Briefly

JAPAN

Probe into Unification Church ordered

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered an investigation on Monday into the Unification Church, after the assassination of former premier Shinzo Abe in July revealed close ties between the church and ruling party lawmakers. Support for Kishida's government has tumbled to its lowest level since he took office on growing anger about Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers not fully disclosing their ties to the church, known for its mass weddings. Abe was shot during an election rally and the suspected killer said his mother was bankrupted by the church, which critics call a cult, and blamed Abe for promoting it. Kishida instructed the culture minister to prepare an investigation into the church.

INDONESIA

Project milestone for Chinese-built railway

The installment of all box girders along the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway was completed on Sunday, which means the track laying channel has fully opened, laying a solid foundation for the completion of the railway in June 2023. With a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour, the Jakarta-Bandung HSR built with Chinese technology will cut the journey between Jakarta and Bandung from over three hours to around 40 minutes. The rail line has a total length of 142 kilometers. At present, all 13 tunnels along the railway have been completed. One high-speed electric passenger train and one inspection train tailored for this project arrived in Indonesia on Sept 1.

SWEDEN

Parliament elects conservative PM

The Swedish parliament on Monday elected Ulf Kristersson — the conservative Moderate Party leader — as prime minister at the head of a coalition that is being supported by a once radical far-right party. Kristersson, 59, was elected by 176-173 votes. His government is expected to be presented on Tuesday. His three-party coalition does not have a majority, but in Sweden, prime ministers can govern as long as there is no parliamentary majority against them. After a month of talks with the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, Kristersson presented an agreement that gave them an unprecedented position of influence in Swedish politics.

Agencies - Xinhua