The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Ex-PM Abe proposed his faction end slush fund practice: lawmakers
TOKYO - Senior Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers involved in a political funds scandal said Friday that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had proposed ending the practice of creating slush funds for members of his faction from revenue from fundraising events.
But former trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura claimed he is not aware of why the proposal made in April 2022 was later dropped since he quit as secretary general of the Abe faction, the party's largest, afterward. Abe was fatally shot during an election campaign speech in July that year.
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Baseball:Shohei Ohtani happy with married life but keeps wife's name secret
GLENDALE, Arizona - Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani said Thursday he is "happy" with married life but kept secret the identity of his wife.
Speaking to reporters in Glendale, Arizona, where he is in camp with the team, Ohtani, 29, said he first met the woman three or four years ago in Japan and they got engaged last year.
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Nikkei nears 40,000 to end at all-time high on U.S. economy optimism
TOKYO - The Nikkei stock index ended just shy of the 40,000 mark in a fresh record high Friday as a wide range of large-cap shares drew buying on eased concerns for the U.S. economy, and the weak yen continued to boost exporters.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 744.63 points, or 1.90 percent, from Thursday at 39,910.82. The broader Topix index finished 33.69 points, or 1.26 percent, higher at 2,709.42, its highest level since February 1990.
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BYD to launch new EV in Japan yearly through 2026 to gain foothold
TOKYO - The Japanese unit of Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD Co. said Friday it will launch a new model for the Japanese market every year through 2026 to gain a foothold in the country's fledgling market for EV passenger cars.
The announcement came as BYD surpassed industry giant Tesla Inc. as the world's biggest seller of EVs in the October-December quarter last year.
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"World's 1st" immersive theme park opens in Tokyo
TOKYO - A theme park claiming to be the world's first to offer exclusively immersive experiences opened to the public Friday in Tokyo's popular commercial district, Odaiba, its operator said.
Immersive Fort Tokyo boasts 11 attractions allowing visitors to enter recreated fictional worlds of characters from popular novels and anime, including those of British detective Sherlock Holmes and J-pop idol series "Oshi no Ko," operator Katana Inc. said.
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South Korea, Japan can solve history issues, open up new future: Yoon
SEOUL - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Friday that his country and Japan can open up a new future together if the two continue to build trust and solve difficult challenges left over by history.
Yoon's remarks, made at a government ceremony to commemorate the 1919 independence movement against Japan's colonial rule, came after Tokyo last month lodged a protest with Seoul over the transfer of money deposited by a Japanese firm with a court to give to a South Korean plaintiff in a wartime labor lawsuit.
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Renovated Meiji-era building in Tokyo opens as manga gallery
TOKYO - A Western-style house in Tokyo originally built in the 1880s in the Meiji Era opened Friday as a manga gallery following efforts by famous manga artists to restore and renovate it.
The former residence of Theodora Ozaki, a London-born translator of Japanese works into English, will be used to introduce manga culture as a result of the efforts of the artists, including Kazumi Yamashita and Rumiko Takahashi.
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South Korea says no plan to hold summit with Japan in March
SEOUL - South Korea does not plan to hold a leaders' summit with Japan in March, a high-ranking official from the South Korean presidential office said Friday.
Diplomatic sources said last month that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was considering visiting South Korea on March 20 for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol, as part of reciprocal visits by leaders of the two countries.
Video: Fireworks light up Toyama in support of quake evacuees
