"Aizen Musume," a queen of Aizen Festival, waves to the crowd in Osaka on June 30, 2023, during the traditional festival heralding the advent of summer in the western Japan city. (Kyodo)

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Yellen tells China's Li U.S. seeks "healthy competition"

BEIJING - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told China's Premier Li Qiang on Friday in the Chinese capital that Washington seeks "healthy competition" with Beijing, not a "winner-take-all" approach, according to U.S. media reports.

Yellen, on her first trip to the Asian powerhouse as Treasury chief, also reportedly said the United States will, in certain circumstances, need to "pursue targeted actions to protect its national security."

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Japan strides for Fukushima water release as regulator OKs facilities

TOKYO - Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority on Friday formally gave the green light to facilities for discharging its treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, putting the country on track to start releasing the water into the sea around this summer.

The plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. received NRA's certificate showing the facilities have passed final inspections after the International Atomic Energy Agency earlier in the week assured the safety of Japan's water discharge plan with a report on its comprehensive assessment.

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U.S. formally approves Alzheimer's drug developed by Japan's Eisai

WASHINGTON - U.S. regulators on Thursday formally approved an Alzheimer's drug developed by Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai Co. and U.S. firm Biogen Inc. that has become the world's first medicine shown to slow the onset of the degenerative brain disease.

The Food and Drug Administration granted its approval for the new drug, known chemically as lecanemab and branded Leqembi, which can reduce the amount of a sticky brain protein called amyloid beta, seen by experts as a hallmark of the disease.

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South Korea says Fukushima water discharge meets int'l standards

SEOUL/BEIJING - South Korea said Friday its own analysis of Japan's plan to discharge treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea shows it meets international safety standards, but added it will keep an import ban on Japanese seafood from Fukushima and some other prefectures amid safety concerns.

The analysis, showing that radioactive materials in the water are within acceptable levels, is based on the findings of a delegation of South Korean experts who conducted an on-site inspection of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in May.

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G-7 justice chiefs reaffirm support for Russian war crimes probe

TOKYO - Group of Seven justice ministers on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to cooperating to support the investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Russia amid its ongoing war against Ukraine.

In a communique adopted at their gathering in Tokyo, the G-7 justice chiefs also agreed to keep Russian assets frozen abroad until it compensates Kyiv for its losses due to the invasion while vowing to back Ukraine's reconstruction and anti-corruption reform efforts.

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Ukraine applies to join Pacific trade pact, Japan says

TOKYO/SYDNEY - Ukraine has submitted to New Zealand an application to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, Japan's economic revitalization minister Shigeyuki Goto said Friday.

The submission came ahead of a ministerial meeting of the trade pact's 11 member countries to be held in the New Zealand city of Auckland on July 15 and 16.

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Ex-Square Enix employee gets suspended term over insider trading

TOKYO - A Tokyo court on Friday sentenced a former employee of major gaming firm Square Enix Co. to a suspended prison term for insider trading using information not yet made public about new mobile games jointly developed with two other game firms.

Yuji Naka, one of the creators of video game series Sonic the Hedgehog, was given a prison term of two years and six months, suspended for four years, and ordered to pay a 2 million yen ($14,000) fine and 171 million yen in additional penalties.

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Basketball: Japan forward Rui Hachimura re-signs with Lakers

NEW YORK - Japan forward Rui Hachimura re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA club said Thursday, the restricted free agent penning a 3-year, $51 million contract according to U.S. media.

The 25-year-old, who moved from the Washington Wizards to the Lakers in a January midseason trade, averaged 11.2 points per game during the regular season. He became the first Japanese player to reach an NBA conference finals.

==Kyodo

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Video: Aizen Festival starts in Osaka