June 11, Tuesday, 2024

1. South Korea’s military says its troops fired waring shots when North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the military demarcation line between the two countries on Sunday. More than 10 North Korean soldiers apparently violated the land border by mistake. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Tuesday that the incident occurred shortly past noon on Sunday. It added that the North Korean soldiers immediately returned to their territory, after the South Korean military issued warning broadcasts and fired warning shots. 2. A survey shows bankruptcies in Japan rose to the most in 12 years in May. The failures come as pandemic-related government support for struggling businesses nears its end. Research firm Teikoku Databank says 1,016 companies started liquidation last month. That’s a 46 percent year-on-year increase.
3. NHK’s latest poll indicates that more than 80 percent of the respondents feel a sense of crisis about the impact that Japan’s falling birthrate could have on society. Government statistics released last week showed that the country’s total fertility rate fell to 1.20 in 2023. That is the lowest since record-keeping began in 1947. The figure represents the number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime.