TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Major parties back draft proposal on Japan's imperial family law revision
TOKYO - Most of the major ruling and opposition parties on Monday showed support for a draft proposal by Japan's lower and upper house speakers for a law revision to maintain the number of imperial family members, amid concerns over a stable imperial succession.
At a meeting of all 13 political parties and groups from parliament, seven including the ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi "generally agreed" on the proposal, House of Representatives Speaker Eisuke Mori told a press conference.
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More than 30 dead in M7.8 quake in southern Philippines
MANILA - More than 30 people died Monday after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit the southern Philippines and triggered tsunami warnings across several coastal areas, local authorities said.
Images of the aftermath of the 7:37 a.m. quake off Mindanao Island's Sarangani province showed several damaged or collapsed buildings in General Santos City, which is located near the epicenter of the temblor.
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Xi vows China's unchanged friendship with N. Korea, seeks more cooperation
BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday emphasized Beijing's commitment to its traditional friendship with Pyongyang during talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying it will remain unchanged "no matter how the international situation changes," Chinese state-run media said.
In their meeting in the North Korean capital, Xi also said the two countries should "firmly safeguard their respective sovereignty, security and development interests" and called for stronger strategic coordination and cooperation, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
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Nippon Steel to invest up to $2.5 bil. in U.S. Steel plant in Pennsylvania
NEW YORK - Nippon Steel Corp. will invest up to $2.5 billion in United States Steel Corp.'s facilities in Pennsylvania over three years, a document released by the Japanese steelmaker's U.S. subsidiary showed Monday.
The latest projected investment in Mon Valley Works is much larger than the pledge of at least $1 billion made by Nippon Steel before turning the struggling U.S. producer into a wholly owned subsidiary last year.
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World's nuclear-armed states spent record total on arsenals in 2025: report
GENEVA - The world's nine nuclear-armed countries spent 19 percent more on nuclear weapons in 2025 than the previous year, totaling a record $118.8 billion, with the United States, China and Britain leading the pack, according to a new report released Tuesday.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons excoriates the countries in its latest annual report, saying their spending decisions show a "willingness to research, develop, finance and build tools to exterminate humanity" instead of saving it.
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Data on 510,000 people linked to Hokkaido hospitals possibly leaked online
SAPPORO - Two hospitals on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido said Monday that information on around 186,000 people was confirmed to be on hard disks sold online, with the potential number of affected people estimated at up to 510,000.
The disks contain information on patients and hospital staff, the Hokkaido Medical Center and Hokkaido Cancer Center said. There have been no reports of unauthorized use of the data or any secondary damage.
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JAXA to postpone H3 rocket test launch due to unfavorable weather
TOKYO - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Monday it will postpone the launch of an H3 rocket test vehicle scheduled for this week from the Tanegashima Space Center due to unfavorable weather forecasts around the launch site in southwestern Japan.
The launch window was originally set for Wednesday, after a failure last December. A new launch date has not yet been set, the agency said.
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Tsunami waves arrive in Japan after M7.8 quake off Philippines
TOKYO - Tsunami waves arrived in Okinawa and other parts of Japan on Monday after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.8 struck off the southern Philippines, according to Japanese and U.S. authorities.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said at a press conference that a minor tsunami was observed on the main island of Okinawa at around 12:18 p.m. after the agency issued a tsunami advisory for the Pacific coast along the eastern, western and southern parts of the country.
