The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan, Poland foreign ministers discuss Ukraine evacuees airlift
TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau began talks on Monday in Warsaw, where they are expected to discuss Tokyo's plan of airlifting evacuees from war-torn Ukraine to Japan.
Japan plans to take about 30 Ukrainian evacuees on a government plane when Hayashi completes a five-day mission to Poland on Tuesday, as skyrocketing airfares following Russia's invasion have made Ukrainians in Poland reluctant to move to Japan even if they wish, according to sources familiar with the matter.
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G-20 gives up issuing communique due to split over Russia
WASHINGTON - Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 economies have decided not to issue a joint statement after their April 20 meeting amid conflicts over Russia's participation in the event following its invasion of Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.
The G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors are instead considering having Indonesia, this year's rotating chair of the group, release the results of discussions at the meeting in Washington, the sources said.
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Tokyo stock market revamped in hope of attracting foreign investors
TOKYO - The Tokyo stock market was reorganized Monday into three trading segments in a major reform aimed at imposing stricter listing standards and attracting more foreign investment, with the first day of trading ending without any confusion.
The Prime, Standard and Growth markets replace the four sections formerly on the Tokyo bourse, as the operator has tried to create a clearer concept for each segment and revitalize a market that has fallen far behind U.S. peers in terms of capitalization.
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2,000 military medical staff sent to Shanghai over COVID surge
SHANGHAI - China has sent about 2,000 military medical staff and thousands of health care workers to Shanghai as COVID-19 infections continued to increase Monday in the country's most important financial center.
The medical personnel from various units affiliated with the People's Liberation Army were dispatched Sunday to the megacity of 26 million people, which remains mostly under lockdown amid mass testing for the coronavirus, according to official media.
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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam will not seek re-election
HONG KONG - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Monday she will not run for a second term as chief executive of the territory in a leadership election slated for May 8.
Lam, who became the first female chief executive of Hong Kong in 2017 after being chosen as a Beijing-favored candidate, revealed her decision in a daily COVID-19 press briefing, citing family affairs.
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LGBTQ safe space opens in Osaka
OSAKA - A center serving as a safe space for LGBTQ people and other sexual minorities to come together opened in Osaka this month.
Run by the nonprofit organization Nijiiro Diversity, Pride Center Osaka provides an on-site consultation specialist for not just LGBTQ people but their parents and other people around them.
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Japanese classical musicians win Grammy awards
LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Two Japanese classical musicians, Mihoko Fujimura and Eru Matsumoto, were among those who received Grammy awards, announced Sunday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Fujimura, a mezzo-soprano, was part of the chorale group that won "Best Choral Performance" at the 64th Grammy Awards for its rendition of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
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Bullet trains back in service between Iwate and Miyagi after quake
TOKYO - East Japan Railway Co. on Monday resumed bullet train services between Iwate and Miyagi prefectures that were suspended after a powerful earthquake hit northeastern Japan more than two weeks ago.
Tohoku Shinkansen trains are back in service between Ichinoseki and Sendai stations, allowing Hokkaido and Akita Shinkansen trains to reconnect to Sendai, a major transportation hub in the northeast region.
