The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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M7.7 quake in Taiwan kills 9, injures more than 800
TOKYO/TAIPEI - An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck off the east coast of Taiwan on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring more than 800 in the territory's strongest temblor in 25 years, while small tsunami reached nearby islands in Japan's southwest.
The biggest quake to hit the island since one that struck central Taiwan in 1999 triggered landslides in Hualien County and left 77 people trapped in highway tunnels, local authorities and reports said. Nearly 1,000 people were also reported to have been stranded following the quake at Taroko park, a mountainous area with a number of gorges.
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Japan's Kishida, Indonesia's Pres.-elect Prabowo agree on deeper ties
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto agreed Wednesday to deepen cooperation in national security and other fields amid China's growing military and economic clout in the Indo-Pacific region.
During talks in Tokyo, Kishida and Prabowo exchanged views on situations in the East and South China seas and North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, pledging to maintain close collaboration, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
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Shizuoka gov. to quit as maglev plan delayed, not to retract comments
SHIZUOKA, Japan - The governor of Shizuoka Prefecture said Wednesday that he decided to step down from his post believing he has fulfilled his duty in opposing Central Japan Railway Co.'s high-speed maglev train and contributing to its delay.
Gov. Heita Kawakatsu abruptly said Tuesday he will resign at the June prefectural assembly, without elaborating. His decision came amid a backlash over a gaffe saying civil servants being inducted into the prefectural government were intelligent people, "unlike those who sell vegetables."
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Japan PM Kishida, Ukraine Pres. Zelenskyy hold phone talks
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held phone talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, a government official said, as Japan continues to support Ukraine, which remains under attack by Russia.
At a conference in Tokyo in February, Kishida pledged to maintain its reconstruction support to Ukraine in collaboration with the private sector.
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Japan ready to support Taiwan following strong quake: PM Kishida
TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday that Japan is ready to provide any support necessary to Taiwan, "a neighbor across the sea," following a powerful earthquake that struck off the east coast of the island.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Kishida expressed his sympathy for victims of the magnitude-7.7 temblor that struck earlier in the day.
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18 taken to hospital after lightning strikes football game in Japan
MIYAZAKI, Japan - Lightning struck during a football game at a high school sports field in southwestern Japan, leaving two people in serious condition while 16 others were also taken to hospital, local authorities said Wednesday.
Police said there are reports of two victims showing no vital signs following the incident at Hosho High School in Miyazaki around 2:30 p.m.
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Tsunami warnings prompt evacuation, disrupt transport in south Japan
NAHA, Japan - Tsunami warnings issued following a magnitude-7.7 earthquake off Taiwan on Wednesday disrupted air, bus and ferry services, and local residents and tourists were warned to evacuate to higher ground in many islands of Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa.
Tsunami alert sirens sounded on Okinawa Island and several other islands, with some residents frightened while others fleeing calmly.
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Baseball: MLB plans March 2025 games in Japan: NPB commissioner
TOKYO - Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner Sadayuki Sakakibara revealed Wednesday that Major League Baseball has set March 19 and 20 as the dates for a season-opening series in Japan next year.
Sakakibara, who met MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred last month in South Korea, said, "We spoke about the plan going forward on those dates."
Video: Carp streamers in Hokkaido
