A high court upheld on Thursday a sentence of 15 years in prison given to a woman for manipulating a fellow mother to starve her 5-year-old son to death in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Fukuoka in 2020. In rejecting the appeal by the defendant Emiko Akahori, 50, the Fukuoka High Court supported a lower court ruling that said she psychologically controlled her friend, Rie Ikari, 41, and the two conspired to severely reduce Ikari's son's meals from around August 2019. By late March 2020, the boy, Shojiro, became severely malnourished and due to insufficient feeding, starved to death on April 18 that year.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/03/9196cf9c1d8c-court-upholds-15-yr-sentence-on-woman-for-starving-a-friends-son.html

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KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 08:00 | All , World , Japan , Coronavirus Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:   Japan supporters celebrate after Shohei Ohtani hits a two-run double in the fourth inning of Japan's World Baseball Classic Pool B opener against China at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on March 9, 2023. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan Health ministry call center  COVID-19: 0120-565-653 (toll free) COVID-19 Vaccines: 0120-761-770 (toll free) -Interpreters available for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 9 a.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/03/ec7dd1e3a494-coronavirus-pandemic-latest-march-10-2023.html

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KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 08:00 | All , Japan , Coronavirus , World Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond: Journalists line up to take PCR tests at their hotel in Beijing on March 2, 2023, amid concern about COVID-19 ahead of the National People's Congress opening at the Great Hall of the People on March 5. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan Health ministry call center  COVID-19: 0120-565-653 (toll free) COVID-19 Vaccines: 0120-761-770 (toll free) -Interpreters available for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 9 a.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/03/44149a4deaf3-coronavirus-pandemic-latest-march-7-2023.html

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North Korea conducted an "underwater launching drill" of strategic cruise missiles off its eastern coast, the country's official media reported Monday. The Korean Central News Agency said an 8.24 Yongung submarine launched two cruise missiles in an "underwater-to-surface offensive" operation drill Sunday morning, a day before the South Korean and U.S. militaries are scheduled to start their "Freedom Shield" joint exercise. Photo shows North Korea's "underwater launching drill" of strategic cruise missiles on March 12, 2023.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/03/3e022aa0451e-n-korea-conducted-submarine-launched-cruise-missile-drill-sun-kcna.html

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The president of the Tibetan government-in-exile has warned China not to interfere in selecting the successor to the Dalai Lama, the current spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. "No government should have any role in this spiritual matter and I think it is much wiser for China (not to interfere)," Penpa Tsering said in a recent interview with Kyodo News, adding that the succession will ultimately be decided by the 14th Dalai Lama. Penpa Tsering, president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, speaks in an interview with Kyodo News on March 9, 2023, in Dharamsala, northern India.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/03/e172b1fab9ca-tibetan-exile-leader-urges-china-against-choosing-new-dalai-lama.html

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Shohei Ohtani returned to the Los Angeles Angels camp Friday, throwing 4-2/3 innings against Arizona Diamondbacks minor leaguers in preparation for Opening Day. The two-way star, fresh off leading Japan to the World Baseball Classic title, struck out eight and allowed one run on four hits with a walk in an 81-pitch outing on a practice field in Tempe, Arizona. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels pitches in a minor league game in Tempe, Arizona, on March 24, 2023. (Kyodo) Ohtani is scheduled to pitch the Angels' season opener Thursday against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/03/d9cbf5bceea5-baseball-ohtani-tunes-up-in-minor-league-game-for-opening-day-start.html

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Business confidence among major Japanese manufacturers worsened for the fifth straight quarter in March to its lowest level in over two years, dampened by higher raw material costs and the prospect of slowing global economic growth, the Bank of Japan said Monday. The reading of the key index measuring confidence among companies such as those in the auto and electronics sectors fell to 1 from 7 in December. It was weaker than the average market forecast of 3 in a Kyodo News survey and the lowest since minus 10 in December 2020.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/04/10b24fb071eb-update1-big-japan-makers-sentiment-worsens-for-5th-straight-qtr-to-2-yr-low.html

