The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan urges "appropriate response" from S. Korea over wartime issues
TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Saturday called for an "appropriate response" from Seoul to resolve bilateral disputes over wartime compensation in his first contact with his South Korean counterpart.
Hayashi, who took office last month, and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui Yong agreed to promote dialogue to restore a "healthy relationship," the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
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Strong quake jolts Tokyo area, no tsunami warning issued
TOKYO - A strong earthquake jolted Tokyo and surrounding areas in eastern Japan on Sunday, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage to infrastructure.
The magnitude-5.0 quake, which occurred around 12:30 p.m., measured 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Ibaraki Prefecture northeast of the capital and other areas, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
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Over 100 feared dead as dozens of tornadoes hit U.S. states
NEW YORK - Over 100 people are feared dead as dozens of tornadoes ripped through six states in the U.S. Midwest and Southern regions from Friday night into Saturday, local media said.
Damage from tornadoes was reported in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee, with Kentucky appearing to be hit hardest.
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Japan, Australia vow to step up Quad cooperation with China in sight
LIVERPOOL - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Australian counterpart Marise Payne have pledged to promote security cooperation of the Quad group, also including the United States and India, in response to China's rising assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a meeting Saturday in Liverpool, England, Hayashi and Payne agreed to elevate the two countries' "special strategic partnership" to a higher level as part of efforts to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
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G-7 foreign ministers exchange views on Beijing Winter Olympics
LIVERPOOL, England - Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized nations on Saturday each spoke their positions on this winter's Beijing Olympics, a Japanese delegation source said, as the United States is taking the lead in diplomatically boycotting the event.
The G-7 meeting in Liverpool, England, comes as Britain and Canada have joined forces with the United States over a diplomatic boycott, citing China's human rights record, but France, to host the Summer Games in Paris in 2024, and Italy, which will host the Winter Games in 2026, are unlikely to follow suit.
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Brother of symbolic N. Korea abductee Yokota heads victims' kin group
TOKYO - The younger brother of Megumi Yokota, a symbolic figure of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals decades ago, on Saturday took the helm of a group representing families of the victims, replacing an aging leader.
"I will continue to raise my voice toward resolving the abduction issue," Takuya Yokota, 53, said at an international symposium in Tokyo, as making progress on the issue has become more pressing over the years with the aging of the abductees' relatives.
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Japan eyes not sending ministers to Beijing Olympics: sources
TOKYO - Japan is considering not sending Cabinet ministers to next year's Beijing Olympics in line with a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott amid rising criticism over China's human rights record, government and ruling coalition sources said Saturday.
Japan's actions would see it side with the United States, along with countries including Australia, Britain and Canada, while stopping short of actually being a diplomatic boycott, the sources said.
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Japan broadcaster airs Dutch curling event after "racy" logo concealed
TOKYO - Japan's public broadcaster finally started airing an Olympic curling qualification event in the Netherlands on Saturday, about a week after it began, after a Dutch sex toy firm sponsoring the competition agreed to conceal its logo on the ice.
A sheet bearing the message "#equality for all" now covers the logo of EasyToys, removing a regulatory bottleneck preventing NHK from showing the event.
