The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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U.S. jet shoots down unidentified flying object over Canada: PM
NEW YORK - An unidentified flying object that entered the territorial airspace of Canada was shot down by a U.S. F-22 fighter jet on Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
It was the third time since early this month for such an object to be militarily destroyed in North America, with the United States and many other democratic countries suspecting China of sending surveillance balloons across the globe.
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Japan's ruling party vows to promote debate on bill for LGBT people
TOKYO - Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party will accelerate discussion on a bill that would promote understanding of sexual minorities, a senior lawmaker said Sunday, amid growing criticism of the government's conventional stance on LGBT people.
Koichi Hagiuda, the policy chief of the LDP, said in a TV program that he will make efforts to "forge a consensus" on the matter within the party, around three months before Japan hosts the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May.
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FOCUS: Japan PM's pick for new BOJ chief a calculated surprise
TOKYO - The choice of former Bank of Japan board member Kazuo Ueda for the next central bank governor is a well-calibrated decision by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at one of the biggest make-or-break moments of his time in office.
Kishida has been caught in a bind between financial markets anticipating a pivot by the BOJ to a tighter monetary policy and some quarters of ruling party lawmakers who are urging him -- directly or indirectly -- to stick with the "Abenomics" economy-boosting program that has become synonymous with monetary easing.
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2 Japan firms to join hands with Britain in new network technology
TOKYO - Two major Japanese telecom companies are expected to join hands with British organizations to promote a new communications network amid economic security concerns over China's growing share of the field, a source close to the case said Saturday.
NTT Docomo Inc., Japan's leading mobile operator, and Rakuten Mobile Inc. are likely to share information about research and development on Open RAN, or Open Radio Access Network, with British enterprises and institutions, the source added.
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Japan's PM undergoes surgery for chronic sinusitis
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida underwent endoscopic surgery for chronic sinusitis at a Tokyo hospital on Saturday, a government official said.
He was in good condition following the surgery, which began at around 12:05 p.m. and lasted about 3 hours and 40 minutes, the official said. As Kishida was placed under general anesthetic, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno stepped in for the prime minister.
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China mulls tripling nuclear warheads to 900 by 2035: sources
TOKYO - China is considering tripling its stockpile of nuclear warheads to 900 by 2035, as tensions with the United States are expected to escalate further over Taiwan, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
The blueprint, mapped out by the People's Liberation Army, has already been approved by President Xi Jinping, head of the military, who has been eager to bolster Beijing's deterrence against Washington, the Chinese sources said.
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Chinese navy vessel enters Japan waters near Kagoshima Pref. islands
TOKYO - A Chinese navy survey vessel on Sunday entered Japan's territorial waters near islands close to the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima, the latest confirmed sighting of Chinese ships in the area since December, the Defense Ministry said.
A survey ship crossed into Japanese waters from southwest of Yakushima Island in the prefecture at around 2:30 a.m., the ministry said, marking the seventh entry by a Chinese survey vessel into waters off Kagoshima since November 2021.
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Figure skating: Japan wins men's, pairs gold at Four Continents
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - Seventeen-year-old Kao Miura became the youngest-ever men's winner of the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships on Saturday, capping a successful day of competition for Japan.
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara earlier won the pairs competition, raising expectations of a breakthrough world title next month.
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Video: Snow lantern festival in Yamagata
