Kyodo News Digest: June 17, 2025
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan, U.S. fail to reach tariff deal at Ishiba-Trump summit
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump made little headway in bridging gaps over tariffs at their summit on Monday, casting doubt on the prospect of a quick yet "mutually beneficial" package deal that can protect Japan's all-important auto sector.
After sitting down with Trump for 30 minutes in Canada's Rockies, Ishiba said any potential deal should serve the interests of both Japan and the United States, and that bilateral ministerial talks will continue to seek such an agreement.
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G7 leaders discuss global trade amid Trump tariff tensions
CALGARY, Canada - The leaders of the Group of Seven democracies discussed global trade Monday as they kicked off two days of talks in Canada, while trying to hide divisions stemming from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war and unilateralism.
Trump's transactional approach to diplomacy and his confrontational trade actions also targeted at G7 countries, have tested the 50-year-old group's ability to coordinate global economic policy and address threats to international peace and security.
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Trump to leave early from G7 summit, return to U.S. on Mon. night
CALGARY, Canada - U.S. President Donald Trump will leave early from the Group of Seven summit in Canada and travel back to Washington later Monday, the White House said, suggesting that attending the multilateral talks is less important than dealing with the unfolding Israel-Iran conflict.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters Trump will "return to Washington tonight so he can attend to many important matters."
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Japan, South Korea summit set for June 17 on G7 fringes in Canada
BANFF, Canada - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung will meet Tuesday on the fringes of the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Canada, the Japanese government said.
It will be their first face-to-face meeting since Lee replaced impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol earlier in the month.
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Ex-Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara reports to U.S. prison
LOS ANGELES - Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, is in U.S. federal prison, prison authorities said Monday, after being sentenced for stealing nearly $17 million from the baseball player.
His incarceration in Pennsylvania comes after Mizuhara, 40, was sentenced to a prison term of four years and nine months and was ordered to surrender himself to authorities by Monday, according to his attorney.
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BOJ to slow pace of bond-buying reduction, keeps policy rate at 0.5%
TOKYO - The Bank of Japan decided Tuesday to further reduce its monthly government bond purchases beyond April next year, but at a slower pace, while maintaining its interest rate, underscoring its prudent approach to normalizing monetary policy amid economic uncertainties.
Under the latest plan, the central bank will scale back its debt buying by 200 billion yen ($1.4 billion) per quarter, down from the current 400 billion yen. The total amount of purchases will decline to about 2 trillion yen in early 2027.
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Identification of Air India crash victims continues as families wait
AHMEDABAD, India - A hospital in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad is still identifying over 270 victims of the Air India plane crash last week, with dozens of family members appearing anxious and upset as they wait to receive the bodies of their loved ones.
Most of the bodies brought to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital are badly charred. The London-bound Boeing 787-8, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed into a residential area of the city and erupted in flames Thursday, with only one passenger surviving.
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Japan calls for "utmost restraint" from Iran in conflict with Israel
TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Monday told his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araghchi that all parties must exercise "utmost restraint" amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
During their phone talks, Iwaya said any action that could further escalate the situation should be refrained from, adding he is "deeply concerned about the current exchange of attacks spreading throughout the Middle East region," the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
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