The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Yen hits 7-month high in 129 zone vs dollar on BOJ speculation
TOKYO - The yen strengthened to the mid-129 zone against the U.S. dollar Tuesday, a level last seen in June, amid speculation that the Bank of Japan will further shift away from its ultraloose monetary policy.
The dollar slid to around 129.50 yen from the lower 131 yen range before fetching 130.10-11 yen at 5 p.m.
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Bird flu cases rise to record high in Japan
TOKYO - Bird flu cases in Japan hit a record high after new infections were confirmed in Chiba and Fukuoka prefectures, the farm ministry said Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, a total of 54 cases of avian flu were confirmed across 23 prefectures in Japan this season, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
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FEATURE: Major league stars put Japan on track to reclaim WBC crown
TOKYO - After back-to-back World Baseball Classic semifinal exits, a strong cadre of MLB regulars have put Samurai Japan in a strong position to claim its third tournament title in March and first since 2009.
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani, the 2021 American League MVP, veteran starting pitcher Yu Darvish and outfielder Seiya Suzuki have all signed on after two tournaments, of which Japan's MLB players mostly declined to take part.
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Philippine leader Marcos to broach S. China Sea issue on China trip
BEIJING - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. started Tuesday a three-day trip to China with the leader expected to broach the issue of the South China Sea, where Manila has overlapping territorial claims with Beijing, as both countries set a fresh tone for their relations.
The trip marks Marcos' first state visit outside Southeast Asia since he took office in June last year. His predecessor Rodrigo Duterte was known for his appeasement of Beijing, taking an accommodating stance toward China's incursions in waters claimed by Manila in exchange for promised investment from the major Asian economy.
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Athletics: Komazawa completes ekiden title sweep with Hakone win
TOKYO - Komazawa University held on to its overnight lead to win the Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay Tuesday for the second time in three years and eighth time overall.
Komazawa became the fifth school to sweep collegiate ekiden's three major titles in a season, having won the Izumo Ekiden in October and the national championship in November.
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Japan Duolingo app users spend longest time on language study: report
TOKYO - Japan-based users of popular language-learning app Duolingo spend the longest time studying a language on the platform, with English being studied the most followed by Korean and Chinese, a recent report by the U.S.-based developer showed.
Learners in Belarus, Hungary, and Russia followed Japan in spending the most time using the app, according to the 2022 Duolingo Language Report, which was compiled based on data from over 500 million users worldwide.
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Only around half of firms in Japan expect economic growth in 2023
TOKYO - Only around half of major companies in Japan expect the country's economy to grow in 2023 given soaring prices of natural resources and raw materials triggered by Russia's war on Ukraine and the weak yen, a Kyodo News survey showed Monday.
In the survey of 117 companies, including Toyota Motor Corp. and SoftBank Group Corp., 65 firms, or 56 percent, expect solid expansion or moderate growth in the world's third-largest economy in the year ahead, sharply down from 84 percent a year ago.
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Football: Maeda, Furuhashi score in Celtic's draw with Rangers
GLASGOW, Scotland - Japanese forwards Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi both scored Monday as leaders Celtic salvaged a 2-2 draw at Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.
Maeda, who made his World Cup debut in Qatar, opened the scoring five minutes into the match with his fifth goal of the season. Furuhashi's 88th-minute equalizer, his 15th goal of the season, earned Celtic a point at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow.
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Former Olympic figure skater Fumie Suguri dreaming big as choreographer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Often called an actress on ice for her expressive performances, former Olympic figure skater Fumie Suguri is fulfilling her second dream of working as a choreographer.
The 42-year-old, who now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, hopes to see her students compete at the Olympics someday, saying "I believe my work will be recognized when I develop skaters whose abilities surpass my own."
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Video: Swordsmiths hold New Year ceremony in Gifu Prefecture
