May 23, Thursday, 2024

1. Two major Japanese food makers have teamed up to solve the problem of recycling oily plastic bottles, and aim to lay the groundwork for a system of reusing the items. Edible oils are among the main products of Kewpie and Nisshin OilliO Group, which use a combined total of about 5,000 tons of plastic bottles a year. The two firms plan to collect them with help from recycling companies. They will first wash off the oil, and convert them into potentially reusable materials by crushing or heating them. The food makers will then try ways of making new items from the materials.
2. The Lower House of Japan’s Diet has passed a bill aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse. The bill would allow background checks of sex crime records for job seekers in child-rearing sectors.
3. The leaders of South Korea, China, and Japan will hold a trilateral summit in Seoul on Monday. It will be the first one in four and a half years.