A tire developed for a lunar rover is attached to a vehicle during its test run at the Luna Terrace experimental site at the Tottori Sand Dunes in Tottori, western Japan, on May 30. 2024. The test is intended to confirm the durability of tires developed by Bridgestone Corp. for the U.S.-led Artemis Moon exploration program. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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PM Kishida forced to concede on political funds reform amid scandal
TOKYO – Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was forced to make concessions to the leader of the junior coalition partner on Friday to pursue his goal of political funds reform, following the failure of arrangements between the ruling parties.
But some lawmakers of Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Party criticized him for conceding too much to the Komeito party as he seeks to boost his Cabinet’s approval ratings, which have plunged to their lowest levels since it was launched in October 2021.
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Austin airs concern over China’s “provocative” activity near Taiwan
SINGAPORE – U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern about China’s “provocative” military activity near Taiwan during his talks with Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on Friday in Singapore, after Beijing conducted a two-day military drill around the self-ruled island last week, according to the Pentagon.
In the first in-person talks between the two countries’ defense chiefs since November 2022, Austin also underscored the importance of respecting freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where Beijing has been involved in territorial rows with the Philippines and other countries.
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April factory output in Japan falls 0.1% on aircraft, car weakness
TOKYO – Japan’s industrial output in April fell 0.1 percent from the previous month, weighed down by a decrease in production of airplane parts as well as cars amid a Toyota Motor Corp. worldwide recall, government data showed Friday.
The seasonally-adjusted index of production at factories and mines stood at 101.6 against the 2020 base of 100, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report. It followed a 4.4 percent rise in March.
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Asia security forum opens to discuss S. China Sea, N. Korea, Ukraine
SINGAPORE – Defense ministers from Asia and other regions gathered in Singapore on Friday for a security forum, with their discussions focusing on escalating tensions in the South China Sea, North Korea’s weapon development and Russia’s war against Ukraine, amid U.S.-China rivalry.
During the three-day Asia Security Summit, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun will deliver speeches, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the organizer of the annual forum known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.
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Japan spent 9.79 trillion yen to slow yen’s fall between April to May
TOKYO – Japan spent 9.79 trillion yen ($62 billion) over the past month to slow the yen’s rapid fall against the U.S. dollar, government data showed Friday, confirming market views that Japanese authorities intervened in the currency market.
The amount compares with nearly 9.2 trillion yen Japan spent on multiple yen-buying, dollar-selling operations in 2022. Japanese authorities kept traders guessing whether they had stepped in when the yen suddenly spiked versus the dollar in late April and early May.
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Japan, U.S. launch talks on infrastructure development cooperation
WASHINGTON – The second-ranking diplomats of Japan and the United States held an inaugural meeting Thursday on infrastructure development cooperation in other countries, a move widely seen as linked to the two allies’ efforts to counter China’s inroads into Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
The Diplomacy and Development Dialogue meeting in Washington was led by Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who discussed policy coordination related to emerging and developing countries in the so-called Global South.
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Japan’s April job availability falls amid inflation
TOKYO – Japan’s job availability ratio in April fell 0.02 point from the previous month to 1.26, marking the first drop in two months, as high material prices weighed on recruitment in the manufacturing sector, government data showed Friday.
Separate data showed the country’s unemployment rate stood at 2.6 percent in the reporting month, unchanged from March.
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Man arrested in taxi driver shooting near Tokyo
SAITAMA, Japan – Police on Friday arrested a man who was on the run after allegedly shooting and seriously injuring a taxi driver in Kawaguchi, north of Tokyo, earlier this week.
Yoshiichi Segawa, 68, was spotted at JR Omiya Station in the adjacent city of Saitama and was apprehended.
Video: A killer whale show is held during a preview of Kobe Suma Sea World in Kobe
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