July 24, Monday, 2023

1. This year’s air-raid evacuation drills began in Taiwan on Monday. The annual exercises are aimed at preparing people for possibilities such as a missile attack by China. The drills are being held separately in four regions across Taiwan through Thursday. 2. Rising costs have forced the organizer of a fireworks festival in western Japan to drastically increase the number of paid seats to help finance the event. The Matsue Suigosai Fireworks display in Shimane Prefecture has been held nearly every summer for about 100 years. 3. A senior Japanese government official says China is spreading inaccurate information about Tokyo’s plan to release treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Isozaki Yoshihiko told reporters on Monday that some of the information being released by China is false, and the Japanese government has made science-based objections on multiple occasions.