Latest from Kyodo News
Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Sumo: Nagoya victory still sinking in for 1st-time champion Kotoshoho
NAGOYA - Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament winner Kotoshoho said Monday he was still coming to grips with his first top-division championship. Competing as a rank-and-file No. 15 maegashira, the 25-year-old Chiba Prefecture native lifted the Emperor's Cup with a 13-2 record Sunday following his win over rising Ukrainian star Aonishiki. "It still feels strange to think that I won the championship," Kotoshoho said during a press conference at his Sadogatake stable's base in Nagoya. He suffered his only losses back-to-back on the fourth and fifth days before closing out the 15-day tournament on a 10-match winning streak, culminating in his victory against the 21-year-old Aonishiki, who entered the final day trailing Kotoshoho by one bout. Kotoshoho became the inaugural champion at Nagoya's state-of-the-art IG Arena, which was opened ahead of the 15-day tournament. His win streak included a Day 13 takedown of new yokozuna Onosato, earning Kotoshoho his first career "kinboshi" award for beating a grand champion as a rank-and-file wrestler. "I wasn't nervous and was able to focus on my opening attack when I stepped onto the ring," he said of the streak. "I was able to concentrate more in the second half of the tournament." The newly crowned champion said he was able to "use the lessons I learned" from a previous title tilt at the 2023 New Year tournament that ended with his final-day defeat to ozeki Takakeisho. Blessed with a 190-centimeter, 167-kilogram physique, Kotoshoho was tipped for big things after entering the sumo world in November 2017 out of one of the sport's renowned nurseries, Saitama Sakae High School. He debuted in the elite makuuchi division in July 2020 and achieved a career-high ranking of maegashira No. 3 in January 2021, but has largely struggled to live up to the high expectations and has bounced between the top two divisions. Despite dealing with pain in his right thigh, the powerfully built grappler got on a roll in Nagoya by committing to his brand of attacking sumo. He indicated the championship would not affect his approach to the next grand tournament in September. "I want to do what I need to do without getting carried away," he said.
Kyodo News
3 hours ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Direct flights between Moscow, Pyongyang start amid deepening ties
MOSCOW - Direct passenger flights connecting Moscow and Pyongyang commenced Sunday in the latest sign of deepening bilateral ties in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that started in 2022. The direct flights, scheduled once a month, are operated by Russian Nordwind Airlines. The first flight took off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport for Pyongyang on Sunday and the return flight is scheduled for Tuesday. The regular flights between the countries' capitals are the first since the mid-1990s, Reuters said, citing Russian aviation blogs. According to Russian media, the airline is operating a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with a capacity of 440 passengers on the route. It began selling tickets from Moscow to Pyongyang on July 18, with prices starting at 44,700 rubles ($565). Many of the passengers who checked in were reportedly North Koreans. North Korean state carrier Air Koryo operates direct flights between Vladivostok in the Russian Far East and Pyongyang three times a week. Russia and North Korea have been stepping up cooperation amid the war in Ukraine, with the two countries' leaders signing a comprehensive partnership treaty in June last year and North Korea sending troops in support of Russia's military operations.
Kyodo News
3 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Vietnamese technical intern arrested over murder-robbery in Japan
SAGA, Japan - A Vietnamese technical intern was arrested Sunday for allegedly killing a woman during a robbery at her home in the southwestern Japan city of Imari, police said. Food processing worker Dam Duy Khang, 24, is accused of killing and robbing Maiko Mukumoto, a 40-year-old Japanese language teacher in Saga Prefecture, in her home on Saturday. Mukumoto's mother, aged in her 70s, sustained injuries to her neck in the attack. Police seized a blood-stained knife from the suspect's dormitory near the crime scene in Imari. The man refused to answer questions after his arrest, they said. The suspect lives with Vietnamese colleagues working as foreign trainees, police said. Japan's technical internship program is intended to transfer skills to developing countries, but is often criticized as a method to import low-wage labor. It is unclear whether the suspect and the murdered woman knew each other. Mukumoto's mother told investigators she had never seen him before. The suspect entered the victim's house at around 4:20 p.m. and threatened Mukumoto with a knife. It is alleged he stole 11,000 yen ($74). Mukumoto's neck was slashed, and she sustained additional wounds to other parts of her body. A man believed to be the suspect was captured on the home's doorbell camera demanding "money" as he forced his way inside when the older woman opened the door. Mukumoto handed him 10,000 yen, but the suspect continued threatening her and was likely given an additional 1,000 yen, police said.
