Photo shows the "Samurai" exhibition at the British Museum in London. (Photo courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum)(Photo not for sale)(Kyodo)

TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Japan, India vow closer cooperation on security, critical materials

NEW DELHI - Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar agreed Monday to accelerate economic security and defense cooperation, including by strengthening supply chains for critical materials.

Meeting in New Delhi, the two ministers also agreed to deepen cooperation to promote economic growth through public and private sector investment and innovation, based on a Japan-India joint vision for the next decade announced during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan last August.

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Quad foreign chiefs to discuss energy security, push for leaders' summit

NEW DELHI - Foreign ministers from Japan, Australia, India and the United States will discuss energy security and seek to pave the way for a leaders' summit when they meet Tuesday in New Delhi under the Quad framework.

The last Quad summit was held in September 2024, and no leaders' meeting has taken place since the launch of the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has placed less emphasis on multilateral diplomacy.

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Japan eyes Mogami frigate export to NZ, 3-way defense talks with Australia

TOKYO - Japan is preparing to launch talks on exporting its advanced Mogami-class frigate to New Zealand, and the issue will be discussed when the defense chiefs of the two countries and Australia meet in late May, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.

The potential export of the highly stealthy Japanese defense ship would boost interoperability among the forces of Japan, New Zealand and Australia amid China's maritime assertiveness, as Tokyo and Canberra have decided to jointly develop a next-generation Australian frigate based on the Mogami-class design.

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Japan baseball Giants manager Abe arrested for alleged assault on daughter

TOKYO - Shinnosuke Abe, manager of the Yomiuri Giants -- Japan's oldest and most storied professional baseball team and often seen as the closest equivalent to the New York Yankees -- was arrested Monday on suspicion of assaulting his daughter.

Abe, 47, was taken into custody by the Metropolitan Police Department for allegedly grabbing his 18-year-old daughter and forcing her to the floor at their home in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, an investigative source said. He was released early Tuesday.

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Japan gov't leans toward cutting sales tax to 1%, not 0%, for speedy start

TOKYO - The Japanese government is leaning toward the idea of cutting the current 8 percent consumption tax on food to 1 percent, rather than zero as pledged earlier, for faster introduction to tackle the rising cost of living, sources close to the matter said Monday.

Under the 1 percent tax scenario, retailers would be able to finish modifying their cash register systems as early as next spring, whereas the zero-rate could require as much as a year. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will make a final decision possibly late June, the sources said.

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Japan gov't to compile over 3 tril. yen extra budget: PM Takaichi

TOKYO - The Japanese government will compile a supplementary budget for fiscal 2026 totaling more than 3 trillion yen ($19 billion) to brace for higher energy prices amid prolonged tensions in the Middle East, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday.

The draft budget will be submitted to parliament possibly next week, she told reporters, while also noting that the government will use 500 billion yen from reserve funds to help households pay for utility bills from July to September, when demand for air conditioning grows.

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Skymark jet makes emergency landing at Haneda airport, tire ruptured

TOKYO - A Skymark Airlines passenger jet made an emergency landing at Tokyo's Haneda airport Monday after detecting a tire problem, with one of its tires later found ruptured, the transport ministry said.

No injuries were reported among the 169 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 737 that was bound for Fukuoka in southwestern Japan from Tokyo, according to the Japanese carrier.

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Cambodia pardons ex-opposition leader from 27-year sentence over treason

PHNOM PENH - Cambodian former opposition leader Kem Sokha was granted a pardon Monday from his 27-year prison sentence for treason, a conviction that was criticized by the United States and international human rights groups as a miscarriage of justice.

The pardon was granted by Hun Sen, the former prime minister currently serving as acting head of state while Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni is in China for medical treatment.


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