The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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New ex-member of Johnny's talent agency claims teenage sexual abuse
TOKYO - Another former member of Japan's top male talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc. said Tuesday he was sexually abused as a teenager by the firm's late founder Johnny Kitagawa, with the scandal leading to an apology by the current president.
"When I was about 13, I was sexually abused around two times," Yasushi Hashida, now a dancer and actor, told a Diet hearing he was invited to attend by the main opposition, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
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Tokyo's Topix ends at 33-yr high on Wall St. gains, upbeat earnings
TOKYO - Tokyo's Topix index ended Tuesday at its highest level in around 33 years as stocks were lifted by overnight gains on Wall Street and recent favorable earnings results from domestic companies.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed up 216.65 points, or 0.73 percent, from Monday to 29,842.99, its highest since September 2021. The broader Topix index finished 12.33 points, or 0.58 percent, higher at 2,127.18, its highest level since August 1990.
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China urges Japan to reflect on aggression after Kishida comments
BEIJING - China on Tuesday urged Japan to seriously reflect on the past aggression of Japanese militarism in reaction to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's warning to Beijing against changing the status quo by force.
Kishida said Monday that the Group of Seven leaders will seek to send a strong message to the world during their summit later this week in Hiroshima that they will not accept "unilateral attempts by China and Russia to change the status quo by force," in the face of Beijing's military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
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FOCUS: China wary of new G-7 pressure, seeks to highlight rifts
BEIJING - With the Group of Seven leaders expected to urge China again to act responsibly at their summit in Hiroshima later this week, Beijing has stepped up its defense, trying to deflect their criticism by highlighting possible rifts among the G-7 members.
On the back of a deepening China-U.S. rivalry and closer ties between Beijing and Moscow amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the world's second-largest economy has downplayed the influence of the group representing a handful of rich Western nations and urged some European countries to value their "strategic autonomy."
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China urges embassies to remove signs showing support for Ukraine
BEIJING - China has requested foreign embassies and international organizations based in Beijing not to use the outer walls of their buildings for "political propaganda," apparently with regard to signs that show support for Ukraine, multiple diplomatic sources in the capital said Tuesday.
Many embassies in Beijing have put up signboards depicting the Ukraine flag and with messages in Chinese and English, such as #StandWithUkraine, to demonstrate their solidarity with the Eastern European country battling a Russian invasion since February last year.
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Toyota, Subaru to jointly develop electric SUV as early as 2025
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. are set to ramp up cooperation in the development of electric cars, with a plan to launch an all-electric sport utility vehicle in the Japanese market as early as 2025, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
The two companies will also consider collaborating on another EV targeted for North America and other regions, the sources said.
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Thai opposition Move Forward wins poll, challenges pro-military rule
BANGKOK - Thailand's liberal junior opposition Move Forward party garnered the most votes after Sunday's general election, with voters rejecting the incumbent pro-military government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, which has controlled the country for nearly a decade.
But the unexpected win by Move Forward and the second-largest number of seats captured Pheu Thai, an opposition party made up of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, does not necessarily mean they will lead the next government due to an electoral system that favors the establishment.
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Toyota falls in "future readiness" ranking amid global shift to EVs
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. fell to 10th place from second last year in a ranking of automakers' ability to cope with future business risks, a Swiss business school said Tuesday, underscoring Toyota's slower shift to electric vehicles than its U.S. and Chinese rivals.
The annual ranking that measures "future readiness" for automakers was made based on such factors as innovation, business diversity and financial health, according to the International Institute for Management Development.
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Video: Mounted archery rite "Yabusame" at Kyoto shrine
