News Headlines - 25 September 2020

▽Kim Jong-un Offers South Korea Rare Apology for Killing of Official - The New York Times

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, offered a rare apology on Friday for the killing of a South Korean government official at sea by soldiers from the North, South Korea said... Mr. Kim’s prompt apology to the South, the first issued in his name since he took power nearly a decade ago, appeared to have headed off what could have been another serious crisis in relations between the Koreas.

▽Kono tells all Japan government offices to quit 'hanko' stamps - Nikkei Asian Review

Japan's minister for administrative reform on Thursday ordered all national government offices to stop requiring hanko stamps on official documents as a rule.
These stamps are used widely across Japan by government agencies, businesses and individuals in lieu of signatures. But their use has been a major obstacle to the spread of digital forms and teleworking, an issue only highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Minister Taro Kono, in a letter distributed by the Cabinet Office, told each ministry to respond as to whether they will scrap requirements for a hanko seal, consider ending the requirement or consider continuing the use of the seals.
Those that continue requiring hanko seals on any forms will need to explain the decision by the end of September.

▽Yoshihide Suga or Suga Yoshihide? Japan pushes media to fall in line on name order | DW

Foreign journalists working in Japan say they are coming under pressure to give in to the government's request to reverse the order of individuals' names in their news articles.

▽Tokyo Game Show kicks off entirely online amid epidemic

The Tokyo Game Show, one of the world's largest gaming industry conventions, opened Wednesday entirely online for the first time since it started in 1996.
The annual event usually attracts hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts, including many cosplayers dressed up as game characters, but this year, as a result of the coronavirus epidemic, they will have to tune in online.
Photo shows the Tokyo Game Show 2020 official website. (Kyodo)
The virtual event is limited to businesses involved in the gaming industry on the first day but is open to the public from Thursday evening through Sunday.

▽Airbus looks to the future with hydrogen planes - BBC News

Aerospace giant Airbus has unveiled plans for what it hailed as the first commercial zero-emission aircraft.
The company said its hydrogen-fuelled passenger planes could be in service by 2035... The concept of emissions-free aviation relies heavily on finding ways to produce large quantities of hydrogen from renewable or low-carbon sources.
Most large-scale production at the moment relies on fossil fuels, particularly methane, and is not considered to be low-carbon.