Kyodo News Digest: Aug. 14, 2025
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Japan eyes exporting used destroyers to Southeast Asia
TOKYO - Japan is considering the export of used Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers to Southeast Asia, government sources said Wednesday, in an effort to strengthen security ties with countries in the region where key sea lanes are located.
Japan has been studying the export of Abukuma-class ships to the Philippines following a June meeting in Singapore where the countries' defense ministers discussed the matter.
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Japan calls for "forward-looking" Russian action over Ukraine war
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called Wednesday for "forward-looking" action from Russia over the Ukraine war as he met virtually with other leaders of the so-called Coalition of the Willing ahead of planned U.S.-Russian summit talks in Alaska, the Foreign Ministry said.
Welcoming U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts toward achieving a cease-fire in the war between the two neighboring countries, among other goals, the Japanese leader strongly called for Moscow to take positive action during Friday's meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Osaka expo opening delayed to 10 a.m. after subway disruption
OSAKA - The World Exposition in Osaka will open one hour later than usual at 10 a.m. on Thursday, following disruptions to the local metro service that left large numbers of visitors stranded in the area well into the night.
The Osaka Metro's Chuo Line, which offers sole direct train access from the city center to the expo site on Yumeshima, an artificial island, resumed at around 5:25 a.m. after a power failure hit the line at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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Japan to begin anti-dumping probe into China, S. Korea steel products
TOKYO - The government vowed Wednesday to investigate allegations that steel products from China and South Korea have been imported into Japan at below-market prices, after receiving a request from four major domestic producers.
The Japanese finance and trade ministries said they will decide whether to impose anti-dumping duties on imports of hot-dipped galvanized steel coil, sheet and strip, which are mainly used in construction for guardrails and fencing.
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Record 1 ton of cannabis, worth $35 mil., seized in Japan
TOKYO - Japanese narcotics agents said Wednesday they have seized 1.046 tons of cannabis worth about 5.2 billion yen ($35 million) on the street, marking Japan's largest-ever single-raid illegal drug haul.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Narcotics Control Department has arrested three Vietnamese nationals for allegedly smuggling the cannabis hidden in a shipping container and possessing it at a material yard in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, it said.
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S. Korea's president Lee to visit Japan Aug. 23-24 to meet PM Ishiba
TOKYO - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will make a two-day visit to Japan starting Aug. 23 to meet with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the Japanese government said Wednesday.
Lee is set to visit Japan with his wife in his first trip to the neighboring nation since his inauguration in June. He took office following the ouster of his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, whose short-lived imposition of martial law last December led to his downfall.
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Former Japanese idol convicted of molesting interpreter in H.K.
HONG KONG - A former Japanese pop idol was found guilty of molesting a female interpreter and making unwelcome advances after a fan event in Hong Kong earlier this year, a court ruled on Wednesday.
Kenshin Kamimura, a former member of J-pop band One N' Only, was convicted of indecent assault and slapped with a HK$15,000 ($1,910) fine, with the presiding magistrate saying his behavior was "patently a disrespect of women."
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Gravel transport vessel, sailboat collide off Japan, 1 dead
OITA, Japan - A 492-ton gravel transport vessel and a sailboat collided Wednesday morning in waters about 2 kilometers northeast of an island in Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, leaving one man dead, the coast guard said.
Makoto Yamamoto, a 70-year-old doctor and the sole person aboard the sailboat, was found in nearby waters but was later declared dead following the collision, which occurred at around 8:15 a.m. There were no injuries aboard the transport vessel, according to the local coast guard.
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