News Headlines - 01 December 2020

▽Asahi Shimbun Pres. to Step Down over Poor Earnings | JIJI PRESS

Masataka Watanabe, president of The Asahi Shimbun Co., has expressed his intention to step down on April 1, 2021, to take responsibility for the major Japanese daily publisher sinking into red ink in the April-September fiscal first half.
The company said it posted 41,908 million yen in group net loss in the six months, attributing the first loss in nine years on a first-half basis to the coronavirus epidemic.

▽Former head of Don Quijote suspected of insider trading : The Asahi Shimbun

A former president of the parent firm that operates the Don Quijote discount store chain is under investigation for suspected insider trading that Tokyo prosecutors contend netted an acquaintance with a hefty profit of 60 million yen ($575,000).
They believe the 57-year-old former executive urged his friend to buy stocks in Don Quijote Holdings Co. ahead of moves by leading retailer FamilyMart Uny Holdings Co. in 2018 to take over the company, according to sources.
Prosecutors intend to bring charges of Financial Instruments and Exchange Law violations, the sources said.

▽Author of 'Dokaben' Baseball Manga Retires - JIJI PRESS

Shinji Mizushima, the author of the popular Japanese "Dokaben" baseball manga series, decided to end his career as a manga artist Tuesday, his talent agency said.
"I've been working hard for 63 years. Now I came to a decision to retire today," the 81-year-old said in a comment.

▽South Korea passes law to allow BTS to postpone military service | Reuters

South Korea’s parliament on Tuesday passed a bill to allow globally recognised K-pop artists such as BTS to postpone their mandatory military service to age 30.
All able-bodied South Korean men aged between 18 and 28 must serve in the military for about two years as part of the country’s efforts to guard against North Korea.
The amendment to the Military Service Act was designed to provide exceptions for K-pop megastars who improve the country’s cultural status and boost the economy.
South Korea allows eligible students to defer their duties up to age 28 and has granted exemptions for high-profile classical musicians and athletes who won Olympic medals or a gold at the Asian Games, including Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min.

▽Iranian official accuses Israel of killing Fakhrizadeh remotely | Al Jazeera

A senior Iranian security official alleges that Israel assassinated top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh using remote-controlled technology.
“Unfortunately, the operation was very complicated and was done using electronic equipment and no [perpetrators] were at the scene,” Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told reporters during Fakhrizadeh’s burial ceremony on Monday.