The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Japan, South Korea eye package to resolve wartime labor, other issues
TOKYO - Japan and South Korea are considering settling a dispute over wartime labor compensation and other pending bilateral issues in a package deal amid a growing momentum toward improving ties, a diplomatic source said Saturday.
If Seoul decides to ensure compensation payment to former Korean laborers through a government-backed foundation instead of asking Japanese companies to do so, Japan would lift restrictions on certain tech exports to South Korea and agree on the resumption of reciprocal visits by the countries' leaders, the source said.
----------
Japan, Australia to tie up on hydrogen supply for zero emissions Asia
TOKYO - Japan announced Saturday the launch of a hydrogen supply chain with Australia as the two countries and Southeast Asian nations gathered for their first ministerial meeting on the reduction of carbon emissions in the fast-growing region.
In a video message for the meeting on the Asia Zero Emission Community framework, an initiative proposed by Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would like to expand hydrogen supply chain networks throughout the region by cooperating further with Asian nations.
----------
Snowboarding: Japan's Taiga Hasegawa wins men's big air at world c'ships
BAKURIANI, Georgia - Japan's 17-year-old Taiga Hasegawa won the men's big air at the world snowboarding championships Saturday, making him the country's first winner of the event at the worlds.
The championship debutant scored 177.25 points from the first two of his three runs. Japanese compatriot Miyabi Onitsuka finished runner-up to Austria's Anna Gasser in the women's big air for her second medal of the worlds in Bakuriani, Georgia.
----------
Kyoto man allegedly murdered female univ. student with poison
OSAKA - Osaka police have arrested a man suspected in the poisoning death of a university student in Kyoto in October last year and sent him to prosecutors on Saturday for the alleged murder.
The police allege that Kazuki Miyamoto, 37, killed Hinako Hamano, a 21-year-old student of Ritsumeikan University, by getting her to ingest a lethal amount of thallium, a highly toxic substance that was once widely used as rat poison.
----------
FOCUS: BOJ chief nominee sticking to familiar playbook, at least for now
TOKYO - Bank of Japan governor nominee Kazuo Ueda is signaling that financial markets should not expect big surprises or magical solutions, as he braces for the monumental challenges facing the central bank.
His carefully worded statements on monetary policy in his recent confirmation hearings in parliament suggest he will prioritize communication with financial markets and make his thinking behind policy decisions clear.
----------
Japan's H3 rocket's maiden launch pushed back to March 7
TOKYO - Japan's new flagship H3 rocket is scheduled to be launched for the first time Tuesday, one day later than planned due to unfavorable weather conditions, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Saturday.
The rocket, which has been plagued with repeated launch delays, including one in mid-February, is slated to blast off from Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima, sometime between 10:37 a.m. and 10:44 a.m.
----------
Fire at Indonesia state oil firm depot leaves 16 dead, 50 injured
JAKARTA - At least 16 people, including two children, were killed and 50 others suffered burn injuries after a fire broke out at a depot of Indonesian state-run oil company PT Pertamina on Friday evening, causing some explosions, officials said.
In a press statement, Eko Kristiawan, an area manager for the company, said the fire at its depot in the densely-populated Plumpang area in North Jakarta occurred at 8:20 p.m.
----------
U.S. unveils additional $400 mil. in military aid to Ukraine
WASHINGTON - The United States said Friday it will provide additional military aid worth $400 million to Ukraine to help it defend its territorial integrity.
The new package, the 33rd drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine since August 2021, includes more ammunition for multiple-launch High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and armored vehicles that can launch bridges, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who authorized the provision.
----------
"Barefoot Gen" manga removal from Hiroshima program sparks backlash
HIROSHIMA - The education board of Hiroshima has decided to withdraw the famous "Hadashi no Gen" (Barefoot Gen) comic depicting the atomic bombing of the western Japan city from its peace curriculum for public schools, sparking a backlash from survivors groups and others.
The manga, which centers on the life of elementary schooler Gen, is based in part on the experiences of its late creator Keiji Nakazawa, who was exposed to the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima at age 6.
----------
Figure skating: Shimada breaks Asada's record as world junior champ
CALGARY, Canada - Japan's Mao Shimada broke a record set by the athlete after whom she was named, 2010 Olympic figure skating silver medalist and three-time world champion Mao Asada, in winning the women's junior figure skating world title Friday.
She became the youngest Japanese winner in the history of the junior world championships at 14 years and four months, beating Asada's 2005 record by one month.
----------
Dolls cast out to sea in girls' happiness prayer
