The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan's daily COVID cases top 110,000 for 1st time
TOKYO - Japan's daily COVID-19 cases on Saturday topped 110,000 to set a new record as the country grapples with a seventh wave of coronavirus infections partly driven by the highly transmissible BA.5 Omicron subvariant.
The previous record was around 104,000 infections, set on Feb. 3 during the sixth wave of the virus. While infections were on a steady decline since then, a resurgence has been seen from late June.
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Japan aims to maintain stakes in Russia's Sakhalin 2 energy project
TOKYO - Japan has decided to maintain its interests in the Sakhalin 2 oil and liquefied natural gas project in the Russian Far East, with the government coordinating with two Japanese stakeholders to that end, government sources said Saturday.
With the plan, Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. would keep 12.5 percent and 10 percent stakes, respectively, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's signing of an order that sets up a new operating company to tighten its grip on the project.
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G-20 ends finance talks without statement amid rift over Ukraine
NUSA DUA, Indonesia, July 16 Kyodo - Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 major economies fell short of issuing a joint statement as they wrapped up a two-day meeting Saturday due to their rift over Russia's war in Ukraine.
Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati is expected to release a chair's statement instead, which summarizes what was discussed at the meeting in Bali where the G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors exposed divisions in awareness of the state of the world economy as well as how to resolve urgent issues.
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New S. Korea envoy arrives in Japan with mission to improve ties
TOKYO - New South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yun Duk Min arrived at his posting Saturday with a mission to improve bilateral ties that have soured over wartime labor and other issues stemming from Japan's colonial rule of Korea.
"South Korea and Japan are the most important partners that share strategic benefits," Yun told reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport. "I will do my best to build a future-oriented relationship between South Korea and Japan, based on our shared values."
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U.S. OKs $108 mil. sale of tank parts, other aid to Taiwan
WASHINGTON - The State Department said Friday it has approved the sale of $108 million worth of spare and repair parts for tanks and other assistance to Taiwan, the latest U.S. move in support of the self-ruled democratic island that is facing pressure from China.
The sale will contribute to the "sustainment of the recipient's vehicles, small arms, combat weapon systems and logistical support items, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats," an agency under the Defense Department said in a press release.
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Biden hopes Saudi Arabia takes action over oil supplies within weeks
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday he expects Saudi Arabia to take action to ensure the availability of adequate oil supplies following talks with the kingdom's leader, while stressing he did not sidestep addressing the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Biden's visit to the Middle East nation is taking place at a time when the major crude oil producer holds great sway as the United States struggles with high gasoline prices amid Russia's war in Ukraine. The trip has also sparked controversy as critics warn the United States against compromising its position on Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
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Over 80% of university seniors in Japan secure job offers
TOKYO - A total of 83.3 percent of university seniors in Japan who are scheduled to graduate next March have secured job offers as of July 1, with the figure almost recovering to pre-pandemic levels, a recent survey found.
The online poll by Recruit Co., the operator of the Rikunabi job information website, found the rate climbed 2.8 percentage points from a year earlier, marking the second-highest after 85.1 percent was logged in 2019.
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Sport climbing: Nonaka golden as Japan rocks World Games bouldering
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Japan's Miho Nonaka overcame sweltering heat to win the women's bouldering gold medal in sport climbing at the World Games on Friday, as Japan secured four of the six medals on offer.
Kokoro Fujii won the men's silver medal, and World Games defending champ Yoshiyuki Ogata the bronze. Mao Nakamura won the women's bronze medal at the games for a wide variety of mostly non-Olympics sports.
