Latest news with #KyodoNews
Kyodo News
8 hours ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: July 25, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Bessent says U.S. to prod China to pause Russia, Iran oil purchases WASHINGTON - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that his delegation will stress the importance of China pausing its purchases of Russian and Iranian oil in a meeting with Chinese officials next week in Sweden. Bessent said in a Fox Business interview that he believes the United States can move on to such issues concerning China, given that trade is now "in a good place." ---------- Top Japan, S. Korea diplomats to pursue stable development of ties TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his new South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun agreed Thursday to work together to promote the stable development of bilateral relations and maintain close communication, Japan's government said. During their phone talks, Iwaya and Cho also affirmed the importance of cooperating not only bilaterally and also trilaterally with their common ally, the United States, "under the current strategic environment," according to the Foreign Ministry. ---------- 11 Thai civilians killed in armed clashes at Thai-Cambodian border BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH - Armed clashes broke out between Thailand and Cambodia in a disputed border area Thursday morning, marking the latest flare-up since May, with Thai authorities saying at least 12 people, mostly civilians, were killed. The Thai government and army said the 11 civilian deaths included an 8-year-old boy, with a Thai soldier also killed, and that more than 20 others, along with seven soldiers, were injured by Cambodian artillery. ---------- Sony to take stake in Bandai Namco in anime business partnership TOKYO - Sony Group Corp. will take a 2.5 percent stake in major Japanese toymaker Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. for 68 billion yen ($464 million) as they joined hands in the anime business, the two companies said Thursday. The Japanese tech conglomerate plans to expand anime works and products based on intellectual property copyrighted by Bandai Namco through the partnership. ---------- Japan gov't panel approves human embryo creation using iPS cells TOKYO - A Japanese government panel on Thursday broadly agreed to allow the creation of human embryos using eggs or sperm derived from pluripotent stem cells such as iPS cells, but only for research purposes into matters such as infertility and hereditary diseases. According to a report compiled by the expert panel on bioethics, the culture period of such embryos would be limited to a maximum of 14 days, as with conventional fertilized egg research, and implantation into a human or animal uterus would be prohibited. ---------- Russian plane carrying dozens crashes in Far East, no survivors MOSCOW - A Russian Angara Airlines plane carrying nearly 50 people crashed in the country's Far East on Thursday, with an investigation committee saying no survivors have been found, Tass news agency said. No Japanese nationals were on board, according to the Japanese Consulate General in Khabarovsk. ---------- Sumo: Onosato survives against Ichiyamamoto, stays 1 win off pace NAGOYA - New yokozuna Onosato stayed one win off the pace at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament following a lucky escape against joint overnight leader Ichiyamamoto on Thursday. The 25-year-old grand champion won a rematch with the No. 8 maegashira after the ringside officials could not determine a clear winner in the day's final scheduled bout, which was initially awarded to Ichiyamamoto. ---------- Video: Junglia Okinawa theme park readies for July 25 opening
The Mainichi
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Hall of Famer Ichiro 'totally obsessed' with cooking
KOBE (Kyodo) -- Renowned for his perfectionism as a player, Baseball Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki recently turned his hand to something he never tried during his career. "I'm totally obsessed with cooking now, rather than just being passionate," the former Seattle Mariners outfielder said in a recent interview with Kyodo News. "I can only make several dishes, but mainly pasta and risotto." Ichiro, who is widely known by just his first name, says he is the type of person who wants to gain knowledge and experience once he develops a new interest. The first Asian player to be elected to the U.S. National Baseball Hall of Fame is scheduled to attend Sunday's induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, along with starting pitcher CC Sabathia and closer Billy Wagner. Ichiro took up cooking last December when he had a whole month in Seattle, which is unusual for the evergreen 51-year-old. "When I'm at home, I just wait for my wife to cook for me. But I began to think that wasn't good for me, so I asked one of my friends to teach me how to make pasta. That's how I got started," said Ichiro, who also played for the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. "No one could've imagined that I would wear an apron and become so into cooking. I had never even held a knife. Of course, my wife still cooks me nutritionally balanced meals, and she also teaches me how to cook." Cooking has become a part of his daily routine. Ichiro now enjoys the whole process, from preparing the ingredients to washing up after the meal and putting the dishes back on the shelves. Ichiro has maintained a demanding daily training regimen since his retirement in March 2019. "I've done more than in my playing days. I'm trying to go a step further, even if my body is at its limit, he said. "Now I can judge, 'Oh, I'll get hurt if I go this far.' I couldn't do such reckless things like that during my playing career, so that's a big difference." He had 3,089 hits during his Major Baseball League career between 2001 and 2019 while winning 10 Gold Gloves. He also set the major league record for most hits in a season with 262 in 2004. "I'm very curious about how an athlete's body changes," Ichiro said. "Today's athletes are kind of overprotected, but they get injured a lot. Why do athletes who are large and appear strong at first glance get injured so often? I hope to motivate Mariners players by practicing together." Looking at Ichiro's ageless athleticism, people often wonder if he could come out of retirement to play again. Mariners right-handed pitcher Bryan Woo once said in an interview that he is learning from Ichiro's throwing mechanics.
