Kyodo News Digest: Oct. 24, 2026

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N. Korean leader arrives in China via new border bridge: Yonhap

BEIJING/SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in China’s border city of Dandong via a new bridge linking the two countries, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday, citing a government source.

The report said Kim crossed the New Yalu River Bridge, which opened last week, 12 years after its completion, amid a marked improvement in ties.

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Japanese firm GMO asks gov’t to take preemptive cybersecurity steps

TOKYO – Japanese internet services provider GMO Internet Group Inc. said Saturday it has asked the government to take preemptive cybersecurity measures.

The company said it has confirmed that customer information related to its foreign exchange trading service was leaked without authorization and used in fraudulent transactions.

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Senior U.S. official urges Japan to align security strategy for deterrence

TOKYO – A senior U.S. official on Saturday urged Japan to align its security strategy with that of the United States as Tokyo plans to revise three key documents by the end of the year, calling for stronger regional deterrence.

In a video message to the Mt. Fuji Dialogue, an annual forum of U.S. and Japanese political and business leaders in Tokyo, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said deterrence is the United States’ top priority for the next decade, touching on regional developments including China’s growing assertiveness.

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Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games conclude with hopes for inclusive society

NAGOYA – The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games concluded Saturday with a closing ceremony, as organizers expressed hope that the continental sporting event would leave a lasting legacy in fostering a more inclusive society.

A record 45 countries and regions sent around 4,000 athletes and officials to compete in 18 sports, including boccia, which has no Olympic counterpart, at the fifth Asian Para Games, according to the organizing committee.

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Ex-U.S. detainee in Russia says Japan reporter held as ‘hostage diplomacy’

NEW YORK – A U.S. journalist imprisoned by Russia in 2023 on espionage charges said Friday he views the detention of a Japanese reporter by Moscow earlier this month as part of “hostage diplomacy.”

“It’s an obvious case,” said Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent based in Berlin for the Wall Street Journal.

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Vulnerability in apps behind recent spate of cyberattacks on Japan firms

TOKYO – Vulnerabilities found in smartphone apps may be behind the recent spate of cyberattacks against Japanese firms that have led to multiple reports of data breaches, as artificial intelligence is being used to attack servers, according to a recent analysis by a research institute.

Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, which falls under the communications ministry, said apps made for U.S. IT giant Google LLC’s Android operating system were targeted, with those for Apple Inc. likely to be attacked as well.

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Football: Asano nets 1st goal since return as Hiroshima thump Shimizu

HIROSHIMA – Former Japan forward Takuma Asano scored his first goal since his summer return to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their 4-0 home thrashing of Shimizu S-Pulse in the J.League first division on Saturday.

The win moved Hiroshima up to second on 26 points, a point behind leaders Machida Zelvia who drew 0-0 at Vissel Kobe. Kashiwa Reysol won 3-2 at Kashima Antlers to sit third on 25 points.

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Rugby: Japan beaten by Fiji in home test match a year from World Cup

TOKYO – Japan were beaten 34-28 by Fiji in a men’s rugby test match on Saturday with a year to go until the World Cup in Australia and ahead of their three Nations Championship matches in Europe in November.

The ninth-ranked Brave Blossoms leveled three times against world No. 10 Fiji, but Ben Volavola converted two penalties in the final 20 minutes in the rain at Tokyo’s Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in a match celebrating the Japan Rugby Football Union’s centenary.