The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Asian Games: Esports make debut as medal events, welcomed by fans
HANGZHOU, China - Esports made their much-anticipated Asian Games debut as official medal events Sunday in China's e-commerce hub Hangzhou.
Myanmar defeated Kyrgyzstan in the Arena of Valor mobile game in the day's first completed match as spectators cheered from the stands and waved penlights, creating an atmosphere similar to a live concert.
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Sumo: Takakeisho beats Atamifuji in playoff for 4th title
TOKYO - Ozeki Takakeisho captured his fourth top-division title Sunday by winning a championship playoff against 21-year-old rank-and-file sensation Atamifuji at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.
Having entered the 15-day tournament as a demotion-threatened "kadoban" ozeki, Takakeisho finished in a two-way tie for the lead at 11-4 with sole overnight leader Atamifuji, who was beaten by former ozeki Asanoyama on the final day.
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Japan pharma startup developing world-first drug to grow new teeth
OSAKA - A team of scientists led by a Japanese pharmaceutical startup has been working on a drug to stimulate the growth of new teeth in what would be a world-first, aiming to put it on the market by around 2030.
Toregem Biopharma Co., funded by Kyoto University, is expected to begin clinical trials on healthy adults in around July 2024 to confirm the drug's safety, after the team succeeded in growing new teeth in mice in 2018.
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Rugby: Australian officials back Eddie Jones despite return-to-Japan rumor
TOULOUSE, France - Just hours before the Wallabies were due to play a key Rugby World Cup Pool C game with Wales in Lyon, Rugby Australia released a statement backing coach Eddie Jones in light of an overnight report linking him with a return to Japan.
"I take people at their word, and Eddie's said there's nothing in it. So, as far as I'm concerned, that's the end of the story, and everyone's focus is on this weekend's crucial game against Wales," RA Chief Executive Phil Waugh said.
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Asian Games: Ikee's Japan relay team 2nd, China sweeps 7 swim golds
HANGZHOU, China - Japanese swimming star Rikako Ikee got off to a bitter start in her Asian Games campaign Sunday as her 4x100-meter freestyle relay team finished a distant second behind China.
China swept all seven gold medals on offer on the opening day in the pool. Japan's best results were three silver medals -- for Satomi Suzuki in the women's 50-meter breaststroke, Ryosuke Irie in the men's 100-meter backstroke and Ikee's relay at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre.
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Football: Lopes brace propel holders Marinos to vital win at Kashima
KASHIMA, Japan - Anderson Lopes hit a clinical brace as Yokohama F Marinos came from behind to edge fellow title hopefuls Kashima Antlers 2-1 in the J-League first division on Sunday.
Reigning champions Marinos entered having lost two with a draw against teams near the bottom of the table, but a vital win kept them a point behind leaders Vissel Kobe, who are on 55 points, with six fixtures left to play for both sides.
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Asian Games: Natsumi Tsunoda wins Japan's 1st gold in judo women's 48 kg
HANGZHOU, China - Natsumi Tsunoda secured Japan's first gold medal at this year's Asian Games on Sunday by winning the women's 48-kilogram division in judo.
Tsunoda, who has won the last three world championships at this weight and has already been selected to compete at next summer's Paris Olympics, beat Abiba Abuzhakynova of Kazakhstan by ippon through a cross arm lock in just over two minutes.
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Japan to introduce new system on disaster info sharing from April
TOKYO - Japan will introduce a new communications system in April, enabling public authorities to share live images and other information, such as locations, in the event of a disaster, a source familiar with the matter said Sunday.
The digitized system, led by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, is expected to facilitate smoother communication and swift rescue and recovery efforts among organizations such as local governments, police, fire authorities and the Self-Defense Forces, according to the source.
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Japan's Princess Kako tests positive for COVID-19
TOKYO - Princess Kako, the niece of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, has tested positive for COVID-19, the Imperial Household Agency said Sunday.
The younger daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko canceled her attendance at an event in Tottori Prefecture, western Japan, the same day. She will recuperate at a hotel in the prefecture through Thursday, the agency said.
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Skilled workers, low-wage earners work second jobs more than others
TOKYO - Higher-paid individuals with specialized skills and low-wage workers in need of additional income to make ends meet tend to take on second jobs more than middle-class workers, a government survey showed.
Among employees of different income classes, 6.25 percent of those earning 10 million yen ($67,000) or more a year in their main jobs had side jobs in 2022, with the proportion even higher for individuals earning 15 million yen or more, according to the Employment Status Survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
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Video: Asian Games opening ceremony in Hangzhou, China
