Kyodo News Digest: May 31, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 7 minutes ago - 09:03 | All, Japan, World
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan, U.S. agree tariff talks making progress toward deal
WASHINGTON - Japan's chief tariff negotiator said Friday that he and U.S. Cabinet members agreed in their talks that they are making progress toward a potential tariff deal as early as next month.
After a meeting in Washington with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's minister in charge of economic revitalization, told reporters that they plan to hold another round of negotiations before a Group of Seven summit in mid-June.
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Trump says U.S. to double tariffs on steel imports to 50%
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he will raise tariffs on steel imports to 50 percent from the 25 percent that his administration imposed earlier this year.
Trump made the announcement during a speech at a United States Steel Corp. plant in Pennsylvania. Trump praised Nippon Steel Corp. for planning to invest $14 billion in the struggling iconic U.S. producer.
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China agrees to begin steps to resume Japanese seafood imports: Tokyo
TOKYO - Japan's government said Friday that China has agreed to begin procedures to resume imports of Japanese seafood, lifting a ban imposed after the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.
Chinese authorities are expected to issue a public notice easing the blanket ban that has been in place since August 2023 and soon open registration for Japanese facilities that process and preserve marine products, sources familiar with the matter said.
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Japan consumer watchdog warns of rice scam websites as prices soar
TOKYO - Japan's consumer affairs center has called on people grappling with soaring rice prices to beware of websites claiming to sell the staple at heavily discounted prices.
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan said complaints related to such websites have spiked since March, with some claiming the rice was never delivered though payment had been made.
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Japan, Cambodia agree to bolster security cooperation
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet agreed Friday to strengthen security cooperation as Tokyo seeks to deepen ties with other Asian countries amid China's growing regional influence.
At a press appearance in Tokyo, Ishiba expressed a desire to strengthen security ties with Cambodia, citing Japan's Official Security Assistance program, which is aimed at deepening cooperation with like-minded partners.
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Authorities launch joint probe into securities account hijackings
TOKYO - Tokyo police and other authorities have launched a joint investigation into a recent spate of cases in which hacked securities accounts at multiple firms were used for unauthorized stock trading, investigative sources said Friday.
The Metropolitan Police Department will work with the National Police Agency's cyber unit and the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission to investigate suspected unauthorized access and market manipulation, in which specific stocks were purchased to artificially inflate their prices and secure profits.
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Japan's Dai-ichi Life to take 15% stake in British insurer M&G
TOKYO - Japan's Dai-ichi Life Holdings Inc. said Friday it will buy about a 15 percent stake in a British life insurance and asset management firm, aiming to expand its overseas reach and compensate for declining revenue from the shrinking domestic market.
The Japanese life insurer said it will invest approximately 160 billion yen ($1.1 billion) to buy the shares in M&G PLC from the stock market, making it an affiliate and a preferred asset management partner. The deal will mark Dai-ichi Life's first entry into the European market.
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Sumo: Onosato performs ring entry ceremony at Meiji Jingu shrine
TOKYO - New sumo grand champion Onosato performed his first ring-entering ceremony Friday at Tokyo's Meiji Jingu shrine to mark his promotion to the sport's highest rank.
The 24-year-old from Ishikawa Prefecture officially became sumo's 75th yokozuna on Wednesday, having attained the rank at a record pace after just 13 professional tournaments.
Video: Universal Studios Japan's special performance at Osaka Expo
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Japan to Set Up Ministerial Council on Rice This Week
Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that he would set up a ministerial council this week to discuss achieving the stable supply of rice amid soaring prices. "We want to thoroughly discuss farmland prices and food security to stabilize farmers' finances," Ishiba said at the Budget Committee of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament. He reiterated the need to review the government-led adjustment for rice production and said that it is necessary to draw a conclusion on the matter as soon as possible. Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that the government will drastically shift its rice field policy toward fiscal 2027 and beyond. A basic plan will be drawn up in fiscal 2025, which ends next March, he said. Ishiba rejected a call for a ban on political donations from corporations and organizations. "As companies are members of society, they should express their political will" through donations, he said. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
