1. China’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Japanese ambassador to China to demand a retraction of a remark by Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae about a possible Taiwan contingency.
2. NHK has learned that a Japanese research institute believes the wild bear population in Akita Prefecture may be growing as a result of good beechnut yields becoming more frequent in recent years. The nut is a primary food source for the animals.
3. Major League Baseball superstar Ohtani Shihei of the Los Angeles Dodgers has won this season’s National League Most Valuable Player award.