The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan to consider more sanctions on Russia: Kishida
TOKYO - Japan will consider additional sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday after a virtual speech to Japanese lawmakers by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Kishida said he renewed his resolve not to tolerate Russia's "reckless" attack on civilians after listening to Zelenskyy's address, saying that Japan wants to extend further humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
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Ukrainian president calls on Japan to maintain sanctions on Russia
TOKYO - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday called on Japan to keep up its pressure and sanctions on Russia, in a virtual speech to Japanese lawmakers.
Zelenskyy said Russia is preparing to use chemical weapons on Ukraine and he explained nuclear power plants in his country are in a "dangerous" state.
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Japan PM Kishida to visit Hiroshima with U.S. Ambassador Emanuel March 26
TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to visit Hiroshima with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel on Saturday, a Japanese government source said Wednesday.
They will offer prayers and flowers to those who suffered from the U.S. atomic bombing on the city in 1945 at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, the source said.
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Tokyo stocks' Nikkei index surges 3% to 2-month high on weak yen
TOKYO - The Nikkei stock index ended Wednesday at its highest level in more than two months, surging 3 percent as exporter issues advanced after the U.S. dollar rose above the 121 yen line for the first time in over six years.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 816.05 points, or 3.00 percent, from Tuesday at 28,040.16, its highest level since Jan. 18. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 44.96 points, or 2.33 percent, higher at 1,978.70.
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Embattled Mizuho Financial turns to Google for digitization help
TOKYO - Mizuho Financial Group Inc. said Wednesday it has entered into a strategic collaboration with tech giant Google LLC to accelerate the Japanese company's digital transformation.
Mizuho said in a statement it partnered with Google Cloud Japan G.K. to utilize Google's data analytics technology to generate real-time insights about clients' preferences and increase customer satisfaction.
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Massive water outage in Tohoku shows need to boost quake resistance
SENDAI - A powerful quake off northeastern Japan last week left up to some 70,000 households without access to water in the region, local authorities said, underlining the urgent need to increase quake-resistant water pipes in the disaster-prone country.
Water disruption in Miyagi Prefecture, which impacted about 37,000 homes, was mostly caused by damage to two key water pipes in the region that were more than 40 years old, according to the prefecture. One of them was not quake-resistant, it said.
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Japan, U.S. remote island defense drill revealed to press
TOKYO - Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Marine Corps on Wednesday disclosed to the press some detail about an ongoing joint exercise in which the defense of remote islands is being drilled.
As China becomes increasingly assertive in regional waters, the GSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade and the Okinawa-based U.S. 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit have been conducting drills over three weeks since March 4 at a GSDF facility in central Japan.
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Gov't lifts power availability warning in Tokyo, 8 prefs
TOKYO - The Japanese government on Wednesday lifted its warning for tight electricity availability for Tokyo and eight other prefectures in effect since Monday as supply is expected to improve with increased solar power generation.
But the industry ministry continued requesting firms and households in the region to use electricity more efficiently, given an insufficient supply capacity as some thermal power plants remain offline following a powerful earthquake last week.
