The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
Japan, U.S. to boost security ties with U.K., Australia, Philippines
TOKYO - Japan and the United States are set to strengthen their security partnership with Britain, Australia and the Philippines to counter China's assertive military posture, government sources said Saturday.
Under the closer security ties, the five countries will increase joint drills in the Indo-Pacific region and promote cooperation on defensive technologies, the sources said.
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Kobayashi Pharma factory inspected amid red yeast rice pill scare
OSAKA - The health ministry and local authorities on Saturday inspected a Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. factory in Osaka following reports of deaths and hospitalizations possibly linked to its red yeast rice dietary supplements.
The factory in western Japan, which was making the ingredients of the supplements, shut down in December. But the ministry and the local government decided to carry out an on-site inspection in light of the widening health problems regarding the Osaka-based company's products containing "beni-koji" red yeast rice.
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Motor racing: World-class EV race held in Japan for 1st time
TOKYO - The streets of Tokyo hosted Japan's first race in the all-electric Formula E world championship on Saturday.
Public roads accounted for nearly half of the makeshift 2.6-kilometer circuit set up around the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in the capital's Koto Ward.
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Japan publisher threatened over publication of trans-skeptical book
TOKYO - A Japanese publisher has received threats over its plan to publish a translated version of a controversial U.S. book questioning an increase in young women seeking gender transitions, its parent company said Saturday.
Sankei Shimbun Publications Inc. received an email threatening arson against bookstores that carried the book unless its publication was canceled, noting the work could promote discrimination against transgender people.
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Ceremony marks launch of land-to-ship missile unit on Okinawa island
NAHA, Japan - A ceremony marking the launch of the Japanese ground force's first surface-to-ship missile unit on the main island of Okinawa took place Saturday, as Japan beefs up its defenses amid China's maritime assertiveness.
Speaking at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Katsuren camp, senior vice defense minister Makoto Oniki underscored the "extremely important" location of the Okinawa main island for national security, which sits roughly halfway in a chain of Japanese islands extending 1,200 kilometers from the southernmost main island of Kyushu toward Taiwan.
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Latvian top diplomat says rising China a "threat" in Indo-Pacific
BRUSSELS - The rise of China is a "threat" to the Indo-Pacific region, Latvia's Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins said recently while calling for deeper cooperation between Japan and Europe to protect the international order.
While Beijing steps up military pressure on Taiwan, a territory it regards as a renegade province to be unified with the mainland, Karins said in a recent interview with Kyodo News in Belgium there is a danger China will attempt to change the status quo by force, which he labeled as "not acceptable."
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U.S. to impose new visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials
WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department said Friday it will impose new visa restrictions on multiple Hong Kong officials for intensifying the crackdown on rights and freedoms in the city as China governs it with a heavier hand.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have escalated the repression of civil society, media and dissenting voices over the past year. He did not release the names of the officials being targeted.
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LDP questions ex-PM Mori behind scenes over political funds scandal
TOKYO - The Liberal Democratic Party has questioned former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori over the latest political funds scandal behind the scenes, but he has denied any involvement in the matter, LDP sources said Friday.
The ruling party, meanwhile, is considering punishing some executives of its biggest faction who are implicated in the scandal by advising them to leave the LDP, which is the second severest disciplinary action after expulsion, a senior government official said.
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Judo: Abe siblings, Tsunoda dominate rivals in last meet before Paris
ANTALYA, Turkey - Tokyo Olympic and two-time reigning world champion siblings Hifumi and Uta Abe secured overwhelming wins at judo's Antalya Grand Slam on Friday when their Japanese compatriot and three-time defending worlds winner Natsumi Tsunoda also triumphed.
Competing in their last tournaments before the Paris Olympics this summer, the trio showed their preparations are well on course after winning their respective divisions' five bouts all by ippon in Turkey.
Video: Cherry blossoms begin blooming in Tokyo
