TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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U.S.-Iran talks scheduled for Friday in Switzerland called off
LUCERNE, Switzerland - The next phase of negotiations between the United States and Iran, planned to begin Friday in Switzerland, has been postponed, the Swiss government said, clouding prospects for the two warring countries to reach a final peace deal in the coming months.
Without giving a reason for the postponement, Switzerland said it "remains ready to facilitate these talks," which also involve Pakistan and Qatar as key mediators in efforts to end the nearly four-month U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
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Football: Moriyasu anticipates tough battle with Tunisia in 1,000th World Cup match
GUADALUPE, Mexico - Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu is bracing for a totally different challenge from their opener when they take on Tunisia on Saturday in an encounter marking the 1,000th match in World Cup history.
Speaking at Estadio Monterrey in Mexico a day before their second Group F game, Moriyasu appeared cautious despite starting with a 2-2 draw against one of the tournament favorites, the Netherlands.
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Japan gov't eyes allowing imperial family to adopt males aged 15 or older
TOKYO - The government is considering revising a law to allow the adoption into Japan's imperial family of males aged 15 or older descended through the paternal line from emperors and belonging to former branch families, a source close to the matter said Friday.
But the adopted males would not be eligible to ascend the throne, according to the source, citing a summary of the government's draft on the law revision aimed at ensuring a sustainable imperial family system amid longstanding concerns over the family's shrinking size.
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Tokaido Shinkansen train services resume after person fatally hit
NAGOYA - Services on the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train resumed after being temporarily halted for about three hours following an incident in which a person entered the tracks at Hamamatsu Station in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, and was fatally hit, the operator and local police said Friday.
JR Central said services had resumed on the Tokaido Shinkansen line at 8:48 p.m. The Sanyo Shinkansen line has also restarted operations.
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Fire breaks out at Tokyo elementary school, 11 injured
TOKYO - A fire broke out Friday at an elementary school in Tokyo, injuring 11 people, including eight pupils, before being extinguished, authorities said.
Most of the injured taken to the hospital suffered smoke inhalation at the school in Kita Ward, they said, adding that two students broke their arms and a female teacher fractured her pelvis.
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Japan perfume industry taps vending machines, consultations to win buyers
TOKYO - The Japanese perfume industry is seeking to win new customers through personalized fragrance consultations and vending machines, while beverage companies have also entered the market with their own scents.
Nose Shop Inc., which offers a wide range of rare perfumes from around the world, opened a salon in Tokyo in January, offering private, by-appointment fragrance consultations aimed at helping customers move beyond preconceived notions about scents.
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Ship with 3 Japan nationals aboard in Persian Gulf transits Hormuz
TOKYO - A ship stranded in the Persian Gulf with three Japanese nationals on board sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday.
The vessel was the last of the ships carrying Japanese crew in the gulf to exit the sea area after the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran launched in late February resulted in the effective blockade of the key shipping lane, he said.
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Japan foreigner entry visa fees to be hiked 5-fold to 15,000 yen from July
TOKYO - The Japanese government on Friday decided to raise single-entry visa fees for foreigners fivefold to 15,000 yen ($90) from 3,000 yen beginning in July, marking the first increase since 1978 amid inflation and the yen's depreciation.
Issuance fees for multiple-entry visas, which allow visitors to enter Japan multiple times over a set period, will be hiked from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen.
