The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Japan's SDF to enhance readiness over North Korea spy satellite launch
TOKYO - Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered Japan's Self-Defense Forces Saturday to be at higher readiness for the possibility of a North Korean rocket falling over Japanese territory, with one set to be launched carrying Pyongyang's first reconnaissance satellite.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his country's space agency to make final preparations for the satellite's launch, its state media reported earlier this week, although the precise schedule was not mentioned.
----------
G-7 farm ministers seek to enhance food security amid Ukraine war
MIYAZAKI, Japan - Agriculture ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations met Saturday in southwestern Japan for two days of talks to find ways of ensuring stable food supplies as Russia's war against Ukraine threatens global food security.
During the gathering in Miyazaki, one in a series of ministerial meetings taking place in the run-up to the G-7 summit next month, Japan also plans to call on other group members to participate in a U.N.-involved project aimed at supporting small-scale food producers in developing countries.
----------
Philippines concerned over Taiwan but upholds "one-China" policy
MANILA - The Philippines on Saturday expressed concern over "escalating tensions" across the Taiwan Strait, while upholding the one-China policy that recognizes the government in Beijing as the sole legitimate government of China.
Enrique Manalo, the Philippines' foreign minister, also conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang that Manila is taking an independent approach to foreign relations, an implicit way of saying it is siding with neither the United States nor China.
----------
2 more SDF planes leave Japan to prepare for Sudan evacuation
TOKYO - Two more Self-Defense Forces aircraft have left for Djibouti, the Defense Ministry said Saturday, as Japan prepares to evacuate its nationals from Sudan where military clashes are ongoing.
A total of 63 Japanese citizens, including embassy staff, were in Sudan as of Wednesday, a government official said earlier.
----------
Ramen noodle shop owner shot dead in western Japan
KOBE - A man in his 50s, believed to be the owner of a ramen noodle shop in Kobe, western Japan, was apparently shot dead there on Saturday, said police, who are investigating it as a murder case.
A female worker of the shop found him lying on the floor in the kitchen, bleeding from mouth and nose, and called for an ambulance at around 11 a.m. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
----------
Japan health ministry panel OKs oral abortion pill for 1st time
TOKYO - A health ministry panel on Friday approved the manufacturing and marketing of an oral abortion pill in Japan for the first time, paving the way for its formal approval and sale as early as this spring.
As abortions in the early stages of pregnancies in Japan are currently limited to surgical procedures, the pill "Mefeego," developed by the British pharmaceutical company Linepharma International Ltd., is expected to be a new option that could lighten both physical and mental stress on women.
----------
Baseball: Tigers rookie Murakami nearly perfect again
NAGOYA - Hanshin Tigers rookie Shoki Murakami dominated for the second straight game, going the distance in his first career win Saturday, 2-0 over the Central League rival Chunichi Dragons.
The 24-year-old right-hander, who retired all 21 batters he faced in his previous start before being pulled for a pinch-hitter, struck out 10 while allowing two singles and no walks at Vantelin Dome Nagoya.
----------
Baseball: Fit and dominant, Ohtani strikes out 11 to beat Royals
LOS ANGELES - Shohei Ohtani credited his good physical condition for a dominant mound performance that earned him his third win in the Los Angeles Angels' 2-0 victory Friday over the Kansas City Royals.
The two-way superstar struck out 11, including the last six batters he faced in seven innings of two-hit ball at Angel Stadium as he lowered his ERA to 0.64, having allowed two runs in 28 innings so far in 2023.
----------
Restaurant hopes to comfort Hokkaido boat accident victims' families
SAPPORO - A restaurant in Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido hopes to be a place of comfort for families of victims in a tourist boat accident off its coast in April last year.
"Oyaji" in the Utoro district of Shari town opened seven months after the accident. It is operated by a fishery company headed by Akihiko Kosaka, a veteran fisherman who participated in the search at sea for those on board the sunken Kazu I, with Kosaka cooking dishes himself.
----------
Video: Yakushiji temple celebrates completion of restoration work
