TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Yen hits 39-year low near 162 to U.S. dollar despite intervention risk
NEW YORK - The yen fell to a roughly 39-year low near 162 versus the U.S. dollar on Monday amid market expectations of higher interest rates in the United States, but its further decline may be checked by caution over the possibility of the Japanese government stepping in.
In New York, the dollar briefly touched 161.98 yen, a level unseen since December 1986. Prior to this, the key barrier had been 161.96 yen, which was last reached in July 2024.
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Football: Japan beaten at death by Brazil, leave World Cup in round of 32
HOUSTON - Japan came close to making history but suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Brazil at the death in the World Cup round of 32 on Monday, falling short of their first-ever knockout-phase win at the tournament.
Kaishu Sano scored a 29th-minute opener for Japan, but Casemiro leveled with a 56th-minute header and Gabriel Martinelli netted the winner for the five-time champions in the fifth minute of stoppage time at Houston Stadium.
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China nuclear reactors had 130 irregular shutdowns over glitches
BEIJING - Chinese nuclear reactors underwent about 130 irregular shutdowns due to glitches at key facilities and human error between 2011 and 2024, even after Beijing boosted safety measures following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan, according to Chinese government reports.
Kyodo News analyzed data released by China's National Nuclear Safety Administration. The Asian powerhouse does not usually disclose details of incidents at its nuclear power plants, and reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency have not covered statistics related to reactor shutdowns in China, according to experts.
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Japan's May jobless rate unchanged from April at 2.5%
TOKYO - Japan's unemployment rate in May was unchanged from the previous month at 2.5 percent, government data showed Tuesday.
The job availability ratio edged down 0.01 point from April to 1.17 in the reporting month, meaning there were 117 jobs available for every 100 job seekers, according to separate data.
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Japan industrial output in May rises 0.5% on month
TOKYO - Japan's industrial output in May rose 0.5 percent from the previous month, government data showed Tuesday.
The seasonally adjusted index of production at factories and mines stood at 103.0 against the 2020 base of 100, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report.
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S. Korea tech giants to invest 4,755 trillion won with gov't support
SEOUL - South Korea's tech giants Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. said Monday they will invest a total of about 4,755 trillion won ($3.08 trillion) as part of the government's plan to promote regional development led by artificial intelligence.
The investment plan, to be backed by the government, was announced after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's administration unveiled its so-called "mega project" initiative earlier that day. The project included building a new semiconductor manufacturing hub in the country's southern area to maintain dominance in the competitive chipmaking industry.
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Japan launches cross-ministerial panel to prescreen foreign investments
TOKYO - Japan on Monday established a cross-ministerial, U.S.-style committee to strengthen the country's prescreening of foreign investments, as it seeks to prevent leaks of critical technologies and ensure economic security.
The launch of the body, called the Japan Foreign Investment Committee, or JFIC, followed a revision to the foreign exchange and trade law to cope with rising applications as more sectors are deemed critical for national security.
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Japan protests Chinese drilling rig in East China Sea
TOKYO - Japan has lodged a protest after China installed a mobile offshore drilling rig on its side of the median line in the East China Sea, suspecting that it is conducting exploratory drilling for a natural gas field, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.
The protest, lodged Friday, followed the Japanese Defense Ministry's discovery in late June that the rig had been fixed to the seabed about 400 kilometers northwest of Okinawa's main island, the sources said.
