The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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M6.5 quake rocks central Japan amid Golden Week holidays, 1 dies
TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 rocked Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan and its vicinity on Friday, leaving one person dead, while some buildings collapsed and traffic and events were disrupted during the nation's Golden Week holidays.
The quake occurred at 2:42 p.m., registering an upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Suzu, at the tip of the Noto Peninsula in the Sea of Japan coast prefecture, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It was the largest among a series of quakes that have been hitting the Noto area since December 2020.
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Japan's seafood imports from Russia hit record 155 bil. yen in 2022
TOKYO - Japan imported a record 155.2 billion yen ($1.2 billion) worth of marine products from Russia in 2022, data from the Finance Ministry showed Friday, highlighting the country's continued reliance on Moscow for its seafood supply despite a deterioration of relations over the war in Ukraine.
While Japan did impose economic sanctions, including banning imports of vodka and lumber, on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last year, marine products were exempted as Tokyo deemed the adverse effect on domestic businesses would be too great.
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Tokyo riot policeman apparently shot himself on PM's office premises
TOKYO - A 25-year-old riot officer of the Metropolitan Police Department apparently fatally shot himself on Friday in a toilet at a guard station on the premises of the prime minister's office, the police said.
The officer, found bleeding from the head at around 4:40 a.m. with a gun at the scene, was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the police.
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Taiwan's Tsai thanks Paraguay president-elect for maintaining ties
TAIPEI - Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen expressed her gratitude to Paraguay president-elect Santiago Pena during phone talks Friday for his firm stance on maintaining ties, days after his victory in a race that called into question the Latin American country's diplomatic recognition of Taipei.
Tsai wrote in a recent tweet she looks forward to working with Pena to "advance our bilateral cooperation" and "the well-being of our peoples." Paraguay is one of only 13 countries that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan instead of Beijing.
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Dissolving lower house not being considered for now: Japan PM Kishida
MAPUTO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday that he is not considering dissolving the lower house for now as he is focused on tackling several domestic challenges, such as the falling birthrate.
His remarks came amid speculation that he might call a snap election soon after the Group of Seven summit is held later this month in his home constituency of Hiroshima, as approval ratings for his Cabinet have been picking up since he made a surprise visit to Ukraine on March 21.
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Japan's FY 2021 greenhouse gas emissions up for 1st time in 8 yrs
TOKYO - Japan's greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal 2021 rose for the first time in eight years, reflecting an increase in energy consumption due to a pickup in economic activities in the post-COVID era, government data showed.
National emissions in the year through March totaled 1.17 billion tons in carbon dioxide equivalent, up 2.0 percent from fiscal 2020. Other Group of Seven countries also saw their emissions rebound.
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Baseball: Yoshida homers, extends hit streak to 14 in Boston win
BOSTON - Masataka Yoshida extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a home run Thursday as the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-5 and swept their four-game series.
The first-year MLB player's red-hot hitting coincides with a strong run of results by Boston, which has won a season-high six straight heading into its road series with the Philadelphia Phillies from Friday.
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Basketball: Hachimura says Lakers must adjust after Game 2 loss
SAN FRANCISCO - The Los Angeles Lakers were outmaneuvered and outworked by the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series and must "figure out" how to respond to the defending NBA champions, Japanese forward Rui Hachimura said Thursday.
Hachimura was one of the few bright spots for the Lakers in their blowout 127-100 loss at San Francisco's Chase Center, scoring 21 points in 22 minutes off the bench.
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Video: Ritual for Aoi festival in Kyoto
