Latest news with #KyodoNews
Kyodo News
an hour ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: June 19, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 23 hours ago - 23:00 | All, World, Japan The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Nippon Steel confident management freedom ensured in U.S. Steel deal TOKYO - Nippon Steel Corp.'s top executive Eiji Hashimoto said Thursday that the U.S. government's role set under its $14.1 billion buyout of United States Steel Corp. "will not hamper" the U.S. unit's business going forward. At a press conference in Tokyo, Hashimoto said $11 billion of investment in U.S. Steel operations -- 10 times more than the initial plan -- and a golden share issued to the U.S. government that allows it to veto key management decisions among other conditions are rational, even as analysts view them as downside risks to U.S. Steel's management. ---------- Japan PM Ishiba rules out lower house dissolution for now: lawmaker TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday ruled out dissolving the powerful House of Representatives for now, ensuring that elections for both chambers of parliament will not be held on the same day in July, party executives said. The decision comes as Yoshihiko Noda, head of Japan's main opposition party, said he will not submit a no-confidence motion against Ishiba's Cabinet, arguing that such a move would stall progress on key political issues. ---------- Japan to send 2 defense force planes for possible Mideast airlift TOKYO - Japan will send two Self-Defense Forces airplanes to eastern Africa for a possible operation to evacuate its nationals from the Middle East, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Thursday, amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Nakatani told reporters that two C-2 transport aircraft with a total of about 120 crew members will fly to an SDF base in Djibouti and be on standby there, following a request from Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya earlier that day. ---------- Japan imperial couple commemorates A-bomb victims in Hiroshima HIROSHIMA - Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Thursday visited Hiroshima to pay their respects to atomic bomb victims ahead of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. In their first trip to the city since the emperor's accession in 2019, the imperial couple laid white flowers and bowed deeply at a cenotaph in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which holds the names of around 340,000 victims of the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing. ---------- Chief organizer of Nobel Prize A-bomb survivors group steps down TOKYO - Sueichi Kido, 85, officially stepped down as secretary general of Japan's Nobel Peace Prize-winning atomic bomb survivors group Nihon Hidankyo at its annual meeting on Thursday due to ill health. Kido was 5 years old when he was exposed to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in the final days of World War II. In 2017, he assumed the post that effectively leads the group's efforts to abolish nuclear arms and was among the delegation that accepted the Nobel Prize in Oslo in December. ---------- New Zealand pauses Cook Islands funding over deepening China ties SYDNEY - New Zealand has suspended millions of dollars in funding to the Cook Islands, the government said Thursday, as relations between the two countries deteriorate over the South Pacific island nation's deepening ties with China. A spokesman for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement that New Zealand has paused NZ$18.2 million ($10.9 million) in development assistance funding for the 2025-2026 financial year, noting such support depends on a "high trust bilateral relationship." ---------- Kyodo News endorses executive director Sawai as president TOKYO - Kyodo News formally endorsed Executive Director Toshimitsu Sawai, who previously served as chief editor of the Foreign News Section, as its president on Thursday. At an organizational meeting, Sawai, 62, who became executive director in June 2021, said, "As the media environment grows increasingly challenging in many ways, I feel a strong sense of responsibility." ---------- Knife, armor from Japan's largest ancient keyhole-shaped tomb found OSAKA - A gold-plated iron knife and armor fragments, believed to have been made with advanced 5th-century techniques, have been confirmed as coming from Japan's largest ancient keyhole-shaped tomb mound, a university said Thursday. The Daisen Kofun in Osaka Prefecture is under control of the Imperial Household Agency as the mausoleum of Emperor Nintoku, who is said to have reigned in the 4th century, but academic debate continues about who was actually buried there. Video: Hydrangea festival at Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine in western Japan
