Kyodo News Digest: May 7, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 23 minutes ago - 09:21 | All, World, Japan
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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U.S., China to hold talks on weekend for de-escalation: Bessent
WASHINGTON - The United States and China will hold high-level talks this weekend in Switzerland to de-escalate trade tensions, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday.
"My sense is that this will be about de-escalation, not about (a) big trade deal," Bessent told Fox News, referring to his upcoming meeting with China. "We've got to de-escalate before we can move forward."
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India strikes inside Pakistan after April terrorist attack in Kashmir
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD - India said Wednesday it has attacked "terrorist infrastructure sites" in Pakistan following a deadly incident that occurred on the Indian side of the disputed Kashmir region last month.
The strikes hit nine such locations in Pakistan and the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, targeting the roots of cross-border terror planning, the Indian Defense Ministry said.
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Germany elects Merz new chancellor in unprecedented second vote
BERLIN - Germany's parliament on Tuesday elected Friedrich Merz, a conservative from the ruling bloc, as new chancellor in an unprecedented second vote amid political chaos following the collapse of his predecessor Olaf Scholz's regime late last year.
Merz, a 69-year-old lawyer-turned-politician, formally took office after being nominated by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, forming a new coalition involving the alliance of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union as well as the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
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JAXA to push recognizing Ryugu asteroid sample as int'l standard
TOKYO - Japan's space agency is hoping to make the samples collected by its Hayabusa2 space probe from an asteroid recognized as standard reference material for international research, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
A research team including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is considering the establishment of a new organization as soon as this summer that would specialize in analyzing and releasing the composition data, the sources said.
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BOJ to launch own survey on wage hikes: sources
TOKYO - The Bank of Japan plans to launch its own survey on wage hikes to obtain data of small and midsize companies without labor unions affiliated with Rengo, the country's largest trade union group, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
The BOJ will announce the new study, which will be part of its quarterly Tankan business sentiment survey, later this fiscal year and begin it in 2027 at the earliest, the sources told Kyodo News.
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Japanese idol group Arashi to disband after spring tour next year
TOKYO - The popular Japanese all-male idol group Arashi, which has been on hiatus since the end of 2020, announced Tuesday that it will disband after a tour next spring with all five members.
"The environment surrounding us has changed," as have each member's circumstances, the group said in a post on its official social media accounts and on an official fan website.
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Japan among popular destinations for China travelers despite warning
TOKYO - Japan was among popular destinations for Chinese travelers during the five-day Labor Day holiday through Monday, despite an earlier warning by the Chinese Embassy in the country about violent crimes and incidents of food poisoning.
Chinese online travel agency Trip.com Group Ltd. said Japan ranked alongside South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia as a major overseas travel destination for Chinese holidaymakers.
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Japan's former Emperor Akihito hospitalized for heart checkup
TOKYO - Japan's former Emperor Akihito was admitted to a Tokyo hospital on Tuesday for a medical examination after an earlier checkup found signs of myocardial ischemia, the Imperial Household Agency said.
The 91-year-old will undergo a series of tests at University of Tokyo Hospital. He has not complained of any symptoms of myocardial ischemia, which reduces blood flow to heart muscles, according to the agency.
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Kyodo News Digest: June 11, 2025
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