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The United States sees a "mood of optimism" in relations between Japan and South Korea and expects trilateral cooperation with its key Asian allies to expand into new areas such as humanitarian assistance, natural disaster response and outer space, a senior diplomat said recently. In a phone interview with Kyodo News on March 30, Mark Lambert, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said the three countries also increasingly share traditional security challenges that threaten the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/04/afd7f9c747b0-us-diplomat-sees-opportunity-in-renewed-japan-s-korea-cooperation.html

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New Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda speaks to reporters after holding talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the premier's office in Tokyo on April 10, 2023. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- TOKYO - A Japanese government panel plans to propose scrapping the country's controversial trainee program for foreigners and creating a new system to address issues related to human rights violations, a draft interim report showed Monday.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/04/53892edeb1b6-kyodo-news-digest-april-11-2023.html

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Japan's currency intervention last week cost 2.84 trillion yen ($19 billion), the largest-ever amount spent to stem the yen's sharp slide against the U.S. dollar, Finance Ministry data showed Friday. The yen-buying, dollar-selling operation, Japan's first since 1998, was carried out on Sept. 22, shortly after the Japanese currency plunged past the psychologically-important 145 mark amid prospects that the monetary policies of Japan and the United States would further diverge. Friday's data covers the period between Aug.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/09/9b5defd4e7e0-breaking-news-japan-spent-record-284-tril-yen-in-intervention-to-stop-yen-fall.html

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NBA superstar Stephen Curry lauded Japan's "amazing fan base" after leading the Golden State Warriors to a 104-95 victory over the Washington Wizards in the second of two preseason exhibition games at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo on Sunday. Curry scored a team-high 17 points in just 17 minutes, while Kristaps Porzingis scored 18, and local hero Rui Hachimura had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards in front of another sellout crowd following Friday's 96-87 win for the reigning NBA champion Warriors.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/10/f3d709696661-basketball-curry-sparks-warriors-to-win-over-wizards-in-japan.html

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KYODO NEWS - 18 minutes ago - 09:00 | All, Coronavirus, Japan, World Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond: Japanese Princess Kako speaks (L) with a wheelchair basketball player after watching a game at a sports facility for the disabled in the western Japan city of Tottori on Sept. 24, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Sept. 17~23 Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan Health ministry call center COVID-19: 0120-565-653 (toll free)COVID-19 Vaccines: 0120-761-770 (toll free)-Interpreters available for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 9 a.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/09/f821767ab82b-coronavirus-pandemic-latest-sept-29-2022.html

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Ayaka Furue of Japan hits off the 11th tee during the third round of the AmazingCre Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon, on Sept. 17, 2022. (Kyodo) Ayaka Furue of Japan shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to move into a three-way tie for the lead after the third round of the AmazingCre Portland Classic. Furue sits at 13-under-par 203, along with Americans Andrea Lee and Lilia Vu. Japanese compatriot Hinako Shibuno fired a 66 and is tied for fourth at 12 under at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/09/d515d04f8189-golf-furue-tied-for-lead-shibuno-4th-at-portland-classic.html

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Photo taken on Oct. 4, 2022, shows fishing vessels at a port in the Aomori Prefecture town of Oma after a ballistic missile fired by North Korea flew over the northeastern Japan prefecture. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan to reopen embassy in Kyiv on Oct. 5 after 7-month closure KYIV - Japan will reopen its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday following a seven-month closure due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a source close to the matter said.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/10/2a6cf9df443e-kyodo-news-digest-oct-5-2022--1-.html

