The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan, U.S., S. Korea affirm efforts to denuclearize N. Korea
TOKYO - Senior diplomats from Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed Tuesday to continue their efforts toward the denuclearization of North Korea through "dialogue and sanctions," a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.
Their meeting in Tokyo came a day after Pyongyang said it had successfully carried out tests of a new long-range cruise missile over the weekend.
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Japan ex-defense chief Ishiba not running in LDP leadership race
TOKYO - Former Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba will not run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming leadership race and is leaning toward backing vaccination minister Taro Kono instead, people familiar with his decision said Tuesday.
Ishiba, the No. 2 pick to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in opinion polls after Kono, had been considering putting his name forward for the Sept. 29 vote that will effectively determine the country's new leader, but some allies saw his chances of winning as slim and urged him to sit it out.
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Tokyo stocks end at 31-yr high on vaccination efforts, new gov't hope
TOKYO - The Tokyo stock market ended higher Tuesday, with the key Nikkei and Topix indexes closing at their highest levels in 31 years, as progress in Japan's COVID-19 vaccination efforts lifted expectations for broader economic activity and hopes grew for possible stimulus under a new prime minister.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 222.73 points, or 0.73 percent, from Monday at 30,670.10, its highest finish since Aug. 1, 1990, when the Japanese economy was experiencing an asset-inflated bubble.
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U.S. to host 1st in-person Quad summit on Sept. 24 amid China's rise
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Joe Biden will host the first-ever in-person "Quad" meeting with leaders from Japan, Australia and India on Sept. 24, the White House said Monday, indicating Washington's continuing focus on the region in the face of China's increasing clout.
During the upcoming meeting at the White House, the leaders, including outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, will seek to advance cooperation in such areas as combating the coronavirus pandemic.
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Japan eyes tougher jail sentence for insults to tackle cyberbullying
TOKYO - Japan plans to introduce a tougher jail sentence as part of penalties for online insults amid growing calls to tackle cyberbullying, Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tuesday.
Kamikawa told a press conference that she will ask her advisory panel to examine the plan to impose a prison term of up to one year or a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($2,725) over insults at its meeting Thursday.
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Japan's centenarians hit record 86,500, 10,000-plus men for 1st time
TOKYO - The number of people aged 100 or above in Japan is estimated at a record 86,510, with the number of men reaching the milestone topping 10,000 for the first time, health ministry data showed Tuesday.
The number of centenarians as of Sept. 15 represents an increase of 6,060 from a year earlier for the 51th consecutive year of rise, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said prior to the Respect for the Aged Day holiday, which falls next Monday.
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Pandemic-hit travel agency JTB sells Tokyo HQ to raise funds
TOKYO - Japanese travel agency JTB Corp. said Tuesday it sold its Tokyo headquarters as well as another building in Osaka as it progresses a restructuring effort aimed at shoring up its finances after the COVID-19 pandemic killed demand for its services.
JTB sold the buildings for several tens of billions of yen to bolster its cash reserves, a company source said. A JTB spokesperson declined to comment on specifics around the sale value or name of the buyer.
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U.N. says $1.2 billion pledged to aid Afghanistan
GENEVA - More than $1.2 billion has been pledged internationally for people in Afghanistan in need of humanitarian assistance, the U.N. relief chief said Monday.
Martin Griffiths, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, disclosed the total at the closing of a ministerial meeting on Afghanistan in Geneva.
