The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan policy paper to focus on U.S., Philippine ties to counter China
TOKYO – Japan will emphasize the importance of boosting collaboration with the United States and the Philippines to counter China’s assertive behavior in the Indo-Pacific region, a draft of its annual foreign policy report showed Thursday.
The Diplomatic Bluebook for 2024 will also underscore that Tokyo “cannot afford to waste even a moment” to solve the long-standing issue of North Korea’s past abductions of Japanese nationals as the victims’ families continue to age, according to the draft obtained by Kyodo News.
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U.N. General Assembly adopts 1st resolution on safe use of AI
NEW YORK – The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday adopted its first resolution urging members to ensure trustworthiness and safety in using artificial intelligence.
The world body’s plenary assembly “stresses the need for the standard of safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems” to promote digital transformation and equitable access to their benefits in order to achieve all the U.N.-set sustainable development goals, the resolution said.
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Core consumer prices in Japan rise 2.8% in Feb.
TOKYO – Core consumer prices in Japan rose 2.8 percent in February from a year earlier, government data showed Friday, with the key gauge of inflation accelerating for the first time in four months.
The nationwide core consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food, was above the Bank of Japan’s 2 percent target for the 23rd straight month.
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Football: Japan battle past North Korea to mark positive restart
TOKYO – Returning midfielder Ao Tanaka scored the early winner as Japan saw off North Korea 1-0 at home in World Cup qualifying on Thursday, in the Samurai Blue’s first action since being knocked out of the Asian Cup at the quarterfinal stage.
A third straight Group B win in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup will take some pressure off manager Hajime Moriyasu after he came under fire for his team’s performance at the recent Asian Cup in Qatar.
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Baseball: Yamamoto shelled in MLB debut as Padres outslug Dodgers
SEOUL – Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Major League Baseball debut consisted of a single five-run inning as he took the loss in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 15-11 defeat to the San Diego Padres on Thursday.
The Japanese right-hander had little command against the nine batters he faced in the finale of the two-game series at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome. Yamamoto allowed four hits, a hit batsman and a walk, digging a hole even six RBIs from Mookie Betts could not overcome.
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Football: North Korea not to host World Cup qualifier vs Japan
TOKYO – The Japan Football Association’s president said Thursday that North Korea will not host an upcoming World Cup qualifier between the countries originally scheduled for Pyongyang.
“A game will not be played in Pyongyang,” Kozo Tashima said after Japan defeated North Korea 1-0 at Tokyo’s National Stadium in the first of their two Asian qualifying Group B encounters.
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Olympics: Injured JOC chief Yamashita not to attend Paris Games
TOKYO – Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita will not attend this summer’s Paris Olympics as he needs more time to recover from a cervical spine injury, the JOC said Thursday.
The 66-year-old Yamashita, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics judo gold medalist in the men’s open category, had spine surgery after he fell last October.
Video: Seaweed harvesting in Hyogo Prefecture
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