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Back-to-back world champion Japan missed out on its third straight women's team trampoline title Friday, finishing third behind China and Britain in Sofia, Bulgaria. Japan, the winner in 2019 and 2021 in the non-Olympic team event, overcame an error from Risa Kiryu to salvage a podium finish as Hikaru Mori and Megu Uyama both came close to scoring 56 points. "There's a big difference whether we get a medal or not. It was great just to get one," said a relieved Uyama. (From L) Japan's Risa Kiryu, Hikaru Mori, Megu Uyama and Narumi Tamura pose after winning bronze in the women's team final during the trampoline world championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Nov.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/11/a957541115b6-trampoline-japan-women-miss-out-on-3rd-straight-team-world-title.html

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KYODO NEWS - 18 minutes ago - 09:00 | All, World, Japan, Coronavirus Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond: Japanese Princess Aiko (L) and Princess Kako attend a performance of "gagaku" ancient Japanese court music at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Nov. 5, 2022. (Pool photo) (Kyodo) ==Kyodo Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Oct. 29~Nov. 4 Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan Health ministry call center COVID-19: 0120-565-653 (toll free)COVID-19 Vaccines: 0120-761-770 (toll free)-Interpreters available for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 9 a.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/11/ed5ef1fc3223-coronavirus-pandemic-latest-nov-6-2022.html

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Japan's industry minister unveiled Friday a strategy for domestic production of advanced chips through a new firm set up by eight leading Japanese companies, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Sony Group Corp., pledging to provide 70 billion yen ($494 million) in subsidies. With international competition to secure next-generation semiconductors intensifying, the government aims to produce sub 2-nanometer chips domestically through a partnership with the eight companies by the late 2020s. Industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters that semiconductors are a key technology for promoting the digitalization and decarbonization of Japanese society.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/11/148c2f25de20-breaking-news-japan-announces-strategy-for-domestic-production-of-advanced-chips.html

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Japan's current account surplus shrank 63.1 percent in the first half of 2022 from a year earlier to 3.51 trillion yen ($25.9 billion), influenced by a major goods trade deficit stemming largely from a higher oil price and the weak yen, the Finance Ministry said Monday. The fall in the current account surplus was the second steepest for a half-year period following the second half of 2008 when a global financial crisis sparked by the collapse of U.S. securities firm Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., according to the ministry's preliminary report.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/08/0aed9fd4f1a2-update1-japans-jan-june-current-account-surplus-shrinks-to-351-tril-yen.html

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The Self-Defense Forces on Thursday found what appears to be a major part of an SDF helicopter that went missing off the southern prefecture of Okinawa following a week-long search for the aircraft. All 10 SDF members aboard the UH-60JA helicopter remain unaccounted for, including Lt. Gen. Yuichi Sakamoto, commander of the Ground Self-Defense Force's 8th Division in charge of the defense of southwestern Japan. Japanese Self-Defense Forces personnel search for a missing helicopter off Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 13, 2023.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/04/7ab15943f32e-major-part-of-missing-sdf-helicopter-found-as-search-continues.html

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A member of Japan's Self-Defense Forces watch over waters off Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, on April 11, 2023, in search of a Ground Self-Defense Force UH-60JA helicopter that went missing with 10 people aboard on April 6. (Kyodo)  The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- TOKYO - Japan sounded China out on holding phone talks between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Xi Jinping at an early date when the foreign ministers of the two countries met in Beijing earlier this month, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/04/99630dce8ad2-kyodo-news-digest-april-12-2023.html

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American and Japanese scientists have won a U.S. Breakthrough Prize for their discoveries shedding light on the cause of narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that makes people suddenly drowsy in the daytime. One of the $3 million prizes in life sciences went to Emmanuel Mignot of the Stanford University School of Medicine and Masashi Yanagisawa of the University of Tsukuba for their separate research programs that have contributed to the creation of sleep-inducing drugs, the organizers said Thursday. Breakthrough prizes, established by people including Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, are given for prominent work in life sciences, mathematics and fundamental physics.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/09/4112e9c77b88-us-japan-scientists-win-prize-for-sleep-disorder-research.html

