Kyodo News Digest: July 18, 2022

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

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Shooter signaled Abe killing in letter to Unification Church critic

OSAKA – The man charged with murdering Shinzo Abe sent a letter to a critic of the Unification Church signaling his intention to kill the former prime minister prior to the shooting earlier this month, the recipient said Sunday.

The letter shows the strong resentment that the assailant, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, felt toward the church, with which he believed Abe had ties. Police appear to be aware of the letter.

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Japan walks tightrope between no COVID restrictions, hospital strain

TOKYO – The Japanese government currently has no plans to impose restrictions amid the seventh wave of coronavirus infections, but it remains to be seen whether the medical system will be able to endure the cost of this decision.

Over 105,500 new infections were reported nationwide Sunday, almost double from a week earlier and topping 100,000 for the third straight day. Among the surge, partly driven by the highly transmissible BA.5 Omicron subvariant, the number of severe cases rose by 15 from a day earlier to 129.

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Athletics: Sani Brown 1st Japanese to reach 100m final at worlds

EUGENE, Oregon – Abdul Hakim Sani Brown became the first Japanese to qualify for the 100 meters final Saturday at the World Athletics Championships, where he finished seventh in the men’s sprint event.

Fred Kerley led an American podium sweep after he ran 9.86 seconds for the gold medal in front of a roaring home crowd at Hayward Field, with Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell both finishing on 9.88 seconds and a photo finish giving the former silver and the latter bronze.

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Unification Church corrects remarks amid scrutiny over Abe’s death

TOKYO – The Unification Church, at the center of growing public scrutiny over former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s assassination, on Sunday corrected remarks that it has had “no trouble” with its followers since 2009.

A group of lawyers had criticized the comments made by Tomihiro Tanaka, president of the Japan branch of the church, at a press conference last Monday, underscoring that the church has been facing a series of requests for returning donations even after 2009.

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Taiwan’s Tsai vows to win year-end local elections

TAIPEI – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen pledged on Sunday to win year-end local elections across the island, which are viewed as indicators of voter sentiment ahead of the next presidential and island-wide legislative elections in 2024.

Speaking at the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s national congress in Taipei, Tsai, who heads the independence-leaning party, said the voter rejection in the last island-wide local elections in 2018 taught the DPP that the party needed to do better.

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Tokyo falls to 9th most expensive city for expats amid weak yen

TOKYO – Tokyo has tumbled to the ninth-most expensive city for people working abroad in 2022 from third a year earlier, partly due to the weakening of the yen against the U.S. dollar and other major currencies, according to an annual cost of living survey by a U.S. consulting firm.

The Mercer’s Cost of Living Survey comes as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, now in its third year, the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, varying exchange rates, and surging prices put a squeeze on pay and savings across the world.