The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Gov't plans to present nominees for BOJ governor, deputies next week
TOKYO - The government is planning to submit to parliament its nominees for the next Bank of Japan governor and two deputy chiefs next week, sources with knowledge of the plan said Monday, as financial markets anxiously await clues on the future course of the country's monetary policy.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida remained tightlipped about his possible selection, saying only that he will "thoroughly consider" candidates, as the yen plunged on market expectations that monetary easing will continue even after incumbent Haruhiko Kuroda, 78, leaves his post in April.
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Nissan, Renault formally agree to make cross-shareholdings equal
TOKYO - Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA said Monday they have formally agreed to make their mutual cross-shareholdings equal at 15 percent, in a deal that will radically change the decades-old capital alliance that created one of the world's biggest automaker groups.
Under the agreement, the French company will reduce its 43.4 percent stake in the Japanese automaker while Nissan will maintain its current stake in its alliance partner.
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China resumes overseas group tours to 20 countries, Japan not included
BEIJING - China on Monday resumed overseas group tours for Chinese citizens after a roughly 3-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the tours will be limited to 20 countries, with Japan excluded from the list.
Japan's tourism and retail industry had been hoping for the resumption of group tours from China as they comprised a major portion of inbound travelers before the pandemic, but the prospect of their return remains uncertain.
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M7.8 quake hits southern Turkey, Syria, over 500 dead
ISTANBUL - A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck southern Turkey on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, leaving over 500 people dead in the country and neighboring Syria, according to authorities.
Strong aftershocks were felt, with the USGS detecting a 6.7 magnitude earthquake about 11 minutes after the first quake struck Gaziantep province, which borders Syria, around 4:17 a.m. local time at a depth of 17.9 kilometers.
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Philippines to send robbery suspects to Japan on Feb. 7
TOKYO - The Philippines is expected to repatriate at least two of four Japanese detainees believed to be involved in a string of robberies across Japan as early as Tuesday, investigative sources said Sunday.
The remaining two, including Yuki Watanabe, 38, considered a leader in a fraud group, could also be sent to Japan at the same time depending on the outcome of their criminal trials held Monday, the sources said. The criminal lawsuits they are facing are unrelated to the robberies in Japan and have hampered the deportation process.
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Japan probing links between Chinese balloon, past flying object
TOKYO - Japan is examining whether there are links between a suspected Chinese spy balloon that the U.S. military shot down and reports of a flying object spotted in the northeastern area of the nation a few years ago, a government spokesman said Monday.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said at a press conference that the government has confirmed the flying object was observed in 2020 and 2021 over Miyagi and Aomori prefectures, respectively, adding it will continue to seek to establish the facts around the incident.
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Australia, China to work toward pushing trade back on track
SYDNEY - Trade ministers of Australia and China agreed Monday that they will work toward putting strained economic and trade relations back on track in a virtual meeting that saw Canberra continue to push for the removal of Chinese sanctions on Australian goods.
The teleconference between Australian trade minister Don Farrell and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, marked the first meeting between Australian and Chinese trade chiefs since 2019, as the two countries seek to bolster diplomatic ties after a three-year deep freeze.
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Mitsubishi Heavy set to terminate passenger jet project
TOKYO - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to terminate the development of a domestically manufactured jet, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.
The development of SpaceJet has been hit by repeated delays and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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High schooler in Japan's Kawasaki stabbed in street, suspect still at large
YOKOHAMA - A high school student in Kawasaki near Tokyo was rushed to hospital on Monday morning after he was stabbed from behind with a blade, police said.
The Kanagawa prefectural police said the 16-year-old student is conscious, and that they are pursuing his assailant, who fled the scene, on suspicion of attempted murder. An investigative source said the suspect is believed to be male and a minor.
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Video: 1st drift ice observed in Sea of Okhotsk
