The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan's lack of same-sex marriage "in unconstitutional state": court
FUKUOKA - A Japanese court on Thursday ruled that the lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the country is in a state of unconstitutionality.
In the fifth ruling handed down over similar lawsuits filed across the country, the Fukuoka District Court fell short of clearly determining that the current legal framework for marriage is unconstitutional.
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Japan's Jan.-March GDP growth revised up to 2.7% on capital spending
TOKYO - Japan's economy grew an annualized real 2.7 percent in the January-March quarter, much faster than previously reported, with an upward revision to spending by companies providing fresh evidence of a recovery in domestic demand, government data showed Thursday.
The world's third-largest economy was initially reported to have expanded 1.6 percent. With the October-December gross domestic product data also upgraded, it was confirmed that the economy had escaped a recession.
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Japan bus operator president convicted for fatal 2016 crash
NAGANO, Japan - A Japanese court on Thursday found the president of a bus operator and a former operations manager guilty and handed them prison terms on charges stemming from a crash in 2016 that killed 15 people in a mountain resort town in central Japan.
The Nagano District Court gave Misaku Takahashi, president of the Tokyo-based company ESP, a three-year prison sentence and Tsuyoshi Arai, an operations manager at the time of the crash, four years for professional negligence that resulted in death and injury over the accident in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture.
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Tennis: Controversy-hit Kato, Puetz win French Open mixed doubles
Japan's Miyu Kato and her German partner Tim Puetz claimed the French Open mixed doubles title Thursday by grinding out a 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 final win over Bianca Andreescu of Canada and Michael Venus of New Zealand.
Kato, whose default in her women's doubles third-round match for accidentally hitting a ball girl with a ball caused a wide-ranging stir that led to the Professional Tennis Players Association declaring it "unfair," ended her tournament on a high after coming from behind at Roland Garros' Court Philippe-Chatrier.
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China navy ship enters Japan waters near Kagoshima Pref. islands
TOKYO - A Chinese navy survey ship on Thursday entered Japan's territorial waters near islands in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima, the latest sighting of such a vessel in the area since February this year, the Defense Ministry said.
The vessel was spotted crossing into Japanese waters southwest of Yakushima Island at around 10:00 a.m., the ministry said. The latest case marked the eighth entry by a Chinese survey ship into waters off Kagoshima since November 2021.
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Toshiba recommends shareholders accept $14 bil. buyout offer
TOKYO - Toshiba Corp. said Thursday it decided to recommend its shareholders sell their holdings in a 2 trillion yen ($14.3 billion) tender offer by a consortium led by Japan Industrial Partners Inc., a major step toward the planned privatization of the struggling tech giant.
The conglomerate voted at a board meeting in favor of the buyout offer in March but then stopped short of recommending share sales at the offer price of 4,620 yen a share, which the company saw as low.
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China, India expelling each other's journalists amid tense ties
BEIJING - China and India have been kicking out each other's accredited journalists recently, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, amid tense bilateral relations that could affect their cooperation as members of the BRICS grouping that also includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said last week that New Delhi has refused to review and approve visa applications for Chinese journalists since 2020 and there is only one Chinese reporter in India, for whom the visa has not been renewed.
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Taiwan presidential candidate Ko seeks deeper cooperation with Japan
TOKYO - Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, a key candidate in Taiwan's presidential election next January, called for deeper cooperation with Japan on Thursday in the hope of maintaining regional peace and contributing to global technological and economic development.
Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan during his visit to the country, Ko said Japan is Taiwan's "most important ally in Asia," adding that a mutual bond had developed over the past 100 years through mutual engagement and interaction. The island was under Japanese colonial rule for 50 years until 1945.
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Video: Yosakoi Soran traditional dance festival in Sapporo
