The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Prosecutors search offices of LDP factions mired in funds scandal
TOKYO - Prosecutors on Tuesday searched the offices of two major ruling Liberal Democratic Party factions over a political fundraising scandal, in a further blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's special investigation squad started searches of the biggest LDP faction, once led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and another led by former LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai.
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BOJ keeps ultralow rates, douses speculation of policy normalization
TOKYO - The Bank of Japan on Tuesday left its monetary easing framework unchanged and vowed to keep ultralow rates to ensure wage growth and stable inflation, capping off 2023 with a dovish tilt as its chief Kazuo Ueda trod carefully not to fuel market talk of policy normalization.
The BOJ governor said the likelihood of attaining the central bank's 2 percent inflation target stably is "gradually increasing," but he needs more time and economic data to become convinced about the outlook.
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M6.2 quake in northwestern China leaves nearly 120 dead
BEIJING - An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 that struck northwestern China around midnight Monday has left 116 people dead in Gansu and neighboring Qinghai provinces, with President Xi Jinping calling for all-out search and rescue efforts, according to Chinese state-run media.
The 11:59 p.m. quake, which occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers in Gansu's Jishishan county some 100 km southwest of the provincial capital Lanzhou, also injured several hundred people and damaged about 6,400 houses in the area, local reports said Tuesday.
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Japan keeps economic view as firms upbeat, inflation eases
TOKYO - The government on Tuesday maintained its view that the economy is recovering at a moderate pace in its monthly report for December, citing an improvement in corporate sentiment and slowing inflation.
The Cabinet Office said Japanese firms' views on business conditions are "improving," an upgrade from its November report. Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, have been "rising at a moderate tempo recently," the first change in wording since May 2022.
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Japan oil firm ENEOS president dismissed after hugging woman while drunk
TOKYO - Japanese major oil company Eneos Holdings Inc. said Tuesday it has dismissed its President Takeshi Saito after finding out he inappropriately hugged a woman while drunk.
The company was notified of Saito's misconduct in November through its whistle-blowing system and subsequently asked outside lawyers to launch an investigation, which verified the allegation, it said in a statement.
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Nippon Steel head says U.S. Steel deal aids Japan's economic security
TOKYO - The Nippon Steel Corp. president said Tuesday the company's planned $14.1 billion acquisition of United States Steel Corp. is important for Japan's economic security and expressed confidence the deal will contribute to growth.
"The United States has without doubt taken the worldwide lead in securing its economic security," Nippon Steel President Eiji Hashimoto said at an online press conference, adding, "We can expect further growth" in the U.S. market as more manufacturers engage in the reshoring of production.
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Ex-doctor gets prison term for consensual killing of woman with ALS
KYOTO - A former doctor was sentenced on Tuesday to two years and six months in prison for the consensual killing of a woman with a rare neurological disease in 2019 in Kyoto, western Japan.
The Kyoto District Court found that Naoki Yamamoto, 46, conspired with another doctor, Yoshikazu Okubo, 45, in administering a lethal dose of sedative to Yuri Hayashi, at her request in her apartment on Nov. 30, 2019.
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Baseball: SoftBank Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa
FUKUOKA - The SoftBank Hawks have acquired three-time Pacific League home run leader Hotaka Yamakawa, the club said Tuesday.
The 32-year-old first baseman was suspended for much of the 2023 season by the PL rival Seibu Lions after being accused of sexual assault. His four-year contract, worth an estimated 1.2 billion yen ($8.4 million), is likely to include incentives.
Video: Flowers laid on 12th anniversary of death of N. Korea's Kim Jong Il
