PRESS DIGEST - Japan - July 8

Following are some of the leading stories in the Wednesday morning editions of Japanese newspapers, as compiled by Kyodo news agency:

-- Mitsui & Co (8031.T) to procure large amount of lithium from Canada (Nikkei)

-- Japan, United States eye first talks to discuss U.S. nuclear umbrella (Yomiuri)

-- Auto insurance premiums to be sharply cut (Asahi)

-- Government studied possibility of allowing nuclear weapon-carrying U.S. vessels into Japanese ports in 1974 (Mainichi)