The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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G7 trade ministers vow to further unite against economic coercion
OSAKA - Trade ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations said Sunday they were "disturbed" by the growing recurrence of coercive economic measures and vowed to enhance joint efforts in addressing the issue often associated with China.
In a joint statement issued following their two-day talks in Osaka Prefecture, the ministers also said they "strongly call for the immediate repeal of measures that unnecessarily restrict trade, including the newly introduced import restrictions on Japanese food products," in apparent reference to moves by China and Russia.
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Int'l security forum opens in China with U.S. among participants
BEIJING - A major security forum opened Sunday in Beijing with the United States among participants from more than 90 countries and international organizations, while the host China was not represented by a defense minister following the unexplained dismissal of Li Shangfu last week.
The Xiangshan Forum, which Beijing promotes as the Chinese alternative to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, is being held in person for the first time since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Baseball: Hiroya Miyagi pitches Buffaloes past Tigers to tie Japan Series
OSAKA - Hiroya Miyagi threw six scoreless innings Sunday as the Orix Buffaloes evened the best-of-seven Japan Series at one win apiece with an 8-0 Game 2 victory over the Hanshin Tigers.
Miyagi allowed four hits and a walk while striking out five for the three-time defending Pacific League champions at Orix's Kyocera Dome Osaka.
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Horse racing: Equinox storms to 5th consecutive G1 win at Tenno-sho
TOKYO - Overwhelming favorite Equinox won the autumn Tenno-sho horse race for his fifth consecutive Grade 1 victory Sunday, with Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako in attendance.
Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, the world's top-rated racehorse finished the 2,000-meter race 2-1/2 lengths ahead of runner-up Justin Palace in a record 1 minute, 55.2 seconds at Tokyo Racecourse.
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Football: Struggling Kashiwa draw with 10-man Kawasaki in J1
KASHIWA, Japan - Relegation-threatened Kashiwa Reysol were held to a damaging 1-1 draw at home against 10-man Kawasaki Frontale on Sunday in the J-League first division.
Despite taking a first-half lead and seeing the visitors have a player sent off after the break, Kashiwa conceded a 70th-minute leveler to Kento Tachibanada at Sankyo Frontier Stadium and threw away two points that would have been a big boost to their survival hopes.
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Figure skating: Sota Yamamoto, Kaori Sakamoto secure wins at Skate Canada
VANCOUVER, Canada - Japan's Sota Yamamoto won Skate Canada on Saturday for his first victory in the ISU Grand Prix figure skating series, while compatriot and two-time reigning women's world champion Kaori Sakamoto also triumphed.
Yamamoto, top after Friday's short program, came third in the free skate with 168.86 points but his overall tally of 258.42 was enough to edge compatriot Kao Miura, who had a 177.09 on the day to finish with 257.89 at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver.
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FOCUS: Japan chocolate producers stamping out child labor in supply chains
TOKYO - For many years, child labor in the cultivation of cocoa beans for export as a key ingredient for making chocolate has been a rampant problem in West Africa, with children held back from attending school and forced to harvest the crop on farms.
Though not many consumers in Japan are aware of or sensitive to the issue, some chocolate producers in the country have recently decided to take a stand through a campaign to source child labor-free cocoa and provide local farmers with assistance for improving working conditions.
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Rugby: South Africa eke out 1-point win over New Zealand in RWC final
SAINT-DENIS, France - South Africa defended their Rugby World Cup crown on Saturday with a hard-fought one-point win over New Zealand, becoming the most successful nation in the tournament's history.
By taking a 12-11 victory at a soggy Stade de France, the Springboks have now won all four Rugby World Cup finals they have reached -- in 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2023 -- and now lead for most tournament wins, one ahead of New Zealand's three.
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Israeli PM Netanyahu says Gaza war has entered "second stage"
JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday his nation's military has begun "the second stage of the war" against Hamas by expanding ground operations in Gaza despite growing and widespread calls for a humanitarian truce.
The prime minister said at a press conference that the war will be "long and hard," as he vowed to rescue more than 200 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group.
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Video: Anti-war protest in New York