NBC Sports
3 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Kaori Sakamoto to retire from figure skating after Olympic season
Kaori Sakamoto, a three-time world champion and Olympic silver and bronze medalist, plans to retire from competitive figure skating after the upcoming 2026 Olympic season, a move she previously hinted at over the past year. 'I feel like I have less than a year left,' she said in her native Japan on Thursday, according to a Kyodo News translation. 'I'll be 29 at the following Olympics (in 2030), which is out of the question. I'll try to bring things to a close the year I turn 26. 'I've made the decision really fast. I felt now was the time. I was more or less fixed on it since saying, 'I see two years as one cycle' last year.' Sakamoto, speaking at the opening of a new rink in her hometown of Kobe, said she plans to continue in the sport as a coach, according to Japanese media. Sakamoto followed her 2022 Olympic team silver and individual bronze medals by becoming the first women's singles skater to win three consecutive world titles (2022-24) since American Peggy Fleming from 1966-68. This past March, she earned silver at the worlds, just missing becoming the first woman to win four titles in a row since American Carol Heiss from 1956-60. At worlds in Boston, she was fifth after the short program and improved to second in the free skate. She finished 4.99 points behind Alysa Liu, who won both programs to become the first American to claim a women's singles world title since 2006. Sakamoto had the highest total international event score over the entire season, recording that in last fall's Grand Prix Series. Sakamoto's short program for the 2025-26 season is set to 'Time To Say Goodbye' by Sarah Brightman and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, a fitting choice for her final season and the Milan Cortina Games. 'Winning at least silvers in both the individual and team events (at the Olympics) would be mission completed,' she said, according to Kyodo. 'The time left is short, so I'll live each day to the fullest, and hopefully the results turn out to be what I'm wishing for.' Nick Zaccardi,
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
China sends warplanes near Taiwan after US lawmakers visit Taipei
China sent the most warplanes toward Taiwan since October, a move that follows US lawmakers visiting a top military figure and both the UK and Japan sailing warships through the strait separating the island from the Chinese mainland. Some 46 People's Liberation Army aircraft crossed the median line in the strait in the 24 hours to Friday morning, the defense ministry in Taipei said in a statement. The ministry added that it monitored and 'responded accordingly' to the moves, without providing more details. The flights into sensitive areas around Taiwan comes after a group of US lawmakers held a rare publicly-disclosed meeting with Defense Minister Wellington Koo on Tuesday in Taipei. Beijing vehemently opposes nations it has official ties with — such as the US — from having official contact with Taiwan. China views Taiwan as territory that must be brought under its control, by force if necessary, a stance Taipei rejects. The US is the biggest military supporter for the democracy of 23 million people. The Chinese military activity comes with the US deciding whether to attack Iran. On Thursday, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te told his national security team to have a full grasp of the geopolitical situation. Officials in Taipei have long worried that the PLA may act more aggressively toward Taiwan if the US is distracted by crises in other parts of the world. Separately, Japan sailed a destroyer through the 180 kilometer (110 mile) wide strait last week, Kyodo News reported. That was the third known passage by a Japanese naval vessel, all of which have come over the past year, it said. Earlier this month, Japan said it observed two Chinese aircraft carriers and supporting warships operating simultaneously near remote Japanese islands in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, underscoring Beijing's advancing naval capabilities. Also on Friday, the PLA said in a statement that the UK sent a naval vessel through the strait. Beijing condemned the UK transit on Wednesday as a 'provocation,' saying it undermines peace and stability in area. The Chinese military said its forces would remain on high alert and 'resolutely counter all threats.' The voyage by the UK warship comes as London sends an aircraft carrier and other vessels into the Indo-Pacific, where they'll make port visits in Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea.
