TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan to link Narita, Haneda airports by new limited express train in 2030s
TOKYO - A new limited express train service directly linking Narita and Haneda airports is expected to start operating in the 2030s and should reduce the current travel time of about 90 minutes between the two, sources close to the matter said Friday.
The move aims to make it easier for inbound tourists arriving at Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture to transfer to domestic flights at Tokyo's Haneda airport and travel onward to destinations across Japan.
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Japan's average wages up over 5% for 3rd straight year amid rising prices
TOKYO - Japanese companies agreed to raise wages by an average 5.01 percent in this year's spring wage negotiations, marking the third consecutive year of pay increases of over 5 percent, the country's largest labor union said Friday.
The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, also known as Rengo, said its final tally of wage negotiation results from over 5,300 member unions showed the average monthly pay hike stood at 16,400 yen ($102).
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Japan weighs doubling budget for supporting anime, content industries
TOKYO - The Japanese government is considering doubling its budget for supporting content industries such as anime, games and music to around 100 billion yen ($621 million), sources close to the matter said Friday.
The government plans to secure at least 500 billion yen over the next five years to promote overseas expansion, with the funding request to be included in fiscal 2027 budget proposals to be compiled this summer.
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Japan parliament cuts to disproportionately hit female lawmakers: estimate
TOKYO - A bill that could cut 45 seats from Japan's House of Representatives would disproportionately reduce female lawmaker numbers, a Kyodo News estimate showed Friday, undermining aims to improve women's representation in politics.
According to the simulation, the cuts from the 176 seats elected by proportional representation would mean 35 percent fewer women would have been voted in via the system in the February lower house election, compared with a 23 percent drop among men.
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China warns against Japan-India economic security cooperation
BEIJING - China on Friday warned against a Japan-India agreement earlier this week to deepen cooperation on economic security, saying such collaboration "should not target any third party" or harm its interests.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a press conference that cooperation between countries should be conducive to "safeguarding peace and stability in the region," and not be used "as an excuse to (create) exclusive small groupings and stoke division and confrontation."
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2 men get 30 yrs for murder of couple whose burned bodies were dumped
TOKYO - A Japanese court on Friday sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for their role in the murder of a married couple and the damaging and abandoning of their corpses, which were found burned in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, in 2024.
The Tokyo District Court found Hikaru Sasaki, 30, and Ryoken Hirayama, 27, guilty of colluding in the murder of Ryutaro Takarajima, 55, who managed restaurants in the capital's Ueno area, and his wife Sachiko, 56. Prosecutors had sought life in prison for both men, while the defense sought 20-year prison sentences.
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Japan's defense, foreign chiefs to attend NATO summit events next week
TOKYO - Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will travel to Turkey next week to attend events held alongside the annual NATO summit.
Speaking at a news conference Friday, Koizumi said the visit reflects growing security cooperation between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners as they face increasingly interconnected security challenges.
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Japan's new intelligence council eyes 1st meeting in late July: sources
TOKYO - Japan is considering holding the first meeting of its new National Intelligence Council toward the end of this month, government sources said Friday, after legislation to create the body was enacted in May as part of a counterespionage push.
The first meeting of the council, a policy initiative championed by security hawk Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and intended to serve as a central "control tower" for intelligence activities, is expected to be held around July 31, the sources said.
