The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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G-20 finance chiefs to focus on inflation, may split over Russia
WASHINGTON - Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 major economies are set to start a one-day meeting Wednesday in Washington with the focus on addressing global inflation, which has been accelerated by Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
But the gathering may only demonstrate the rift within the group, as Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov is likely to join the gathering virtually even though Western nations have called for the country to be removed from the international framework in protest at Moscow's attack on Ukraine.
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S. Korea's next top diplomat calls 2015 "comfort women" pact official
SEOUL - South Korea's incoming Foreign Minister Park Jin acknowledged Wednesday that a bilateral agreement signed with Japan in 2015 over wartime "comfort women" is official, hinting how the new government, led by President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, would approach history issues with Tokyo.
The two countries signed a deal in December 2015 to put an end to the historical feud over women who worked at wartime Japanese military brothels against their will. However, the current Moon Jae In government that came into office in 2017 described it as "seriously flawed," causing bilateral ties to sink to the lowest point in years.
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Western Japan prefecture pulls out of bid to host casino resort
WAKAYAMA, Japan - The assembly of a western Japan prefecture on Wednesday voted down a bid by its local government to host a casino resort, leaving now only two other candidate sites and dealing a further blow to the country's plan to stimulate the economy through the gambling industry.
The rejection by the Wakayama prefectural assembly is the latest sign of lost momentum in the central government's push to construct so-called integrated resorts comprising a large hotel, conference rooms and gambling areas.
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Yen tumbles to new 20-year low at 129 level vs. U.S. dollar
TOKYO - The Japanese yen tumbled to a new 20-year low in the 129 zone against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, as the unit continued to fall on the prospects of a further widening in the interest rate gap between the two countries.
The yen dropped to around 129.40 to the dollar in the morning on a rise in the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note, marking the Japanese currency's weakest level against the dollar since April 2002. But the unit bounced back to the upper 128 level as investors locked in profits.
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Japan, Malaysia affirm coordination over Ukraine, Indo-Pacific
TOKYO - The leaders of Japan and Malaysia agreed Wednesday to continue close coordination in responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine that they both oppose, and to aim for a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region at a time of China's rise.
In a phone call, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told Malaysian counterpart Ismail Sabri Yaakob that the Russian aggression has shaken the international order to its core, adding that safeguarding and strengthening one based on the rule of law has taken on greater importance, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
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Nearly 90% of Japanese say E. Asia security environment severer: poll
TOKYO - Nearly 90 percent of Japanese feel the security environment in East Asia is more severe, according to a survey result released by the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, reflecting public awareness of China's growing military clout.
In the telephone survey conducted nationwide from March 17 through 22, 59.0 percent of 1,000 respondents said they "really think" the security environment surrounding the East Asian region has been getting more severe in recent years, and 29.0 percent said they think so somewhat, the poll showed.
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Japan parliament OKs revoking Russia's "most favored" trade status
TOKYO - Japan's parliament Wednesday gave the green light to strip Russia of "most favored nation" trade status, a move taken in unison with other countries to punish Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia will lose benefits such as low tariffs and few trade barriers. Among the other changes enacted was amending the foreign exchange and trade law to prevent cryptocurrencies from being used as a loophole to sidestep economic sanctions on Russia.
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East Timor's Ramos-Horta set to win presidential election
DILI - East Timor's former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta is set to win the country's presidential election run-off, senior officials of the election committee said Wednesday.
With more than 60 percent of the votes counted, Ramos-Horta, 72, backed by the opposition National Congress of the Reconstruction of East Timor party, won 61.72 percent, while his incumbent president Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres, 67, the leader of Fretilin party, gained 38.28 percent, according to data from the country's technical secretariat for election administration.
