The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan gears up for July 10 election with end of parliamentary session
TOKYO - Japan wrapped up its 150-day regular parliamentary session Wednesday, with the ruling and opposition parties swinging into high gear for the House of Councillors election set for July 10.
The Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decided on the date of the election as well as the start of official campaigning on June 22, with the triennial race likely to focus on measures to ease the impact of rising prices and revive the economy hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Fumio Kishida to be 1st Japan leader to attend NATO summit
TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday he will attend a summit meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization this month as the first Japanese leader to attend the gathering of the Western security alliance.
At a press conference, Kishida also said he will attend a three-day summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, to be held from June 26 in Schloss Elmau, Germany, just before the NATO gathering in the Spanish capital of Madrid.
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Japan gov't to skip 1st U.N. nuclear ban meeting next week
TOKYO - The Japanese government has decided not to join the first meeting of parties to a U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons to be held in Vienna next week, officials said Wednesday, despite high expectations for its attendance as the only nation that has suffered atomic bombings.
Japan, which has not signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, did not complete the procedures for taking part in the three-day meeting, including as an observer, by the Tuesday deadline, according to a diplomatic source.
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Japan passes bill to prevent exploitation of young people in porn
TOKYO - A bill to prevent young people from being exploited in pornographic productions was passed into law Wednesday, marking a step in efforts to end abuses of those involved in the industry in Japan.
Although the bill targets people who appear in porn regardless of age or gender, it was proposed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers after Japan lowered the age of adulthood in April, making it no longer possible for 18- and 19-year-olds to cancel contracts to which they have agreed.
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Japan to launch entity for infections akin to U.S. CDC: PM Kishida
TOKYO - Japan will create an entity for infectious disease experts similar to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and bolster its crisis response, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday.
In a press conference after the end of a 150-day regular Diet session, Kishida said the government will formalize the plan at a task force meeting on Friday.
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Japan, Australia vow to deepen defense cooperation in Indo-Pacific
TOKYO - The defense chiefs of Japan and Australia pledged Wednesday to step up their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, where China has been increasing its influence, both militarily and economically.
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles told reporters in Tokyo that the two nations confirmed plans to enhance training designed to increase interoperability between their defense forces.
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Gov't presses BOJ to help curb yen's slide ahead of policy meeting
TOKYO - The government on Wednesday appeared to raise pressure on the Bank of Japan to help address the plunging yen, ahead of its two-day policy meeting starting Thursday.
"We expect (the BOJ) to appropriately take necessary measures in coordination with the government," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference.
