The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Heavy rain lashes western Japan, leaving 1 dead, 2 missing
TOKYO - Heavy rain pounded parts of western Japan and the southwestern Kyushu region on Saturday, with record-breaking precipitation reported in several locations, causing one fatality and leaving two others missing, local authorities and the weather agency said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the seasonal rain front is expected to stay over the Kyushu region and could bring heavy rain even after the current torrential rains weaken.
----------
Climbing season on Mt. Fuji begins under cloudy skies
KOFU, Japan - The climbing season on Mt. Fuji began amid cloudy conditions on Saturday with the opening of the Yoshida route on the Yamanashi Prefecture side of the iconic landmark.
A ceremony to pray for the safety of climbers was held at a shrine located at the fifth station of the mountain, while there were mixed fortunes for those hoping to see the sunrise to mark the occasion.
----------
Italian painting looted by Nazi Germany in 1940 found in Japan
TOKYO - A valuable painting looted from a Polish aristocrat in 1940 by Nazi Germany has been discovered in Japan and returned to Poland, according to the Polish Embassy in Japan and a Tokyo-based art auction company.
While it is not clear how the painting, called "Madonna with Child" by Italian Baroque-Era painter Alessandro Turchi, came to be in possession of its former Japanese owner, the artwork was handed into the Polish Embassy in Tokyo in late May at no cost to Poland.
----------
Football: Iniesta bids farewell as Kobe snatch late draw with Sapporo
KOBE - Spanish great Andres Iniesta played his final game for Vissel Kobe on Saturday, making his first J-League top-flight start this season and coming off to a standing ovation before the home side salvaged a 1-1 draw with Consadole Sapporo.
Limited to just 38 prior minutes of league action this term, the former Barcelona star and 2010 World Cup winner captained Kobe at Noevir Stadium in the 114th and last game of his five-year stint in J1.
----------
Basketball: Lakers retain Hachimura, Watanabe joining Suns: reports
NEW YORK - Restricted free agent Rui Hachimura has agreed to re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers on a three-year, $51 million deal, ESPN reported Friday.
Fellow Japanese national team forward and free agent Yuta Watanabe, meanwhile, agreed to terms with the Phoenix Suns after leaving the Brooklyn Nets, the Associated Press said.
----------
Basketball: Japan thrashes New Zealand to reach Asia Cup final
SYDNEY - Five-time defending champion Japan advanced to the final of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup with an overwhelming 88-52 win against New Zealand on Saturday.
Forward Stephanie Mawuli had 17 points and six rebounds, while Monica Okoye added 16 points off the bench for Japan, which will face China in Sunday's final.
----------
UNESCO members approve U.S. comeback in 5 years
PARIS - UNESCO members approved Friday the U.S. plan to rejoin the U.N. cultural agency following Washington's exit in 2018 under then President Donald Trump.
During an extraordinary session of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's general assembly, held over two days in Paris, an overwhelming majority of its 193 members voted in favor of the U.S. proposal to return to the agency this month.
----------
Tokyo area enters power-saving period amid tight supply forecast
TOKYO - Households and businesses in the Tokyo area on Saturday began a period of power conservation, spanning from July to August, as the electricity supply is forecast to become tight in the area this summer.
The Japanese government has issued a request based on the projection that the reserve power capacity rate in the region served by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. in July could drop to 3.1 percent, slightly above the lowest level for maintaining a stable supply, if a once-in-a-decade level of extreme heat grips the area.
----------
Video: Aizen Festival heralds start of summer