Mint
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
China Sends Warplanes Near Taiwan After US Lawmakers' Visit
China sent the most warplanes toward Taiwan since October, a move that follows US lawmakers visiting a top military figure and both the UK and Japan sailing warships through the strait separating the island from the Chinese mainland. Some 46 People's Liberation Army aircraft crossed the median line in the strait in the 24 hours to Friday morning, the defense ministry in Taipei said in a statement. The ministry added that it monitored and 'responded accordingly' to the moves, without providing more details. The flights into sensitive areas around Taiwan comes after a group of US lawmakers held a rare publicly-disclosed meeting with Defense Minister Wellington Koo on Tuesday in Taipei. Beijing vehemently opposes nations it has official ties with — such as the US — from having official contact with Taiwan. China views Taiwan as territory that must be brought under its control, by force if necessary, a stance Taipei rejects. The US is the biggest military supporter for the democracy of 23 million people. The Chinese military activity comes with the US deciding whether to attack Iran. On Thursday, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te told his national security team to have a full grasp of the geopolitical situation. Officials in Taipei have long worried that the PLA may act more aggressively toward Taiwan if the US is distracted by crises in other parts of the world. Separately, Japan sailed a destroyer through the 180 kilometer wide strait last week, Kyodo News reported. That was the third known passage by a Japanese naval vessel, all of which have come over the past year, it said. Earlier this month, Japan said it observed two Chinese aircraft carriers and supporting warships operating simultaneously near remote Japanese islands in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, underscoring Beijing's advancing naval capabilities. Also on Friday, the PLA said in a statement that the UK sent a naval vessel through the strait. Beijing condemned the UK transit on Wednesday as a 'provocation,' saying it undermines peace and stability in area. The Chinese military said its forces would remain on high alert and 'resolutely counter all threats.' The voyage by the UK warship comes as London sends an aircraft carrier and other vessels into the Indo-Pacific, where they'll make port visits in Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea. With assistance from Cindy Wang. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Kyodo News
14 hours ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: June 20, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 08:26 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan destroyer sails Taiwan Strait after China jet encounter TOKYO - A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait last week, days after a Chinese fighter jet flew dangerously close to a Japanese patrol plane over the Pacific, diplomatic sources said Thursday. It was the third known passage through the waterway by an MSDF ship, with all occurring within the past year, apparently aimed at warning China, which continues to pressure Taiwan, the self-ruled democratic island it claims as its own. ---------- Japan's core consumer prices in May rise 3.7% on year TOKYO - Japan's core consumer prices in May rose 3.7 percent from a year earlier, government data showed Friday. The increase in the nationwide consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food, followed a 3.5 percent rise in April. The inflation rate has remained at or above the Bank of Japan's 2 percent target since April 2022. ---------- Japan PM Ishiba rules out lower house dissolution for now: lawmaker TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday ruled out dissolving the powerful House of Representatives for now, ensuring that elections for both chambers of parliament will not be held on the same day in July, party executives said. The decision comes as Yoshihiko Noda, head of Japan's main opposition party, said he will not submit a no-confidence motion against Ishiba's Cabinet, arguing that such a move would stall progress on key political issues. ---------- Xi seeks Middle East cease-fire in phone call with Putin BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a cease-fire amid Iran-Israel tensions during phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, describing it as an "urgent priority," the Foreign Ministry said. Xi said the international community should make efforts to de-escalate the situation and that disputes should be resolved through negotiations rather than force, stressing the need to protect civilians, according to the Chinese ministry. ---------- Emperor renews peace hope in Hiroshima for 80th anniv. of war's end HIROSHIMA - Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Thursday renewed their hope for peace as they visited Hiroshima to pay their respects to atomic bomb victims on the 80th anniversary year of the end of World War II. In their first trip to the city since the emperor's accession in 2019, the imperial couple laid white flowers and bowed deeply at a cenotaph in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which holds the names of around 340,000 victims of the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing. ---------- Japan PM vows to develop ties with S. Korea on 60th diplomatic anniv. TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday pledged to continue working closely with South Korea at a ceremony in Tokyo to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, despite wartime and territorial disputes. "We need to continue close communication so that the bilateral relationship will steadily develop," Ishiba said in a speech at the reception held by the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo, welcoming the vast exchanges that have taken place between what he called "the closest neighbors to each other." ---------- Nippon Steel confident management freedom ensured in U.S. Steel deal TOKYO - Nippon Steel Corp.'s top executive Eiji Hashimoto said Thursday that the U.S. government's role set under its $14.1 billion buyout of United States Steel Corp. "will not hamper" the U.S. unit's business going forward. At a press conference in Tokyo, Hashimoto said $11 billion of investment in U.S. Steel operations -- 10 times more than the initial plan -- and a golden share issued to the U.S. government that allows it to veto key management decisions among other conditions are rational, even as analysts view them as downside risks to U.S. Steel's management. ---------- Honda president eager to collaborate with Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors TOKYO - Honda Motor Co. President Toshihiro Mibe expressed his eagerness to collaborate with Nissan Motor Co. and its alliance partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp. during a general shareholders meeting on Thursday, after merger talks with Nissan collapsed earlier this year. Asked about the likelihood of revisiting a merger with Nissan, which fell through due to disagreements over management structure, Mibe said it was not possible "for the time being." Video: "Phantom bridge" begins to sink beneath the waters of Lake Nukabira in Hokkaido
