TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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60-day window under tentative U.S.-Iran deal started June 18: Vance
WASHINGTON - U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the 60-day window for negotiations between Washington and Tehran under the tentative U.S.-Iran peace deal began the same day, meaning it will last through Aug. 16.
The "technical negotiations" concerning Iran's nuclear program as part of efforts toward a final peace deal could start this weekend, he told reporters, though he said nothing is set in stone regarding planned talks in Switzerland or the timing of his travel there.
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China criticizes Japan PM Takaichi over G7 remarks
BEIJING - China on Thursday criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for her remarks at the Group of Seven summit in France, saying they were "particularly obtrusive" and exposed an attempt to rally allies and incite confrontation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference that Japan has habitually formed "exclusive groupings against China" at forums such as the G7 in recent years, when asked about Takaichi's remarks expressing concern over the potential impact of China's rare earth export restrictions on Japan.
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Taiwan leader Lai urges China to renounce use of force
TAIPEI - Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te on Thursday urged China to renounce the use of force against Taiwan, saying the self-ruled island is willing to engage in exchanges and cooperation with the mainland under principles of equality and dignity.
Speaking to international media in Taipei, Lai also called on China to halt its military buildup in the Taiwan Strait as well as the East and South China seas and sought cooperation with Japan, the Philippines and other Indo-Pacific nations to ensure regional peace and stability.
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Britain jails Hong Kong-British duo over spying on Hong Kong dissidents
HONG KONG - Two Hong Kong-British men, including a Hong Kong government employee, were sentenced in Britain to up to 10 years in prison on Thursday in a case that has sparked concerns about China's "shadow policing" efforts on dissidents via the semiautonomous Chinese region's overseas trade offices.
Last month, a jury at a London court found Peter Wai, a former officer at the British Border Force and the City of London Police, and Bill Yuen, a London-based Hong Kong trade office manager, guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service between December 2023 and May 2024 under Britain's National Security Act.
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Philippines says Chinese structure removed from disputed S. China Sea shoal
MANILA - The Philippine Coast Guard said on Thursday that China has removed a structure it installed at a contested South China Sea atoll within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone following protests.
China has said the structure was a "temporary" floating platform used for studying the ecosystem of the Scarborough Shoal and that the research, which began in late May, had been completed.
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Smartphone catches fire on flight leaving Haneda airport, no injuries
TOKYO - A smartphone caught fire on a British Airways flight on Thursday as it was taxiing for takeoff at Tokyo's Haneda airport, but there were no injuries among the 211 passengers and crew onboard, Japan's transport ministry said.
According to the ministry's Tokyo airport office, the smartphone is believed to have belonged to a passenger, and crew members put out the fire with an onboard extinguisher. A crew member reported to the office around 1:10 p.m. that smoke was coming from the cabin.
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Disney-themed shinkansen train launched for Tokyo DisneySea 25th anniv.
NAGOYA - A Disney-themed bullet train began running Friday on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line connecting Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations to mark Tokyo DisneySea's 25th anniversary, for a limited-time service through mid-March next year.
The 16-car N700A set features a "jubilee blue" livery to celebrate the theme park's anniversary, adorned with various Disney characters. The seat headrest covers feature Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
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Football: Kubo to miss Tunisia match with left knee injury
NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Injured Japan attacker Takefusa Kubo will miss the team's upcoming World Cup match against Tunisia, the Japan Football Association said Thursday.
The 25-year-old was replaced in the 75th minute of their Group F opening draw with the Netherlands on Sunday after he went down on the pitch following a heavy challenge from Denzel Dumfries. Kubo ultimately left Dallas Stadium in a wheelchair.
