The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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U.S., EU to exclude some Russian banks from key int'l payment system
WASHINGTON - The United States and the European Union said Saturday that selected Russian banks will be removed from a crucial global international payment system, the latest in a series of sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Some European countries such as Germany had been cautious about cutting Russia off from the so-called SWIFT system due to possible repercussions they may face if trade halts with Moscow, but they apparently feel the need to show a tougher stance against Russia's chilling military aggression against its neighboring country.
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North Korea fires ballistic missile toward Sea of Japan
TOKYO - North Korea has fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan, the Japanese government said Sunday, the latest in a series of missile launches by the North this year.
The missile is believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone after flying about 300 kilometers and reaching an altitude of about 600 km, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters in Tokyo, adding no damage has been reported.
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ASEAN foreign ministers call for dialogue in Ukraine crisis
PHNOM PENH - Foreign ministers of the 10-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have called for dialogues among parties concerned in the Ukraine crisis.
"We call on all relevant parties to exercise maximum restraint and make utmost efforts to pursue dialogues through all channels, including diplomatic means to contain the situation," the ministers said in a statement dated Saturday.
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Japan opposition bloc to aim for over half of contested upper house seats
TOKYO - Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan will cooperate with other opposition forces to jointly secure more than half of the contested House of Councillors seats in the election in summer, the party's leader said Sunday.
In the upcoming election for the 248-seat upper house, held every three years as the six-year term for half of its members expires, 125 seats will be contested.
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Japan e-commerce giant Rakuten CEO Mikitani to donate 1 bil. yen to Ukraine
TOKYO - Hiroshi Mikitani, chairman and CEO of Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten Group Inc., said Sunday he will donate 1 billion yen ($8.7 million) to the Ukrainian government for humanitarian assistance following Russia's invasion of the country.
"I am deeply saddened by the news," Mikitani said in an English letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on Twitter, referring to Russia's launch of a military attack Thursday. "My thoughts are with you and Ukraine people."
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Japan financial watchdog reviews compulsory quarterly disclosure rule
TOKYO - Japan's financial watchdog has begun discussions as part of a review of compulsory quarterly company disclosures, a controversial move the regulator argues will encourage firms to think long-term but that critics say will erode transparency.
The Financial Services Agency is expected to show as early as this spring the direction of its review, a part of efforts to promote a "new capitalism" as advocated by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, following discussions at its Financial System Council.
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Ex-Ghosn aide Greg Kelly confident of winning acquittal ahead of ruling
TOKYO - Former Nissan Motor Co. executive Greg Kelly is confident he can win an acquittal over his alleged involvement in underreporting compensation for his former boss and one-time corporate superstar Carlos Ghosn as a court is scheduled to hand down a ruling on Thursday.
"There was no need to report because Carlos Ghosn never got paid, and there was never an agreement to pay Carlos Ghosn," Kelly said in a recent interview with Kyodo News. "This is not a criminal matter, and nobody should go to jail for anything."
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North Korea blames U.S. in 1st response to Russian invasion of Ukraine
BEIJING - North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Saturday night blamed the United States and defended Russia in Pyongyang's first response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, by way of posting on its website an article by a North Korean researcher.
In the article, Ri Ji Song of the Society for International Politics Study wrote, "The root cause of the Ukrainian crisis also lies in the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the U.S., which has held on solely to the unilateral sanction and pressure while pursuing only global hegemony and military supremacy in disregard of the legitimate demand of Russia for its security."
