The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Ukraine PM says Japanese companies can play big role in war recovery
KYIV - Ukraine intends to sign a "full range" of agreements with Japan at a reconstruction conference in Tokyo later this month to spur investment and boost economic cooperation between the countries, its Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said recently.
Shmyhal is set to lead his country's delegation at the Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Reconstruction on Feb. 19 where discussions will take place on rebuilding the country from the war damage sustained since Russia's February 2022 invasion.
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Many Japanese outside major urban areas do not engage with foreigners
TOKYO - A recent survey has shown Japanese people who reside outside the country's major cities do not regularly interact with the foreigners who live in their communities, underscoring the need for Japan to work harder on integrating society.
The online survey by a research institute at Taisho University was conducted from October to November on Japanese residents in 59 cities, towns and villages across Japan where foreigners account for 5 percent or more of the population. It did not include 23 wards in central Tokyo nor Japan's 20 designated major cities.
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Japan to give 2.4 bil. yen grant aid to Samoa, vows to boost ties
APIA - Tokyo on Saturday promised 2.4 billion yen ($16 million) in grant aid to Samoa to help improve a national university's facilities, as Japan's foreign minister met the Pacific island nation's prime minister in an effort to strengthen the bilateral relationship.
During their talks in the Samoan capital of Apia, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, who also serves as foreign minister, discussed the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting scheduled for July in Tokyo, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
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Rugby: Blues wrap up Japan tour with 57-22 win against Eagles
YOKOHAMA - Super Rugby's Blues cruised to a 57-22 win against Yokohama Eagles in the Cross-Border Rugby series between teams from New Zealand and Japan on Saturday.
The Auckland-based Blues ran in nine tries to four at Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium to finish their preseason trip unbeaten against Japan Rugby League One sides after hammering Tokyo Sungoliath 43-7 last weekend.
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World mourns loss of "magician" Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa
TOKYO - Japan and the world on Friday reacted with an outpouring of grief and tributes after the death of famed Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa, with some recalling his passionate and beloved character and others hailing him as a "magician of classical music."
The Boston Symphony Orchestra said in a statement that it remembers Ozawa, who served as music director for 29 years until 2002, "not only as a legendary conductor but also as a passionate mentor for future generations of musicians."
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Japan's top bar organization elects 1st female chief
TOKYO - The Japan Federation of Bar Associations on Friday elected its first female chief since its establishment in 1949.
Reiko Fuchigami, 69, will succeed Motoji Kobayashi, 72, effective April 1 after the organization's election committee formalizes the result later this month. She will be the first female head of any of the country's three judicial bodies of lawyers, prosecutors and judges.
Video: Russian tourists arrive in North Korea, first since COVID restrictions lifted
