The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan unveils 6.2 tril. yen package to soften impact of Ukraine war
TOKYO - Japan on Tuesday compiled a 6.2 trillion yen ($48 billion) emergency economic package to mitigate the impact on households and smaller firms of rising prices, partly blamed on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The key features of the package include cash handouts of 50,000 yen per child for low-income households, more subsidies for oil wholesalers to bring down retail gasoline prices and support for struggling small and medium-sized companies as well as livestock farmers.
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Japan PM Kishida says rapid yen moves "unfavorable" for many
TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday rapid currency moves are "unfavorable" for many parties concerned, amid growing concern about the negative impact of yen weakness on the fragile economic recovery at home.
Speaking at a press conference, Kishida said currency levels reflect the outcome of economic and monetary policies, expressing hope that the Bank of Japan will continue with its efforts to attain its 2 percent inflation target.
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PM Kishida, Yoon's delegation agree to seek better Japan-S. Korea ties
TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and a delegation sent by South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol agreed Tuesday on the need to improve bilateral ties that have sunk to the lowest level in years over wartime issues.
During a courtesy call at the prime minister's office, Kishida underscored the urgent need to improve ties in a rapidly changing international environment, while the visiting delegation handed to Kishida a letter from Yoon.
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North Korea's Kim vows to boost nuclear arms, use them if provoked
BEIJING - North Korea will bolster its development of nuclear weapons at a faster pace and use them if its fundamental interests are threatened, leader Kim Jong Un said at a huge military parade to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of its army, state-run media reported Tuesday.
At the first military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square since January 2021, held Monday night, a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-17 and numerous other weapons were displayed, the Korean Central News Agency said.
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Ukraine omits Japan from list of countries thanked in Twitter video
TOKYO - Japan was not among the nations Ukraine thanked in a social media video highlighting support it has received in its fight against Russia, with Japan's top diplomat saying Tuesday the omission was a result of Tokyo not providing lethal weapons.
"We received an explanation from the Ukrainian side that the gratitude shown was in the context of thanking countries for providing weapons assistance," Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference, adding that the video was a message from a Ukrainian military leader.
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Japan conveys concerns to Solomons over security pact with China
TOKYO - Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tuesday that a senior Japanese official voiced concerns to the Solomon Islands prime minister over its recently signed security pact with China amid fears that Beijing would further increase its military influence.
The security deal "could affect the security of the whole Pacific region, so our nation is monitoring (the situation) with concern," Parliamentary Vice Foreign Minister Kentaro Uesugi told Manasseh Sogavare, prime minister of the Solomon Islands, during a meeting in the southwest Pacific nation, according to the foreign minister.
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Sonar shows presence of sunken vessels amid search for Hokkaido boat
SAPPORO - Sonar readings taken during the search for a tourist boat that went missing off Hokkaido over the weekend indicate the presence of a number of sunken vessels, the coast guard and local officials said Tuesday, a day after the death toll from the incident rose to 11.
The Japan Coast Guard said sonar had detected objects that appeared to be vessels in various locations, including at a depth of around 30 meters, but it could not determine whether the readings were connected to the 19-ton Kazu I, which went missing off Japan's northernmost main island on Saturday with 26 aboard, including two crew.
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Japan PM to visit Southeast Asia, Europe amid Ukraine crisis
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to tour Southeast Asia and Europe over a holiday week starting Friday, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said Tuesday.
The premier will visit Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Italy and Britain over the eight-day period through May 6 for talks with their leaders, Kihara told a parliamentary meeting.
