November 11, Thursday, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1. Japanese writer and Buddhist nun Setouchi Jakucho has died at the age of 99. A publishing house and other sources said she died of heart failure at a hospital in Kyoto on Tuesday. Setouchi was born in 1922 in Tokushima City, western Japan. She began writing novels after graduating from university and made her professional debut in 1957.
2. New Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa has vowed to exercise leadership in tackling global issues such as climate change, the coronavirus, disarmament and nonproliferation to raise Japan’s international profile. Hayashi said he will pursue diplomacy with a determination to protect universal values and Japan’s peace and stability, and to contribute to humanity and lead the international community.
3. Bank of Japan officials have announced that the producer price index in October had its biggest spike in over 40 years. They cite as a main factor rising crude oil prices. The central bank says the cost of goods traded among companies rose 8 percent in October from the same month last year. That’s the largest margin of increase since January, 1981.