Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on December 13th, 2023. In today’s news, the Supreme Court has ordered a former Osaka City Council member, whose election was invalidated due to a violation of the Public Offices Election Act, to fully refund the compensation received until the verdict is finalized. This is the first ruling regarding compensation received until the confirmation of invalid election, and it may have implications for similar cases involving members of the National Diet and other government officials.

Moving on to international news, the COP28 conference on climate change mitigation, being held in Dubai, UAE, has failed to reach an agreement on the wording regarding the ‘phasing out of fossil fuels.’ As a result, the conference has been extended, and negotiations are ongoing.

In other news, the Seibu Shinjuku Line, which had suspended operations between Kodaira Station and Higashimurayama Station due to a personal injury accident, has resumed service as of 6:51 a.m.

Additionally, SBI Securities, the largest online securities firm, is facing potential administrative sanctions as the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission is considering recommending action to the Financial Services Agency. It is alleged that SBI Securities knowingly accepted buy orders to manipulate the ‘opening price’ after a company’s initial public offering (IPO). SBI Securities denies any wrongdoing.

Shifting gears to politics, the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito have presented a proposal for the review of export rules for defense equipment. However, the two parties have not reached a conclusion on the export of jointly developed equipment to third countries, leading to criticism within the Liberal Democratic Party and calls for further cautious discussions within Komeito.

Lastly, in a case related to the sexual assault allegations made by Rina Gonoike, a former member of the Ground Self-Defense Force, against three former colleagues, the Fukushima District Court has handed down guilty verdicts with suspended sentences. The court described the actions of the accused as ‘ignoring the victim’s dignity and being despicable and malicious.’ And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be mostly clear with a high of 14°C and a low of 10°C. There is a 97% chance of rain and a UV index of 3. The wind will be blowing at a speed of 23 km/h. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.