Kyodo News
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Kyodo News
FEATURE: Film sheds light on unsung nurse heroes of Nagasaki A-bombing
TOKYO - In the immediate aftermath of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japanese medical teams put aside their own safety to aid in relief efforts and tend to the dying and horribly injured in a city turned to ash. As the 80th anniversary of the bombing approaches, the film "Nagasaki: In the Shadow of the Flash," directed by third-generation atomic bomb survivor Jumpei Matsumoto, seeks to highlight stories of unsung Japanese Red Cross nurses. The film follows three young nursing students who return home to Nagasaki from Osaka and briefly enjoy peaceful days with family and friends before their world is shattered by the U.S. "Fat Man" atomic bomb on August 9, 1945. Amid the ruins, the students attempt to treat the injured using limited medical supplies and makeshift clinics, confronting the harsh reality of losing far more than they can save. An estimated 74,000 people were killed by the Nagasaki bombing by the end of 1945. Many others suffered from radiation-related illnesses for decades. "I hope the film provides an opportunity for reflection," said Matsumoto, whose late grandfather was a "hibakusha," or atomic bomb survivor. "Especially now, when the threat of nuclear weapons and war seems to be rising again, and that people can reconsider these issues through the experiences of the people of Nagasaki." Matsumoto said that while his grandfather was active in peace organizations, he never spoke to his grandchildren about his experience, likely because it was too painful. "I couldn't help but think of my grandfather as I made this film. I feel like I'm continuing something he might have wanted to do himself," said Matsumoto, 40. The film draws inspiration from a collection of firsthand accounts by nurses compiled by the Nagasaki branch of the Japan Red Cross Society in 1980. The last known surviving contributor, 95-year-old Fujie Yamashita, appears briefly in the film. Matsumoto described working with her as "precious." "I felt that her presence alone could speak volumes. Even if it was just a cameo, having her appear in the film was extremely important to me," he said. Yamashita enrolled in a Japanese Red Cross training school for relief nurses in Osaka at age 15, but returned home to Nagasaki in July after the air raids. In the aftermath of the bombing, she was dispatched to temporary relief stations in the city, where she witnessed countless agonizing deaths. "I appeal to the people of the world to ensure that the suffering caused by the atomic bomb is never witnessed again," she wrote in her personal account. Michiko Suzuki, a project researcher at the University of Tokyo focusing on Japanese Red Cross activities in prewar and early postwar periods, said she was moved that, after 80 years, a film is finally shedding light on the "invisible" yet essential work of wartime humanitarian aid. "In war, the spotlight is always on soldiers and civilian victims. Red Cross nurses, by contrast, worked behind the scenes to care for them because it was considered professional to remain in the shadows," Suzuki said. In her research, Suzuki found that Japanese Red Cross workers made repeated attempts at providing humanitarian aid at Allied prisoner-of-war camps in Nagasaki before the bombing. She said they exemplified humanitarianism in the way they treated the injured, regardless of whether they were friend or foe. The Red Cross's aid did not stop with the end of the war. Hospitals run by the organization for atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, established in 1956 and 1958, respectively, have treated a cumulative 7.9 million outpatients and 6.3 million inpatients as of fiscal 2024. The film also highlights Nagasaki's long history of Christianity and Matsumoto's own Catholic upbringing through one of the main characters, Misao. "Misao's willingness to sacrifice herself to help others and her readiness to serve in the Catholic sense is an attitude I deeply admire. Misao represents the type of person I look up to," said Matsumoto. At the time of the bombing, two priests were hearing the confessions of several dozen parishioners at Urakami Cathedral, located around 500 meters from the hypocenter. All perished under the rubble. It is believed that around 10,000 Catholics, most of whom lived in the Urakami district, were killed by the atomic bomb. "I've shown the film to some Americans, and many didn't know the bomb exploded directly above a church -- or that so many Christians died. They watched the film with great interest," said Matsumoto, who wants to release the film in the United States. Matsumoto hopes that, for a foreign audience, the film will offer a glimpse of what life was like in the days following the bombing and motivate them to visit Hiroshima or Nagasaki or, at least, learn more online. "There have only been two instances of nuclear weapons being used. By telling a more human story in this film, I want to convey the importance of ensuring that Nagasaki is the last place to ever suffer such an attack." "Nagasaki: In the Shadow of the Flash" is showing now in Nagasaki and will open in cinemas across the rest of Japan on Aug. 1.