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An Osaka court dismissed on Friday a woman's damages suit claiming that her husband, a former Finance Ministry bureaucrat, killed himself following a former senior ministry official's 2017 order to alter documents related to favoritism allegations against then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Osaka District Court determined that as chief of the ministry's Financial Bureau in charge of managing state assets, Nobuhisa Sagawa played a decisive role in falsifying the documents but denied he was personally liable.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/11/822db6ab4514-court-dismisses-womans-damages-claim-over-falsified-govt-papers.html

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KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 08:00 | All, World, Japan, Coronavirus Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond: Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko visit Tokyo National Museum on Nov. 24, 2022. (Pool photo) (Kyodo) ==Kyodo New coronavirus cases among the elderly are increasing while those with severe symptoms and deaths are also on the rise, an advisory panel of experts to the health ministry said Thursday, as Japan braces for its eighth wave of infections.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/11/ac44f1b8a8f3-coronavirus-pandemic-latest-nov-26-2022.html

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KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 00:24 | Others BREAKING NEWS: Japan to keep communicating with S. Korea to improve ties: Kishida ==Kyodo 1 hour ago | KYODO NEWS

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/01/351cde12e411-breaking-news-japan-to-keep-communicating-with-s-korea-to-improve-ties-kishida.html

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The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of Volcano anti-tank mine-laying systems to Taiwan for an estimated $180 million, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Taipei's de facto diplomatic mission in the United States had requested the vehicle-launched systems and other equipment amid increasing threats from China. Taiwan's Defense Ministry expressed "sincere gratitude" to the department for the approval in a Twitter post. The U.S. Defense Department notified Congress of the possible sale on Wednesday as required by law.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/12/f26bc0cebf63-us-oks-potential-180-million-sale-of-anti-tank-systems-to-taiwan.html

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KYODO NEWS - 32 minutes ago - 08:45 | All, World, Japan North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan on Saturday, the South Korean military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff did not provide other details immediately, however, Yonhap News Agency reported. The Japan Coast Guard said a North Korean projectile appears to have fallen into the sea. 32 minutes ago | KYODO NEWS

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/12/57d48a807b0f-breaking-news-n-korea-fires-ballistic-missile-toward-sea-of-japan-s-korea.html

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KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 08:29 | Others BREAKING NEWS: N. Korea projectile may have fallen into sea: Japan Coast Guard ==Kyodo 1 hour ago | KYODO NEWS

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/12/333331a697e6-breaking-news-n-korea-projectile-may-have-fallen-into-sea-japan-coast-guard.html

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The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution slamming North Korea over its human rights violations. The 193-member body approved the nonbinding resolution, co-sponsored by dozens of members including Japan and South Korea. Thursday's move marked the 18th straight year that the assembly has agreed to a similar resolution. The latest version expressed concern over the prevalence of severe hunger and malnutrition in North Korea and condemned the country for "pursuing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles over the welfare of its people.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/12/d478765667a3-un-blasts-n-korea-rights-abuses-in-general-assembly-resolution.html

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KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 08:00 | All, World, Japan, Coronavirus Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond: People protest against raising Japan's defense spending in front of the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo A significant easing of China's stringent "zero-COVID" policy announced Wednesday amid the continued spread of the coronavirus has triggered confusion and anxiety among the public, with cold medicines flying off the shelves and health authorities no longer tracing positive cases.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/12/a2b801d7c978-coronavirus-pandemic-latest-dec-17-2022.html

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Japan claimed a famous 2-1 victory over Germany at the World Cup on Wednesday, with second-half substitutes Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano both scoring to hand the Samurai Blue a dramatic comeback win in the tournament's Group E opener. Doan was in the right spot to slam home a rebound after Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could only parry a ball whipped into the goalmouth by fellow substitute Takumi Minamino. Just minutes later, Asano latched onto a long ball and showed great strength to hold off a defender and smash it high into the net past the German stopper.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/11/1b80f760c37b-breaking-news-japan-stun-germany-2-1-in-world-cup-opener.html

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