The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan mulls delaying launch of Mars moon probe from 2024 to 2026
TOKYO - Japan is considering postponing a project that aims to retrieve the world's first Martian moon surface samples from 2024 to 2026 due to issues with its new flagship H3 rocket, which is set to facilitate the probe's launch, sources close to the matter said Sunday.
The delay would inevitably crush plans for the probe from Martian Moons Exploration project, or MMX, to arrive in the Martian system during the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka and livestream detailed images to the expo venue, an envisioned highlight of the event.
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Piece of Osprey wreckage given to U.S. after crash off Japan
KAGOSHIMA, Japan - A piece of wreckage from a crashed Osprey military aircraft was handed over to U.S. military Sunday, a southwestern Japanese town said, as an around-the-clock search continued for seven crew missing in nearby waters.
The wreckage was collected by local fishermen, according to the town of Yakushima, after the tilt-rotor aircraft went down on Wednesday during a training exercise near the island town.
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M7.4 quake in Philippines leaves 1 dead, minimal damage
MANILA - An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 that struck late Saturday night off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao left one woman dead, damaged at least two bridges and resulted in temporary power interruptions, the defense minister said Sunday.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro identified the fatality as a pregnant woman and said that people who evacuated following the issuance of a tsunami warning in the provinces of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental have since returned to their homes.
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North Korea's spy satellite operation office begins work: KCNA
SEOUL - North Korea began operating a satellite control office on Saturday, the official Korean Central News Agency said, after last month successfully launching a spy satellite into orbit.
The announcement indicates North Korea may officially have put its Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite into service in the wake of the Nov. 21 launch. The office was set up at the Pyongyang General Control Center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration, KCNA said Sunday.
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Athletics: Githae wins, Hosoya 4th in Fukuoka Int'l Marathon
FUKUOKA - Kenyan runner Michael Githae won the Fukuoka International Marathon for the second time in three years on Sunday in a time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 8 seconds.
Kyohei Hosoya was the top finisher from Japan, placing fourth in 2:07:23 in the first of the three Final Challenge races to select the last Japanese men's marathon qualifier for next year's Paris Olympics.
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Golf: Semikawa wins men's season finale in Japan
TOKYO - Taiga Semikawa won the Japanese men's golf tour's season-ending Nippon Series JT Cup by one stroke Sunday.
The 22-year-old became the youngest winner of the tournament, shooting a 2-under 68 for a 15-under 265 total at Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club.
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Football: Former Japan star Ono bids farewell in J1 season finale
SAPPORO - Japanese great Shinji Ono retired from professional football Sunday as his J-League first-division side Consadole Sapporo lost 2-0 at home to Urawa Reds in the day's final round of the season.
The former Samurai Blue and Feyenoord midfielder, hailed as a footballing genius and one of the most technically gifted players Japan has produced, was the oldest player in the Japanese top flight at 44.
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Video: Akita inu dogs descend on Tokyo's Shibuya