TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Japan mulls tapping 500 bil. yen for summer electricity, gas subsidies
TOKYO - Japan is mulling tapping some 500 billion yen ($3.1 billion) in reserve funds to subsidize household electricity and gas bills in the high-demand summer period, a government source said Thursday.
The source said the government is preparing to spend significantly more per household than it did on the subsidies in the July to September period last year, as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the ongoing Middle East crisis is expected to lead to higher utility prices in resource-poor Japan.
----------
OpenAI to provide Japan gov't with advanced cybersecurity AI model
TOKYO - OpenAI, the U.S. developer of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, said Thursday it will provide the Japanese government and some companies with an AI model featuring advanced cybersecurity capabilities.
The move comes as concerns are growing over potential cyberattacks using AI after U.S. startup Anthropic recently released its Claude Mythos model, which experts say is highly capable of finding software flaws and could be exploited for attacks on financial institutions and other organizations.
----------
Central Tokyo average condo price rises 38.9% in April
TOKYO - The average price of a new condominium in central Tokyo in April rose 38.9 percent from a year earlier to 124.98 million yen ($786,000), reflecting a rebound from the previous year's drop and rising construction costs, a research institute said Thursday.
The price in the greater metropolitan area covering the capital and its three surrounding prefectures in the reporting month slipped below 100 million yen for the first time in three months, according to the Real Estate Economic Institute.
----------
Japan's oil imports from Middle East plunge to record low in April
TOKYO - Japan's crude oil imports from the Middle East plunged over 67 percent in volume in April from a year earlier, the lowest single-month level on record, government data showed Thursday, underscoring severe supply disruptions caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The country, which has relied on the region for more than 90 percent of its oil purchases, imported 3.84 million kiloliters of oil in April, the lowest volume since comparable data became available in 1979, according to preliminary trade statistics data by the Finance Ministry.
----------
Japan to survey bear populations after surge in attacks on humans
TOKYO - The Environment Ministry will begin surveying bear populations in Japan's northeastern Tohoku region and vicinity in June by setting up about 800 cameras in mountains, it said earlier this week, following a surge in bear attacks on humans.
Camera traps and other means will be used to help count black bears in the six prefectures of Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi and Fukushima -- collectively known as Tohoku -- as well as adjacent Niigata, with the estimates to be released possibly by early next year.
----------
Tokyo stocks surge, Nikkei up 3%, as oil prices fall on Middle East hopes
TOKYO - Tokyo stocks surged Thursday, with the Nikkei stock index ending up over 3 percent, as hopes for a settlement in the Middle East conflict eased crude oil prices.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 1,879.73 points, or 3.14 percent, from Wednesday at 61,684.14, snapping a five-day losing streak. The broader Topix index finished 62.16 points, or 1.64 percent, higher at 3,853.81.
----------
Japan says remilitarization criticism by China, Russia unfounded
TOKYO - Criticism by China and Russia against Japan over what they view is its remilitarization is "entirely unfounded," a senior government spokesman said Thursday, following the two nations' summit in Beijing the previous day.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki also said at a press conference that Japan wants China and Russia to "change their behavior" over issues such as Beijing's military activities that are a "cause for serious concern for the international community" and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
----------
Sumo: Kirishima, Kotoeiho stay atop leaderboard, Kotozakura withdraws
TOKYO - Ozeki Kirishima and No. 13 maegashira Kotoeiho remained atop the leaderboard at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Thursday, while struggling ozeki Kotozakura withdrew on Day 12.
No. 15 maegashira Tobizaru suffered a costly defeat, dropping into a tie for second place at 9-3 with three other wrestlers at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
----------
VIDEO: Sapporo Lilac Festival begins
