A regional section of the Japan Coast Guard conducts a maritime security drill in Hiroshima port on March 20, 2023, to guard against a suspicious vessel ahead of a Group of Seven summit in May in the western Japan city of Hiroshima. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Japan PM Kishida visits Ukraine for talks with Zelenskyy

KYIV - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Tuesday in a surprise visit to the Eastern European country to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kyodo News confirmed.

The visit, which had been kept secret until right before arrival, comes a day after Kishida met with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi. It is rare for a Japanese leader to make an unannounced trip to a foreign country.

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Baseball: Murakami lifts Japan into WBC final vs. U.S.

MIAMI, Florida - Japan came from behind to beat Mexico 6-5 on Munetaka Murakami's sayonara two-run ninth-inning double in the World Baseball Classic semifinals Monday.

Trailing 5-4 in the ninth, Murakami, who had struggled through much of the tournament, drove a pitch to the wall in center at Miami's loanDepot park to send two-time champion Japan into Tuesday's final against the defending champion United States.

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Xi seeks dialogue to settle Ukraine crisis in talks with Putin

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping called for dialogue to settle the Ukraine crisis in his talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, as the isolated Russian leader welcomed his "dear friend" in Moscow.

Xi, who began a three-day visit to Russia just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin over war crimes, told the Russian leader, "A review of history shows that conflicts in the end have to be settled through dialogue and negotiation," the ministry said Tuesday.

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Taiwan's Tsai to make stopovers in U.S. during Central America trip

TAIPEI - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will make stopovers in the United States during her trip from March 29 to Central American states with diplomatic ties with the island, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

In the tour through April 7, Tsai will transit through New York and Los Angeles on her way to and from the two Central American nations of Guatemala and Belize, the ministry said. A meeting is reportedly being arranged between the Taiwan leader and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.

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Thailand to hold general election on May 14

BANGKOK - Thailand's Election Commission said Tuesday it will hold a general election on May 14 after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha dissolved parliament the previous day.

Election Commission Secretary General Sawaeng Boonmee said at a press conference that candidates for the House of Representatives election will be registered between April 3 and 7.

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Hiroshima modern art museum reopens after renovations

HIROSHIMA - A modern art museum designed by world-famous architect Kisho Kurokawa in the atomic-bombed city of Hiroshima has reopened after around two years of major renovations.

The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1989 as Japan's first publicly run modern art museum and has exhibited many artworks on the themes of atomic bombs and peace, owing to its location in a city that endured an atomic bombing in the final days of World War II in 1945.

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Firm creates app for overseas buyers to access Japan's fish catch

TOKYO - A Japanese company has tapped into growing demand in Asia for fresh seafood, allowing overseas customers to use a smartphone app to order freshly caught fish from ports across Japan and ensuring hassle-free delivery.

Uuuo, Inc., acting as an intermediary between sellers and buyers, recently delivered red seabream to Thailand in an initial foray into the global market, the Hiroshima-based company said in a press release.

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FEATURE: Int'l theater collaboration brings new Japanese plays to London stage

LONDON - Plays by three women from Japan were performed in London in January in an initiative to introduce overseas audiences to some of the country's best up-and-coming dramatists.

While Japan may be better known to foreign theatergoers for its kabuki dramas than its contemporary plays, the British and Japanese theater companies behind the initiative hoped to nurture the talent of 14 young Japanese playwrights, with each writer having their work translated into English for potential performance on the London stage.

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Video: Maritime security drill ahead of G-7 summit in Hiroshima