The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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China demands Japan start Fukushima treated water compensation system
TOKYO - China has demanded Japan set up a compensation system for potential economic damage stemming from the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.
Japan has refused the demand, noting that the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded that the water discharge is safe, but China is unlikely to retract it, according to the sources familiar with bilateral relations.
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Japan appeals court commutes death sentence for yakuza boss to life
FUKUOKA - The 77-year-old boss of a major yakuza crime syndicate was sentenced to life in prison by a Japanese high court on Tuesday, overturning a lower court decision that had imposed the death penalty on charges related to four attacks, including murder.
In the sentencing, Kudo-kai leader Satoru Nomura was acquitted of the 1998 fatal shooting of a former head of a local fisheries cooperative in the southwestern prefecture of Fukuoka. However, he was found guilty of three cases of attempted organized murder against a former police officer, nurse and dentist between 2012 and 2014.
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Mercedes-Benz fined 1.2 billion yen for misrepresenting safety in Japan
Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency on Tuesday ordered the Japanese arm of Mercedes-Benz AG to pay about 1.23 billion yen ($8.3 million) in fines for misrepresenting the safety features of some of its sports utility vehicles.
It was the largest administrative fine based on the country's law against unjustifiable premiums and misleading representations, according to the agency.
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Japan vows to push "offer-based" development aid in annual paper
TOKYO - Japan pledged to promote "offer-based" development assistance instead of waiting for developing countries to request such funding in its annual economic aid policy document released on Tuesday.
The white paper on development cooperation, released by the Foreign Ministry, pledged to "persistently improve" the official development assistance system by combining the more proactive aid approach with its traditional request-based method.
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Japan's upper house to convene funds scandal panel on Thurs.
TOKYO - Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition camp agreed to convene the House of Councillors ethics committee on Thursday over a political funds scandal that has rocked Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's LDP, lawmakers said.
The LDP also said that three of its upper house members intend to testify in the session, while opposition parties have demanded the attendance of 32 politicians who neglected to declare funds they had received from their factions, the lawmakers said Tuesday.
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Hokkaido's Niseko to introduce lodging tax of up to 2,000 yen a night
TOKYO - Visitors to Hokkaido's Niseko mountain resort will be liable to pay up to 2,000 yen ($14) per night on hotel and "minpaku" private lodging stays under a new accommodation tax scheme approved Tuesday by Japan's internal affairs minister.
The non-statutory tax approved by Takeaki Matsumoto is set to be introduced in the popular ski spot from November. It is expected to generate 162 million yen annually in revenue for the local government, with the funds to be allocated to improving local transportation and other measures to improve tourism.
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Japan to start talks with Bangladesh on free trade pact: gov't
TOKYO - Japan will start negotiations with Bangladesh toward signing a bilateral free trade agreement as part of efforts to boost economic cooperation with the South Asian nation, the government said Tuesday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular news conference that Bangladesh, which he calls a "traditional Japan-friendly country," has increasingly become an attractive investment destination for domestic companies.
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Japanese suspect in investment fraud to be deported from Indonesia
BATAM, Indonesia - A Japanese man who has been detained in Indonesia since late January for allegedly committing investment fraud in Japan will be deported Tuesday night, the Indonesian immigration and police said.
Yusuke Yamazaki, former president of a farm company in Japan's western Okayama Prefecture, had been wanted since 2021. He was detained after being stopped by the Indonesian local police on Jan. 31 en route to Malaysia, according to the Indonesian immigration office on Batam Island, near Singapore.
Video: U.S. Navy destroyer makes port call at Ishigaki Island
