The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan gov't panel to propose scrapping foreign trainee program
TOKYO - A Japanese government panel plans to propose scrapping the country's controversial trainee program for foreigners and creating a new system to address issues related to human rights violations, a draft interim report showed Monday.
The new system should clearly state that it is intended to "secure human resources" and "develop human resources," unlike the existing program that only mentioned the latter against its reality of often being used as a means to secure labor, according to the draft by the panel tasked with reviewing the plan.
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New Bank of Japan chief agrees with PM Kishida to keep 2013 accord
TOKYO - New Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda agreed Monday with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to retain for now a 2013 accord that has served as the basis for the central bank's monetary easing to attain its 2 percent inflation target.
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Kishida at the prime minister's office, Ueda said the two also confirmed that they will keep in close communication and implement policies flexibly depending on economic conditions.
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Japan PM says ruling coalition must deliver before upcoming elections
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday said his party must focus on delivering for voters to guarantee victory in the upcoming national and local elections, a day after the ruling camp won key gubernatorial races.
"We have to continue bracing ourselves" for a challenge while listening to voices of encouragement and hope for the Liberal Democratic Party and the ruling coalition including its junior partner Komeito, Kishida told reporters at his office.
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JOC, Sapporo to discuss possible postponement of Winter Olympics bid
TOKYO - The Japanese Olympic Committee's president said Monday he will hold talks with Sapporo on the city's bid to host the Winter Olympics, including the option of pushing back the target year from 2030 to 2034.
Yasuhiro Yamashita revealed the plan a day after Katsuhiro Akimoto, who is pushing Sapporo's bid to host the games in 2030, won re-election as the city's mayor after strong competition from two rivals opposing the idea.
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ChatGPT developer eager to open office in Japan amid concern over use
TOKYO - A developer of ChatGPT said Monday that his company plans to open an office in Japan amid growing concerns about the chatbot's unauthorized collection of personal data and impact on learning environments.
Sam Altman, chief executive of U.S.-based OpenAI, met Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, as the risks of artificial intelligence are expected to be discussed at the Group of Seven ministerial gathering on digital issues, which Japan will host in late April.
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Japan Display, China's HKC to jointly produce organic EL displays
TOKYO - Japan Display Inc. and Chinese display maker HKC Corp. have agreed to jointly build factories in China to produce a next-generation organic electroluminescent display, with plans to start mass production in 2025, JDI said Monday.
The total investment for the joint project could amount to hundreds of billions of yen, the Japanese firm said. HKC will cover the costs of factory construction while JDI will provide the expertise for manufacturing the product.
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Beloved panda Xiang Xiang appears online after emotional farewell
GUANGZHOU, China - Japanese-born giant panda Xiang Xiang appeared in an online video Monday, nearly two months after large crowds bid farewell to the 5-year-old bear as she departed for China.
The video, posted on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, by a giant panda research center in Sichuan Province, showed the animal eating bamboo shoots in front of a white tile wall. The center says it will slowly acclimate Xiang Xiang to her new environment before allowing visits from the public.
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Figure skating: Japan's world champion Uno to miss World Team Trophy
TOKYO - Two-time reigning figure skating world champion Shoma Uno will miss the ISU World Team Trophy this week after hurting his right ankle, the Japan Skating Federation said Monday.
Uno has been ruled out of the competition starting Thursday at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium as he needs two weeks to nurse his ligament and cartilage damage.
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Video: Steam locomotive in southwestern Japan