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Japan asked again by U.N. body for info on missing French tourist
A U.N. committee has again asked Japan to provide detailed investigative information on a French woman who went missing nearly seven years ago during a trip to a tourist spot north of Tokyo. A letter from the U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearances, obtained by Kyodo News, marks the fifth such request made to the Japanese government regarding the disappearance of Tiphaine Veron on July 29, 2018, in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, at the age of 36. The letter, dated June 18, states the French side has still not received sufficient information on the investigation by Japanese authorities, indicating a lack of cooperation. It requests that photographs of the hotel room where Veron stayed, forensic results and testimonies from hotel staff be provided to French authorities by Aug. 18, noting they also have repeatedly asked for information-sharing, most recently last summer. According to Tochigi prefectural police, Veron went missing a day after checking in at her accommodation in Nikko, leaving her luggage and passport in her room. She is about 165 centimeters in height with brown hair. The police are looking into both accidental and criminal potential causes for her disappearance. Veron's brother Damien, 45, is currently in Japan and plans to distribute flyers in Nikko, seeking information on her whereabouts. © KYODO
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Kyodo News
Japan asked again by U.N. body for info on missing French tourist
GENEVA - A U.N. committee has again asked Japan to provide detailed investigative information on a French woman who went missing nearly seven years ago during a trip to a tourist spot north of Tokyo. A letter from the U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearances, obtained by Kyodo News, marks the fifth such request made to the Japanese government regarding the disappearance of Tiphaine Veron on July 29, 2018, in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, at the age of 36. The letter, dated June 18, states the French side has still not received sufficient information on the investigation by Japanese authorities, indicating a lack of cooperation. It requests that photographs of the hotel room where Veron stayed, forensic results and testimonies from hotel staff be provided to French authorities by Aug. 18, noting they also have repeatedly asked for information-sharing, most recently last summer. According to Tochigi prefectural police, Veron went missing a day after checking in at her accommodation in Nikko, leaving her luggage and passport in her room. She is about 165 centimeters in height with brown hair. The police are looking into both accidental and criminal potential causes for her disappearance. Veron's brother Damien, 45, is currently in Japan and plans to distribute flyers in Nikko, seeking information on her whereabouts.
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: July 24, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan, U.S. reach deal on reduced 15% auto, "reciprocal" tariffs TOKYO/WASHINGTON - Japan and the United States have struck what President Donald Trump called a "historic" trade deal that will set tariffs on Japanese cars and other products at 15 percent -- lower than initially threatened -- and boost Japanese investment in the world's biggest economy. The deal, first announced by Trump on social media Tuesday, capped off rounds of bilateral negotiations since mid-April, during which export-reliant Japan aimed for a win-win agreement ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline for Washington to impose a "reciprocal" 25 percent tariff on Japanese goods. ---------- Japan PM's resignation seen as inevitable, decision to come in Aug. TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's resignation is seen as inevitable following the governing coalition's major setback in the House of Councillors election, lawmakers said Wednesday, adding that he will make a final decision on his future in late August. Ishiba, who leads the Liberal Democratic Party, met with his predecessors to address the LDP's predicament after the ruling bloc lost its majority in both houses of parliament. Speaking to reporters, he dismissed media reports that he plans to resign. ---------- Japan, EU agree to boost economic security, defense cooperation TOKYO - The leaders of Japan and the European Union agreed Wednesday on new initiatives to strengthen cooperation in economic security, trade and defense, amid uncertainty over U.S. tariff policies and China's growing military and economic influence. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement issued after their summit in Tokyo that they will establish a "Japan-EU Competitiveness Alliance" to collaborate in ensuring economic security and bolstering their industries. ---------- Business leaders laud Japan-U.S. trade deal, admit ongoing challenges TOKYO - Japanese business leaders on Wednesday praised the government for reaching a trade deal with the United States under which tariff rates on Japanese cars and other products will be set at 15 percent, while acknowledging it will still cause hardship for firms. "The persistent negotiations paid off," Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of the Japanese Business Federation, the country's most powerful business lobby, also known as Keidanren, told reporters, adding that his group has "high regard" for the outcome. ---------- Man acquitted of 1966 murder case to file damages suit vs Japan gov't SHIZUOKA, Japan - Iwao Hakamata, who was acquitted in a retrial over a 1966 murder case in Shizuoka Prefecture, plans to file a damages suit against the Japanese government and the prefecture over fabricated evidence by investigative authorities, his legal team said Wednesday. His lawyers said at a press conference they plan to file the suit around the anniversary of the Shizuoka District Court's Sept. 26 acquittal of Hakamata, 89, in the murder of four members of a family. They have not decided the amount of damages they will seek. ---------- Senior "Luffy" crime group member gets 20 yrs over Japan robberies TOKYO - A Tokyo court on Wednesday sentenced a senior figure in a crime ring that orchestrated robberies across Japan from the Philippines to 20 years in prison, marking the first conviction of a leading member. Tomonobu Kojima, 47, was convicted of assisting in a robbery and other crimes remotely directed by the group, whose members used monikers such as "Luffy," the name of a popular manga character, and recruited perpetrators via social media. ---------- Sumo: Ichiyamamoto falls into share of lead, Onosato stays in hunt NAGOYA - Rank-and-filer Ichiyamamoto suffered his second loss of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament at the hands of veteran komusubi Takayasu on Wednesday, dropping him into a four-way tie for the lead at 9-2. Grand champion Onosato, the lone yokozuna at Nagoya's new IG Arena after Hoshoryu's injury withdrawal, managed to beat Mongolian-born sekiwake Kirishima, leaving the two at 8-3 after Day 11 of the 15-day tournament. ---------- Split Japan antinuke groups, Hidankyo unite for 80th A-bomb anniv. TOKYO - Two Japanese antinuclear groups that split during the Cold War issued a rare joint statement Wednesday to mark the upcoming 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, appealing for the people of Japan to carry the cities' message to the world. The statement by the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, known as Gensuikin, and the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, known as Gensuikyo, was also cosigned by Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors and the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. ---------- Video: Egypt Day performances at World Expo in Osaka
