The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Nikkei briefly surges above 38,000 in new 34-year high
TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei index surged Tuesday, gaining over 1,000 points to briefly trade above 38,000 for the first time in 34 years in a buying spree after a major technology firm revised its profit projections upward.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 1,066.55 points, or 2.89 percent, from Friday at 37,963.97, its highest close since January 1990. The single-day point rise was also the Nikkei's highest since March 25, 2020.
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Scientists breed 1st pigs for human organ transplants in Japan
TOKYO - A Japanese venture-led team has successfully bred three genetically modified pigs for use in human organ and cell transplants for the first time in Japan, which is struggling with donor shortages, the company said Tuesday.
But the safety of such cross-species transplantation will be investigated with further animal testing for the time being, said the venture called PorMedTec Co. that was launched based on the research of the Meiji University International Institute for Bio-Resource Research.
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Scandal-ridden Toyota unit Daihatsu aims for reforms under new president
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday the president of its small-car manufacturing unit Daihatsu Motor Co. will step down over a safety testing scandal, as the parent company will send new executives to take the lead in revamping the unit to bolster its governance.
Masahiro Inoue, chief of Toyota's operations in the Latin America and Caribbean region, will replace Soichiro Okudaira as president, effective March 1. Daihatsu Chairman Sunao Matsubayashi will leave his position, with the post to be eliminated, Daihatsu said.
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Japan PM vows to tackle discrimination in rebuke of LDP lawmaker
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has promised to address discrimination against ethnic and sexual minorities whose human rights have been abused in recent years in an apparent admonishment of an outspoken lawmaker within his Liberal Democratic Party.
"As prime minister, I will decisively tackle unjustifiable discrimination and prejudice," Kishida said, without mentioning concrete steps, in a video message released during an online symposium earlier this month.
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Japan postpones launch of new H3 rocket due to bad weather forecast
TOKYO - Japan's space agency said Tuesday it has decided to postpone the launch of a new H3 rocket scheduled for Thursday due to a forecast of bad weather at a liftoff site in southwestern Japan.
The new launch date for the No. 2 H3 rocket, a successor to the current mainstay H2A rocket, has yet to be determined, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Japan hopes to gain a foothold in the increasingly competitive satellite launching business.
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Over 20% of LDP lawmakers fail to properly report political funds
TOKYO - More than 20 percent of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers have underreported revenues in political funds documents, an internal survey showed Tuesday, amid a slush funds scandal rattling the LDP.
However, opposition lawmakers criticized the survey for being insufficient as it did not inquire how the unreported funds were used from 384 LDP members, including 10 candidates for the next general election.
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Body of 17-yr-old boy found in central Japan lake, murder suspected
SHIZUOKA, Japan - The body of a 17-year-old school boy with Chinese nationality was found last week in a central Japan lake, with foul play strongly suspected due to the circumstances surrounding his death, police said Tuesday.
Prefectural police have set up a special team to investigate the suspected murder of Ukawa Saito, who was attending a correspondence high school in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, after his body was found in Lake Hamana on Friday.
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Football: Frontale survive tough game as ACL knockout stage opens
JINAN, China- New forward Erison and veterans Marcinho and Akihiro Ienaga each scored in J-League side Kawasaki Frontale's 3-2 Asian Champions League victory over Shandong Taishan in Tuesday's first leg of their round-of-16 tie.
Erison converted from the spot after a penalty just before the half-hour mark after the hosts were called for a handball in the area on a corner kick. After a dance-step run-up, the Brazilian drilled it home just inside the right post.
Video: Traditional Russian holiday celebrated in Japan's Hakodate
