The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
Taiwan's new leader Lai urges China to stop military threats
TAIPEI - Taiwan's new President Lai Ching-te urged China to stop its military and political threats against the self-ruled island in his inaugural speech Monday, saying peace is the "only option," amid heightened tensions with the Communist-led mainland, which condemns him as an advocate for independence.
Lai also said his new government will "neither yield nor provoke, and maintain the status quo" in the two sides' relationship, calling on Beijing to share the responsibility of "maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait" to ensure the world is "free from the fear of war."
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Iran President Raisi killed in helicopter crash in bad weather
TEHRAN - Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian were confirmed dead in a helicopter crash Sunday caused by poor weather, the Iranian government said Monday.
The helicopter carrying the two crashed in a densely forested area in the country's East Azerbaijan Province and "all the passengers of the crashed helicopter were martyred," state-run media, Iran's Mehr News Agency, reported earlier Monday.
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Japanese firms offer highest pay hike in 32 yrs in spring wage talks
TOKYO - A survey of major Japanese firms showed they offered their highest monthly wage increases in 32 years at over 5 percent in the spring wage negotiations, as many sought to respond to elevated prices while trying to avoid brain drains, the country's biggest business lobby said Monday.
The initial tally of wage increases showed an average 5.58 percent rise, the highest since comparable data became available in 1992 and equivalent to 19,480 yen ($125) per month, according to the Japan Business Federation, also known as Keidanren.
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Ex-college employee gets 23 yrs for raping drugged students
MIYAZAKI, Japan - A 59-year-old former employee at a vocational school in Miyazaki Prefecture was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Monday for sexually assaulting seven people including some students after drugging them with sleeping pills.
The Miyazaki District Court found Yoichi Tsuura, who was a technical assistant at the National Institute of Technology, Miyakonojo College, sexually assaulted them by spiking their foods and drinks between July 2015 and March 2023.
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Victims' families to sue over fatal 2022 Hokkaido boat accident
SAPPORO - The families of 14 victims in the fatal tourist boat accident off Hokkaido in 2022 that left 20 people dead and six missing plan to file a damages suit against the ship operator in July, their lawyers said Monday.
The suit by 29 plaintiffs against the operator Shiretoko Yuransen and its president Seiichi Katsurada, 60, is expected to be filed with the Sapporo District Court on July 3, with over 1 billion yen ($6.4 million) in damages expected to be sought.
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Baseball: Yu Darvish earns 200th win of career spent in Japan, MLB
ATLANTA - San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish picked up his 200th win of a career spent in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball on Sunday, as his seven shutout innings helped carry his team past the Atlanta Braves 9-1.
Darvish (4-1) became the third pitcher to reach a total of 200 wins in Japan and the majors, after Hideo Nomo (201) and Hiroki Kuroda (203). The 37-year-old right-hander held the Braves to two hits while striking out nine and walking one.
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Saudi crown prince puts off Japan trip due to king's health
TOKYO - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has put off a four-day visit to Japan planned from Monday due to the health condition of his father King Salman, the Japanese government said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference that Tokyo received Riyadh's notification of the last-minute postponement by the de facto Saudi ruler on Sunday night, and that the two governments will rearrange his visit.
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Japan hopes to deepen friendship with Taiwan under new president Lai
TOKYO - Japan hopes that its friendship with Taiwan will deepen further under the island's new President Lai Ching-te, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Monday.
Expressing Japan's congratulations on Lai's inauguration, the top government spokesman said that Taiwan, which shares fundamental values and maintains close economic relations and people-to-people exchanges, is an "extremely crucial partner and an important friend" for Japan.
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Online reservations begin for Mt. Fuji climbers to ease congestion
KOFU, Japan - Online reservations were introduced Monday for visitors climbing Mt. Fuji on the most commonly used trail situated in Yamanashi Prefecture to ease congestion, with local authorities set to start charging 2,000 yen ($13) when the trail opens this summer.
Bookings can be made on the official website for climbing Mt. Fuji, which is operated by the prefecture and other stakeholders, until the day before the climb.
Video: A field full of nanohana flowers in Hokkaido
