November 11, Friday, 2022 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has decided to dismiss Justice Minister Hanashi Yasuhiro, who has been under fire for controversial remarks. Kishida conveyed his decision to senior officials of the Liberal Democratic Party. Hanashi said on Wednesday that he has a low-profile job that makes headlines only when he authorizes executions. He made the remark at a gathering of LDP lawmakers of the Kishida faction.
2.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stressed that his country’s military is trying to retake territory from Russia in the southern region of Kherson and elsewhere. Zelenskyy said in his latest video message on Thursday, “The number of Ukrainian flags returning to their rightful place in the framework of the ongoing defense operation is already dozens.” He added, “41 settlements were liberated.”
3.NHK has learned that a Japanese national, who is believed to have been a “volunteer fighter” with the Ukrainian forces, has died in Ukraine. Sources close to the Japanese government say that a man in his 20s died in Ukraine on Wednesday. Details, such as where he died, are unclear. The sources say this is the first time a Japanese national involved in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has died.