The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan, U.S., Australia sign defense technology cooperation pact
HONOLULU - The defense ministers of Japan, the United States and Australia on Thursday signed a cooperation agreement on new technologies including autonomous systems, as they ramp up security ties amid China's military buildup in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a joint statement released after their meeting in Hawaii, the three also said their forces aim to conduct an "inaugural regional air and missile defense live-fire exercise in 2027" at a regular multinational military exercise.
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China launches space probe to collect soil from Moon's far side
BEIJING - China launched an unmanned spacecraft on Friday to collect samples of soil from the far side of the Moon, state-run media reported, marking the world's first attempt at such an endeavor.
A Long March-5 rocket, carrying the Chang'e-6 spacecraft, blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the coast of the southern island province of Hainan in the afternoon, according to Xinhua News Agency.
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Japan, U.S., Australia, Philippines agree on rules-based Indo-Pacific
HONOLULU - The defense ministers from Japan, the United States, Australia and the Philippines on Thursday pledged to maintain the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region, where concerns are growing over China's increasing assertiveness.
They told a joint press conference after a meeting in Hawaii that they also shared an understanding of the importance of the four nations' coordinated activities, including joint naval drills in the South China Sea, to enhance global peace and stability.
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Nippon Steel delays U.S. Steel purchase until after presidential race
TOKYO - Nippon Steel Corp. said Friday it will postpone arrangements to complete its acquisition of United States Steel Corp. by three months through December, with the deal having become a hot-button topic in the leadup to November's presidential election.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, has said he would block the $14.1 billion buyout of the American company while President Joe Biden has also expressed support for unionized workers who oppose the Japanese steelmaker's takeover.
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Yen recovers to 152 range vs dollar after suspected interventions
SINGAPORE - The yen appreciated to the upper 152 range against the U.S. dollar on Friday in Asian trading, reaching that level for the first time in nearly three weeks, as the currency strengthens in the wake of two suspected interventions earlier this week by Japanese authorities.
The yen temporarily advanced to the upper 152 yen level in the morning before hovering around the 153 line. Tokyo markets were closed Friday for a national holiday.
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U.S.-Japan missile development project to cost over $3 billion
WASHINGTON - The United States and Japan have estimated the total cost of jointly developing a new type of missile capable of intercepting hypersonic weapons will exceed $3 billion, a Defense Department official said Thursday.
Of the total, Japan will allocate $1 billion to the Glide Phase Interceptor project, according to the official from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The two countries are aiming to complete the missile's development by the 2030s.
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Abe murder revealing religion's role in Japan's child abuse problem
TOKYO - The assassination of Shinzo Abe by the son of a Unification Church devotee led Japan to a reckoning about the issue of child abuse and neglect linked to parents' religious affiliations.
In the wake of the former prime minister's murder in 2022, the government launched its first nationwide survey which found 37 of the 229 child guidance centers that provided answers, or 16.2 percent, addressed to suspected cases between April 2022 and September 2023.
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Ohtani appears with wife at charity event hosted by Dodgers
LOS ANGELES - Shohei Ohtani traded his Los Angeles Dodgers uniform for a suit to attend the baseball club's Blue Diamond Gala charity event with wife Mamiko on Thursday.
The couple, both wearing black and sporting rings on their left ring fingers, posed for photos as they walked a blue carpet set up for the annual gala at Dodger Stadium.
Video: Detour opens in quake-hit Ishikawa after landslide