Kyodo News
6 hours ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: July 28, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- SDF request led to nuclear threat scenario in Japan-U.S. exercise TOKYO - The Japanese Self-Defense Forces strongly urged the U.S. military during a joint command post exercise last year to mirror any nuclear threat made by China with one of its own, government sources said Sunday. The United States ultimately complied with the request in the simulation exercise that envisioned a potential invasion of Taiwan by Beijing, raising concerns that Japan's push to invoke nuclear deterrence could exacerbate tensions between the United States and China. ---------- U.S., EU clinch trade deal setting 15% tariff on most European goods TURNBERRY, Scotland - The United States on Sunday clinched a trade agreement with the European Union, setting a 15 percent across-the-board tariff on cars and most other goods from the 27-member bloc, President Donald Trump said, calling the deal "very satisfactory to both sides." Under the agreement, the EU will buy $750 billion worth of American energy and invest an additional $600 billion in the world's largest economy, Trump said following a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. ---------- Baseball: Ichiro reflects on legendary career in Hall of Fame speech COOPERSTOWN, New York - Ichiro Suzuki, the first Japanese member of the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame, shared his inspiration to play in the majors while thanking his family and teammates in his induction speech Sunday. The former Seattle Mariners outfielder began his speech in Cooperstown, New York, by calling himself a third-time rookie, now as a member of the hall, after being a rookie in Japan in 1992 and a major league rookie in 2001 at age 27. ---------- Nobel panel, A-bomb survivors urge youth to carry torch of peace TOKYO - The Norwegian Nobel Committee and Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors, jointly urged younger generations at an event Sunday in Tokyo to "carry the torch" for peace by listening to the stories of survivors and keeping up the momentum for nuclear disarmament. "The nuclear taboo is under threat, and the hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) are aging. In not too many years, we will no longer have the testimonies of those who were there, those who could tell this story," said Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes. ---------- 3 suspected drones intruded on premises of Japan nuclear complex TOKYO - Three bright objects believed to be drones intruded on the premises of the Genkai nuclear power complex in southwestern Japan, the country's nuclear watchdog said Sunday, correcting its statement the previous day that drones had been spotted. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said Saturday it was informed of the incident by Kyushu Electric Power Co., the operator of the four-reactor Genkai Nuclear Power Station. ---------- U.S. brokers cease-fire after Cambodia, Thailand border clashes WASHINGTON/BANGKOK - The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to meet immediately and work on a cease-fire following cross-border attacks, U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday after speaking with them by phone. Clashes between Thailand and Cambodia in a disputed border area have continued since Thursday, leaving several people dead including civilians. Each side has accused the other of initiating the fighting. ---------- Video: Fireworks light up summer skies over Tokyo's Sumida River
