TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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U.S. imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court chief Akane of Japan
WASHINGTON - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Tomoko Akane, the first Japanese to lead the International Criminal Court, with the administration of President Donald Trump accusing The Hague-based judicial body of encroaching on state sovereignty.
Marking yet another escalation in the administration's campaign to disable the ICC, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that it is a "corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate."
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Japan scrambles fighters as 2 China military aircraft approach southwest
TOKYO - Japan scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday after two Chinese military aircraft were spotted flying off its southwestern islands, the Defense Ministry said.
The Y-9 reconnaissance plane and TB-001 reconnaissance-attack drone were observed off the Danjo islands, which lie west of Japan's southwestern main island of Kyushu, and in the area of Okinawa's main island in the East China Sea.
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Japan envoy answers Russian summons amid Putin isle visit spat
MOSCOW - Japan's ambassador to Russia appeared at the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday after being summoned amid a spat over disputed islands off Hokkaido that has intensified following Russian President Vladimir Putin's first-ever visit there last week.
Ambassador Akira Muto's appearance came a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his ministry had summoned the envoy following the Japanese government's protest over Putin's trip to one of the four islands, collectively called the Northern Territories by Japan and the Southern Kurils by Russia.
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N. Korea media criticizes ongoing U.S.-S. Korea drills after Trump comments
BEIJING - North Korean media criticized the ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise on Wednesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the curtailing of the annual summertime drills.
The commentary published by the Korean Central News Agency, however, did not address the U.S. leader's comments, in which he said the exercise sends "a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to the North.
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Japan's most graying village looks to Peru sister city for lifeline
MAEBASHI, Japan - Japan's most graying municipality has turned to its Peruvian sister city in search of a way to reverse its population decline and address the labor shortage that together threaten its survival.
The mountain village of Nanmoku in Gunma Prefecture, where 65.2 percent of residents were aged 65 or older in the 2020 census, signed a sister-city agreement with Belen in northern Peru in November, hoping cultural exchanges under the framework will eventually bring young people to live and work in the Japanese village.
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Japan's Ghibli film composer Joe Hisaishi recognized for 3 Guinness records
NEW YORK - Joe Hisaishi, a Japanese composer and conductor known globally for his scores for Studio Ghibli animated films, has been recognized this month for setting three world records, including one achieved during his weeklong residency through Monday at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
During the seventh and final night of his "Cinema Music Concert" show, Hisaishi was honored by Guinness World Records for the longest consecutive run of performances by a classical composer at the iconic venue.
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Deal reached to expand bluefin tuna fishing quotas as sought by Japan
TOKYO - An international conference on sustainable management of Pacific bluefin tuna reached an agreement Tuesday to expand catch quotas for larger fish as sought by Japan, Japanese government sources said.
The online talks, held behind closed doors, were an unusual resumption of the previous meeting in July that ended without an agreement due to Mexico's opposition.
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Japan crown prince, princess head to Paraguay to fortify ties with diaspora
TOKYO - Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito and Princess Kiko left for an official visit to Paraguay on Tuesday to mark 90 years of Japanese immigration to the South American country and strengthen ties with the local diaspora community.
The imperial family regularly makes visits during milestone years to meet with descendants of Japanese immigrants. During a press conference before his first visit to Paraguay in two decades, the prince said, "I look forward to hearing their stories again."
