TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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2 dead at quake-hit Kumamoto Pref. shopping mall after blast

TOKYO - Two women were confirmed dead and one woman was found unresponsive, local authorities said Wednesday, hours after an explosion rocked a shopping mall on Japan's southwestern main island of Kyushu following a powerful magnitude-7.1 earthquake.

A gas leak is suspected as the cause of the blast after the quake struck Kumamoto Prefecture at around 4:27 p.m. on Tuesday, according to a government source. Ten people were unaccounted for at the site earlier, according to the prefectural government.

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Shinkansen bullet trains remain halted after M7.1 quake hits Kumamoto

TOKYO - Services on the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line will remain halted Wednesday, its operator said, a day after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto.

Meanwhile, trams will resume operation at reduced speeds in the city of Kumamoto, according to the Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau, which warned that services could be suspended in the event of another strong earthquake.

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Unruptured fault from 2016 likely behind powerful Japan temblor: experts

TOKYO - A powerful earthquake that struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday is likely to have been caused by a fault left unruptured in twin temblors that struck almost the same region a decade ago, experts say, warning that strong seismicity may continue.

The focus of the latest quake, which had a magnitude of 7.1 and originated in Kumamoto Prefecture, was not far from the epicenters of similar inland temblors of M6.5 on April 14, 2016, and M7.3 two days later.

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Paper plant smokestack damaged after M7.1 quake hits southwestern Japan

TOKYO - Nippon Paper Industries Co. said Tuesday that a smokestack at its plant in Kumamoto Prefecture was badly damaged, with the upper part collapsing, due to the massive earthquake that hit southwestern Japan earlier in the day.

About eight people required rescue at Yatsushiro Mill, though it was unclear whether they were injured, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

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Baseball: Former Dragons pitcher, TV personality Bando dies at 86

TOKYO - Eiji Bando, a former pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons who later became widely known as a TV personality, has died of chronic heart failure, his family said Tuesday. He was 86.

Born in then Japanese-controlled northeastern China during World War II, Bando returned to Japan and was raised in his father's home prefecture of Tokushima, western Japan.

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Japan mulls GPS tracking of stalkers to prevent further harm

TOKYO - Japan on Tuesday compiled emergency countermeasures aimed to prevent further harm and protect victims from stalkers that would include having perpetrators wear GPS tracking devices.

The plans submitted to the ministerial meeting for measures against crime come as the government has been studying international cases where devices have been used to track sex offenders.

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INTERVIEW: BYD looks to crack Japan's minivehicle market with ultracompact EV

TOKYO - China's BYD Co., the world's leading electric vehicle maker, has begun a foray into one of the most competitive segments of the shrinking Japanese auto market, rolling out a new ultracompact EV to compete with engine-powered minivehicles.

The automaker on Tuesday launched the Racco, a boxy small EV with sliding rear doors on both sides that was developed specifically for Japanese customers with a base price of around 2.15 million yen ($13,000).

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KDDI launches AI app using content of Japanese media, publishers

TOKYO - Telecommunications giant KDDI Corp. said Tuesday it has launched an artificial intelligence-powered app with about 30 media and publishing partners that answers users' questions by citing sources from articles and other content.

The service aims to boost reliability and expertise, while partners can earn revenue based on usage frequency and gain touchpoints with readers who follow citations back to original works.