The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Aso to keep faction as Japan ruling party grilled over funds scandal
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso is set to defy pressure to dissolve his faction within the Japanese ruling party, sources close to the matter said Saturday, as other intraparty groups, including one led by the incumbent Fumio Kishida, have decided to disband amid a scandal over fundraising.
Aso, who heads the second-biggest faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, has conveyed his intention to Kishida, the party's president, by saying his group's political funds have been properly managed, the sources said. Kishida accepted the explanation.
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Japan's Moon probe successfully lands, suffers power problem
TOKYO - A Japanese spacecraft equipped with precision navigation technology has successfully landed on the Moon, but the fate of its mission is uncertain due to problems with its solar power generation system, the country's space agency said Saturday.
With the touchdown of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, Japan has made its first lunar landing, joining the former Soviet Union, the United States, China and India as the only countries to have accomplished the feat.
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Biden signs bill to avert partial government shutdown
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday signed a stopgap bill to extend funding for federal agencies through early March, averting a partial government shutdown at the last minute.
Biden's signing was announced by the White House a day after Congress passed the bill with broad bipartisan support. The bill's passage set the stage for Biden to give the final endorsement, avoiding what would have been a partial government closure starting Saturday.
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Sumo: Asanoyama keeps sole lead, Shodai upsets Terunofuji on Day 7
TOKYO - Former ozeki Asanoyama held onto the outright lead with his seventh straight win, while lone yokozuna Terunofuji suffered his second loss, at the hands of rank-and-file opponent Shodai, Saturday at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Asanoyama, currently ranked as a No. 7 maegashira, defeated No. 9 Meisei to remain the only unbeaten competitor through seven days at Ryogoku Kokugikan. He has a one-win buffer over four wrestlers including ozeki Kirishima and sekiwake Kotonowaka.
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Football: Urawa midfielder Akimoto joins Belgian side Leuven on loan
TOKYO - Urawa Reds midfielder Takahiro Akimoto will join Leuven in the Belgian top flight on a loan deal until the end of June, the J-League first-division club announced Saturday.
Leuven have the option to make the move permanent in the summer and sign the 25-year-old on a three-year deal, according to the Pro League club.
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Rugby: Sungoliath leave it late to see off Dynaboars in classic
SAGAMIHARA, Japan - An early four-try blitz and a late go-ahead try were not enough for Sagamihara Dynaboars as Tokyo Sungoliath snatched a late 36-34 win Saturday in Japan Rugby League One.
The Sungoliath, who came back late to beat Shizuoka BlueRevs a week earlier, repeated the trick for their fifth win from six games, leaving the Dynaboars wondering how they failed to secure their third win.
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Russia appoints Nozdrev as new envoy to Japan after 1 year vacancy
TOKYO - Russia on Friday appointed Nikolay Nozdrev, a director in charge of Japan and other Asian countries at the country's Foreign Ministry, as its new ambassador to Japan, a post left vacant for a year amid strained ties in the wake of the Russian war on Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order naming Nozdrev, who is fluent in Japanese, as successor to Mikhail Galuzin, who left the post in November 2022. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began in February of that year, has led to Japan imposing economic sanctions against Moscow in line with Western nations.
Video: Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims
