Kyodo News Digest: June 2, 2025

Kyodo News

2 days ago

KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 15:15 | All, Japan, World
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan's top negotiator arranging more tariff talks in U.S. this week
TOKYO - Japan's top tariff negotiator is arranging to visit the United States later this week for a fifth round of ministerial-level talks, aiming to reach common ground ahead of a summit between the two countries' leaders eyed for mid-June, a government source said Monday.
Ryosei Akazawa, the minister in charge of economic policy, seeks to win concessions over new tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump if he makes the trip to Washington from Thursday. It would be his third visit in as many weeks.
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Japan capital spending up 6.4% in Jan.-March on output, digital push
TOKYO - Capital spending by Japanese companies in the three months through March rose 6.4 percent from a year earlier, rising for the first time in two quarters, reflecting robust investment to boost production capacity and advance digitalization, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
Investment by all nonfinancial sectors for purposes such as building factories and adding equipment reached 18.80 trillion yen ($131 billion), marking the highest level since comparable data became available in 2001.
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Sumo: Ex-yokozuna Hakuho set to announce JSA retirement next week
TOKYO - Former yokozuna Hakuho is expected to hold a press conference on June 9 to announce his retirement from the Japan Sumo Association.
Multiple association sources said Monday the Mongolian-born 40-year-old, now known as elder Miyagino, will leave the ancient sport's governing body amid uncertainty about the future of his scandal-hit Miyagino stable.
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Defense tech subsidies for Japan universities totaled 2.7 bil. yen
TOKYO - Japanese universities have obtained a total of around 2.7 billion yen ($19 million) over nine years since the Defense Ministry started subsidizing security-related technology in fiscal 2015, a Kyodo News tally showed Sunday.
The result suggests that domestic universities, particularly those outside Tokyo, are seeking research funds amid budget constraints, despite growing criticism of the government's eagerness to expand defense spending to strengthen its capabilities.
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Japan whaling ship returns after taking 25 fin whales in Okhotsk
SENDAI - A commercial whaling ship returned to a port in northeastern Japan on Monday carrying 25 fin whales taken in the Sea of Okhotsk.
The fin whale hunt in Japan's exclusive economic zone, north of the northern island of Hokkaido, was conducted for the first time since Japan formally withdrew from the International Whaling Commission in 2019.
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North Korea no longer bans military use of space for defense purposes
TOKYO - North Korea lifted a ban on the military use of space for national defense purposes by amending its space development law in 2022, analysis by 38 North, a U.S.-based organization monitoring the nuclear-armed nation revealed Sunday.
Language opposing the militarization of space and limiting its use to peaceful purposes was removed, while the revised law includes a warning that countermeasures will be taken against any country attempting unfriendly acts, the analysis said.
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Football: Gustafson brace give Urawa win before Club World Cup
SAITAMA, Japan - Samuel Gustafson hit a fortuitous brace as Urawa Reds claimed a 2-1 comeback home win over Yokohama FC on Sunday, ending a three-game winless run in the J-League first division before heading to the FIFA Club World Cup.
The win moved Urawa up to third on 34 points in J1, six points behind leaders Kashima Antlers having played two games more. Yokohama FC remain on 19 points and a point above the relegation zone in 17th.
Video: Ceremony held to celebrate opening of Nagoya's IG Arena