TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Russia conducts missile test off Japan-claimed islands amid deepening row
MOSCOW - Russia's Pacific Fleet said Thursday it has conducted a missile test off a group of Russian-held, Japanese-claimed islands amid an intensifying row over the disputed territory following President Vladimir Putin's first-ever visit there last week.
While it was unclear exactly when the test was carried out, the announcement comes after the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Japanese Ambassador to Russia Akira Muto over Japan's protest against Putin's trip to the area.
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N. Korea fires around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles: S. Korea
SEOUL/TOKYO - North Korea launched around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles eastward from an area near Pyongyang on Thursday, South Korea's military said.
Japan's Defense Ministry said multiple missiles traveled approximately 320 kilometers and reached a maximum altitude of about 90 km. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who is visiting New Delhi, told reporters that Tokyo has lodged a strong protest with Pyongyang.
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Bessent says global growth to top agenda at G20 meeting
WASHINGTON - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that boosting global economic growth will top the agenda at a meeting of Group of 20 finance chiefs that he will host at the end of this month.
"Our message to our allies, our trading partners, is that global growth is the way to take care of this mountain of debt," Bessent said in a CNBC interview, stressing that the world's leading economies, including China, Germany, Japan and India, need to bring the group back to its "core mission."
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Japan's core consumer prices in July rise 1.8% on year
TOKYO - Japan's core consumer prices in July rose 1.8 percent from a year earlier, government data showed Friday.
The increase in the nationwide consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food, followed a 1.6 percent rise in June.
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Oldest wild red-crowned crane dies in northern Japan at age 35
KUSHIRO, Japan - The oldest red-crowned crane known to be in the wild has died at the age of 35 years, apparently hit by a vehicle on a public road, according to government and other sources.
Protected under the cultural properties protection law, red-crowned cranes are found in Japan only in Hokkaido. They live for around 10 years on average, and researchers say the male bird may have been the world's oldest known wild bird of the species based on publicly available data.
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China urges S. Korea to seek friendly ties, blames U.S. for Korean tensions
SEOUL - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed hope during a visit to South Korea on Thursday that Seoul will firmly pursue a friendly policy toward China, while calling for an end to what he described as the United States' hostile policy toward North Korea to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
The trip to South Korea by the top Chinese diplomat underscored the two countries' eagerness to bring the bilateral ties fully back on track after souring over Seoul's deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in 2017 and came as U.S. President Donald Trump has ramped up his criticism against the Asian ally.
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Japan, India defense chiefs agree to deepen maritime security cooperation
NEW DELHI - Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Indian counterpart agreed Thursday to strengthen cooperation in maritime security in their first meeting to address concerns in the Indo-Pacific region.
Koizumi and Rajnath Singh agreed to cooperate in information sharing, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in their talks in New Delhi.
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Japan, Oman agree to deepen clean energy cooperation
MUSCAT - Japan and Oman agreed Thursday to deepen cooperation in clean energy, including the development of hydrogen and ammonia, during talks between their foreign ministers in Muscat.
At a joint press announcement after their talks, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said his country will support Oman's efforts to strengthen the resilience of its economy and energy sector, including through seawater desalination and environmentally friendly steel production.
