 29. Insider sources reportedly said he is under investigation after China's military procurement unit ordered an internal "clean-up."