The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Honda to re-enter Formula One racing with Aston Martin in 2026
TOKYO - Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday it will re-enter the prestigious Formula One World Championship in 2026 through a partnership with British automaker Aston Martin, in a bid to strengthen the development of greener vehicles as motor racing's environmental regulations tighten.
The Japanese automaker will supply power units, which consist of engines and motors, to Aston Martin. It said it hopes the know-how it acquires through its involvement will help bolster development of all-electric vehicles and other new mobility products such as flying cars.
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China's Xi touts deeper bilateral ties in talks with Russian PM
BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his appreciation for the deepening of bilateral ties with Russia as he met with the country's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing on Wednesday, saying they have developed to a high level, according to Russia's Tass news agency.
Earlier in the day, Mishustin told Chinese Premier Li Qiang that Moscow-Beijing relations are "at an unprecedentedly high level" and urged that the two nations jointly tackle challenges brought about by Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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Japan gov't eyes issuance of bridge bonds to boost childcare support
TOKYO - The government is considering issuing bridge bonds as early as fiscal 2024 to make up for an expected shortfall in funding to boost child-rearing support, a key policy goal of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, sources with knowledge of the plan said Wednesday.
Bridge bonds are the same as deficit-covering bonds but the government specifies in advance the funding source to repay them. For the envisaged issuance of childcare bonds, likely spanning over two years, the government is expected to use increased social insurance contributions, the sources said.
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Japan PM Kishida mulls attending NATO summit in July: gov't sources
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making arrangements to attend a NATO summit scheduled for July, government sources said Wednesday, as the Asian country has deepened ties with the trans-Atlantic alliance amid global security concerns.
On the sidelines of the summit in Lithuania, Kishida is expected to hold bilateral talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's plan to open a liaison office in Tokyo, the sources said.
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Asian Games promotion in Nagoya scrapped after China cancellation
NAGOYA - Central Japan's Aichi Prefecture on Tuesday canceled an event to promote this fall's Asian Games in China at the request of the Chinese games organizers as the fallout from the recent Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima continues.
Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura suggested the cancelation reflects Beijing's displeasure after it summoned Japan's ambassador to China to lodge a protest over references to Taiwan and other issues in official G-7 statements.
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FEATURE: Tug-of-war unfolding over Unit 731-related exhibit at Nagano museum
NAGANO, Japan - The education board of Iida city in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, is at loggerheads with local citizens involved in a peace museum exhibit, as they grapple with calls for greater focus on "biological warfare" testing by the Imperial Japanese Army's notorious Unit 731 on prisoners of war.
Known officially as the Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department of the Kwangtung Army, Unit 731 is thought to have undertaken covert biological and chemical warfare research in China, engaging in lethal experimentation and testing on humans during World War II.
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Court rejects case opposing restart of Miyagi Pref. nuclear plant
SENDAI - A Japanese court on Wednesday rejected local residents' calls to halt the restart of a nuclear reactor in northeastern Japan, ruling their concerns about flaws in emergency evacuation plans are not relevant as it cannot be assumed a serious accident is likely.
The Sendai District Court ruling came as Tohoku Electric Power Co. aims to resume operations at the No. 2 unit of the Onagawa plant in Miyagi Prefecture in February 2024, becoming the first in the area hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami to restart.
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NASA unveils lunar photos of possible debris of failed Japan lander
WASHINGTON - NASA on Tuesday unveiled photos of the area of the Moon where a Japanese lander failed in what could have been the world's first lunar touchdown by a private space vehicle.
The images taken by the U.S. probe Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured at least four objects believed to be parts of the lander, a craft originally measuring 2.3 meters in height and 2.6 meters in width as developed by ispace Inc. based in Tokyo.
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Video: Kyoto's Aoi Festival parade returns
