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TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. Japan PM Takaichi says no plan to dissolve lower house at present GYEONGJU, South Korea - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Saturday she has no plan to dissolve the House of Representatives at present as she needs to focus on policies that she regards as a top priority, including an economic package. The country's first female prime minister also told a press conference in Gyeongju, South Korea -- following a hectic week of overseas trips that included a two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum through Saturday -- that she has made a "steady start" as Japanese leader in the field of diplomacy. Japan defense chief tells China about serious security concern KUALA LUMPUR - Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Saturday told his Chinese counterpart that Japan is concerned over the increase in Beijing's military activities in the region. Koizumi and Dong Jun agreed to promote dialogue and exchanges at various levels when they met on the sidelines of meetings of defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other countries in Kuala Lumpur. Japan PM tells former Taiwan vice premier she hopes for closer ties GYEONGJU, South Korea - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Taiwan's former vice premier Lin Hsin-i that she hopes to strengthen cooperation with Taiwan in a variety of fields, the Japanese government said. Takaichi, known for her pro-Taiwan stance, said the self-ruled island is a very important partner as seen in bilateral economic ties and personnel exchanges. ASEAN defense forum chair calls for closer ties to deal with challenges KUALA LUMPUR - The chair of a regional defense ministers' meeting in Malaysia said Saturday that closer cooperation is key to addressing security challenges. The meeting "allows us to state clearly that this region remains a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality, not a stage for strategic rivalry," said Malaysian Defense Minister Khaled Nordin, who chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers' Meeting with its dialogue partners. GYEONGJU, South Korea - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday called for stronger "strategic communication" with China to work toward the resumption of dialogue with North Korea as he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Gyeongju, the South Korean presidential office said. At the outset of their talks, Xi said Beijing is ready to deepen cooperation with Seoul so the two Asian neighbors can put "positive energy into regional peace and development," Lee's office said. TOKYO - JR East on Saturday marked exactly 100 years of operation of the iconic Yamanote loop line train that encircles central Tokyo. Connecting with private railways entering from the outer suburbs, bustling commercial districts formed around hubs such as Shinjuku and Shibuya stations, and laid the foundations for the capital's development. Redevelopment continues along the line today and its status as the main artery of Tokyo, carrying huge numbers of people daily, remains unchanged. Japanese retailer H2O retailing logs 74% drop in net profit in 1st-half OSAKA - H2O Retailing Corp., the parent of Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores Inc., said Friday its net profit for the fiscal first half fell 74.5 percent from a year earlier to 6.91 billion yen ($44 million) due to a decline in duty-free sales following last year's surge in inbound demand. Overall sales, however, rose 0.5 percent to 333.02 billion yen in the six months ended Sept. 30, helped by the solid food business. A special sales campaign to celebrate the Hanshin Tigers winning Japanese professional baseball's Central League title also contributed about 2 billion yen. Japan to chair APEC meetings in 2031 for 3rd time GYEONGJU, South Korea - The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum decided Saturday at its summit in South Korea that Japan will chair APEC meetings in 2031, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. It will be the third time that Japan has hosted meetings of the regional economic framework, which groups together 21 member economies including the United States, China, Russia and Southeast Asian nations. Video: Tokyo's Yamanote loop line train marks 100 years of operations
