The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan's Diet ends regular session, next general election in focus
TOKYO - Japan's parliament wrapped up its 150-day regular session Wednesday, with attention turning to when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will dissolve the lower house after he decided against doing so while the chamber was still sitting.
Key legislation the ruling bloc comprising Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito has had enacted during the Diet's main session of the year included a law to fund a substantial expansion of defense spending.
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Japan falls to record-low 125th in global gender gap ranking
GENEVA - Japan ranked 125th of 146 countries on the gender gap rankings in 2023, the country's worst recorded result and the lowest in the East Asia and Pacific region, the World Economic Forum said Wednesday.
Equality campaigners criticized the outcome as a result of the Japanese government's inaction while the government said it takes the situation seriously and vowed to address the issue.
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Japan PM Kishida vows to dispel public anxiety over ID system errors
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Wednesday to dispel public anxiety following revelations of errors related to the "My Number" national identification card system.
At a news conference held after the ordinary Diet session ended, Kishida said he has instructed relevant ministers to thoroughly review the My Number system and take measures to prevent further trouble by fall this year.
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SoftBank ready for counteroffensive with AI after massive losses
TOKYO - SoftBank Group Corp. CEO Masayoshi Son said Wednesday the company will "mount a counteroffensive" after posting a massive net loss for the second straight year in fiscal 2022, vowing to pursue growth that utilizes the rising popularity of artificial intelligence.
Son said the Japanese investment and technology giant is now ready to tap into 5 trillion yen ($35 billion) of cash reserves after cutting back on new investment in recent years to cope with worsening market conditions.
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Singapore-based ride-hailing app Grab slashes over 1,000 jobs
SINGAPORE - Singapore-based Grab Holdings Inc., the leading ride-hailing app firm in Southeast Asia, has said it will slash over 1,000 jobs, accounting for more than 11 percent of its workforce, in a bid to cut costs and achieve long-term growth.
Grab CEO Anthony Tan said in an email sent to employees Tuesday night that the job cuts are not a "shortcut to profitability" but are about changing its operating model and cost structure.
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May foreign entries to Japan at 1.89 mil, 68% of pre-pandemic level
TOKYO - Japan saw a continued recovery in foreign arrivals in May to an estimated 1,898,900, equivalent to 68.5 percent of the May 2019 figure prior to the coronavirus outbreak, government data showed Wednesday.
The figure surpassed April's recovery level of 66.6 percent, marking the highest number since February 2020, when arrivals began to plummet due to the pandemic.
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China sharply reacts to Biden's labeling of Xi as "dictator"
BEIJING - China on Wednesday sharply reacted to U.S. President Joe Biden's reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a dictator, saying his remarks are "extremely absurd and irresponsible" and expressed its "strong dissatisfaction and opposition."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference in Beijing that Biden's comments Tuesday at a fundraising event in California were "against diplomatic protocols" and seriously violated China's political dignity.
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High uncertainty warrants monetary easing with patience: BOJ chief
TOKYO - Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Wednesday the central bank will "patiently" continue with monetary easing to achieve stable inflation backed by wage growth as uncertainty remains high over economic and financial conditions.
Speaking at a financial industry gathering, Ueda said the BOJ needs to pay "due attention" to currency and other financial market developments and their impact on the Japanese economy.
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Video: Bamboo chopping ritual at Kyoto temple
