Anthony Kuhn

Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.

Over the weekend, North Korean state media claimed that the South sent drones last September and this month, which the North says it brought down with electronic countermeasures.

Pyongyang published pictures purporting to show the drone and the aerial footage it shot.

South Korea says the drones aren't theirs, and they have no intention of provoking the North.

That's a wise choice, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong said in a statement.

But the South is still responsible, Kim added, threatening that the North could retaliate.

South Korean ex-president Yoon Song-yeol is currently on trial, accused of sending drones into North Korea in 2024 to trigger a retaliation and justify his declaration of martial law.

Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.

Japan's foreign ministry complained to the Chinese embassy and demanded that the export ban be withdrawn.

The ministry noted that the ban only targets Japan.

It runs counter to international practice and is unacceptable.

Japan's government says it's still trying to determine whether the ban includes rare earths, which are crucial for automakers and other industries.

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning argued that the ban is legitimate and protects China's security and non-proliferation commitments.

Mao restated China's demand that Prime Minister Sanae Takeuchi retract her remarks about Japan's possible military involvement in a potential conflict over Taiwan.

The Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant sits on the Sea of Japan in Niigata Prefecture.

It supplies electricity to the capital, Tokyo, about 136 miles to the southeast.

Niigata's prefectural assembly passed a vote of confidence in the governor who supports the plant's restart, essentially green-lighting the move.

From 2021 to 2023, Japan's nuclear regulators effectively banned the plant from restarting due to security breaches and falsified safety inspection records.

An October poll found 61% of residents don't think conditions for the restart have been met, but the government plans to reactivate the plant's first reactor next month anyway.

Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.