The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Russia attack on Ukraine nuclear plant spurs fear, fighting continues
MOSCOW - Tensions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine heightened Friday, with the prospect of a cease-fire uncertain, as Europe's largest nuclear power plant located in Ukraine came under attack by the Russian military, even after the two countries agreed on a halt in fighting to create corridors to allow civilians to evacuate.
Noting that the Russian army was "firing from all sides" upon the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted, "If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl!" referring to one of the world's worst nuclear disasters that occurred in 1986 at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union.
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Beijing Paralympics to open under long shadow of war in Ukraine
BEIJING - The Beijing Paralympics will open Friday night at the Chinese capital's National Stadium with the ongoing war in Ukraine casting a shadow over the world's largest winter sports event for athletes with disabilities.
Athletes from the Russian Paralympic Committee and Belarus were excluded from the games after tensions escalated in the games' villages ahead of the opening ceremony, with many athletes and teams refusing to take the field of play alongside athletes from aggressor states following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the help of Belarus, which began in late February.
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Kin of dead Sri Lankan detainee file 156 mil. yen damages suit with Japan
NAGOYA - Relatives of a Sri Lankan woman who died while in custody at an immigration center in central Japan last year sued the government on Friday, demanding 156 million yen ($1.35 million) in damages.
The family of Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali alleges she was illegally detained and died due to a lack of necessary medical care. The suit was filed with the Nagoya District Court two days before the first anniversary of her death.
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Japan PM raps Russian nuclear plant attack in Ukraine in "strongest terms"
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday condemned Russia's attack of a nuclear power plant in Ukraine "in the strongest possible terms," calling it "totally unacceptable and outrageous."
The Russian attack on the Zaporizhzhia plant killed three Ukrainian troops and injured two others, the Ukrainian state nuclear company was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
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China-led development bank freezes projects with Russia, Belarus
BEIJING - The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has decided to freeze projects with Russia and Belarus as Western countries expand sanctions against the two nations in the wake of Moscow's aggression against Ukraine.
The Chinese government has not changed its policy toward continuing its trade and business engagements with Russia, but the AIIB, comprised of dozens of member countries, has decided to keep in step with the United States and other democratic countries.
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Sony, Honda to join hands in EV business as demand grows
TOKYO - Sony Group Corp. and Honda Motor Co. said Friday they have agreed on a tie-up in the electric vehicle business as demand for eco-friendly battery-driven cars is increasing worldwide.
The Japanese companies said they will set up a joint venture later this year and start selling EVs in 2025. The vehicles will be initially manufactured at a Honda factory.
The new company will tap on Sony's knowhow on sensors and communication while Honda will be in charge of car development and manufacturing.
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Toyota subsidiary Hino admits use of fraudulent emissions data
TOKYO - Japan's Hino Motors Ltd., Toyota Motor Corp.'s truck-making subsidiary, admitted Friday to having submitted fraudulent emissions and fuel economy data to transport authorities, suspending the same day the shipment of vehicles with engines for which the figures were utilized and may not meet Japanese standards.
The use of fraudulent data has been ongoing since at least 2016, with the company having sold at least 115,526 vehicles with engines certified by the government based on rigged data, it said.
