The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
BOJ downplays weak yen impact, but keeps door open for rate hikes
TOKYO - Bank of Japan chief Kazuo Ueda on Friday played down the immediate impact of the yen's recent sharp decline on prices, calling it negligible, but said the central bank will raise interest rates again if inflation accelerates further.
Still, the BOJ's new forecasts show that the central bank expects Japan's inflation to be around its target of 2 percent until the end of fiscal 2026, supported by a positive cycle of wage and price hikes.
----------
Xi tells Blinken China, U.S. should be partners
BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing on Friday the two countries should be partners rather than rivals and it is a shared desire of the international community to see strengthened bilateral dialogue, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
The Chinese leader called on the two global powers to seek common ground and put aside their differences, rather than engage in vicious competition. According to the ministry, Xi also said the two nations should honor words with actions, rather than say one thing but do the opposite.
----------
Japan Cabinet OKs bill to challenge Apple-Google app store duopoly
TOKYO - Japan's Cabinet approved Friday a bill to regulate smartphone app stores to promote easier market access for third-party developers, in a move to challenge the duopoly exerted by industry giants Apple Inc. and Google LLC.
The bill would require dominant smartphone operating system providers to allow the entry of third-party app stores and payment systems to increase competition.
----------
Yen briefly surges vs. dollar from upper 156 to upper 154 range
TOKYO - The yen briefly surged to the upper 154 range against the U.S. dollar from the upper 156 zone on Friday afternoon in Tokyo.
The Japanese currency earlier in the day hit a fresh 34-year low of 156.82 at one point, after the Bank of Japan left its monetary policy unchanged following its two-day policy-setting meeting.
----------
Japan startup reveals "world's first" close-up space debris image
TOKYO - Japanese space company Astroscale Japan Inc. on Friday unveiled what it calls the world's first publicly released image of space debris taken in proximity.
"The unprecedented image marks a crucial step towards understanding and addressing the challenges posed by space debris, driving progress toward a safer and more sustainable space environment," the satellite-servicing company said in a press release.
----------
Hundreds in northeast Japan get sick after drinking school lunch milk
SENDAI - More than 600 students and others got sick after drinking milk provided for school lunches in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Thursday, a tally by Kyodo News showed Friday.
Morinaga Milk Industry Co. said the milk was produced by a subsidiary and was supplied to 258 elementary and junior high schools located in 12 cities and towns in the prefecture. Shipments of the milk were stopped after the incident came to light.
----------
Japan's Princess Kako to visit Greece to mark 125 yrs of ties
TOKYO - Japan's Princess Kako, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, will travel to Greece in May to mark 125 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the countries, the Japanese government said Friday.
The younger daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko will embark on a trip from May 25 to June 1 to commemorate the "Year of Culture and Tourism Between Japan and Greece." It will be her third official overseas visit following trips to Austria and Hungary in 2019 and Peru in November last year.
----------
2 Japanese gangster suspects in Thailand murder flee to Laos: police
BANGKOK - Two Japanese gang members suspected of killing a Japanese man and dismembering his body in central Thailand last month have fled to a neighboring country, Thai police said Friday, with a police source identifying it as Laos.
Police Gen. Chirasan Kaeosaengake, a commissioner of the regional police covering several central provinces, told reporters that Thailand has sought the neighboring country's cooperation in searching for the two suspects. He did not identify it.
Video: New Tokyo DisneySea hotel unveiled
