TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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M5.7 quake strikes central Japan, leaves at least 20 injured
TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 struck central Japan early Sunday, leaving at least 20 people injured in Aichi Prefecture, authorities said.
The 1:04 a.m. temblor originated in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture at a depth of about 40 kilometers, and registered upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in Chita, Aichi Prefecture, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
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Astellas' Japanese employee in Chinese prison to be released in Dec.
TOKYO - A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc. held in a Chinese prison for spying is expected to be released in December, sources close to Japan-China relations said Saturday.
The male employee of the Japanese pharmaceutical company, who is in his 60s and was detained in March 2023, was sentenced by Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in July 2025 to three years and six months in prison.
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Japan eyes stronger war sustainability in defense strategy update
TOKYO - The Japanese government is considering including a reference to the need to strengthen the Self-Defense Forces' warfighting sustainability in the defense strategy set to be updated by the end of the year, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Further discussions will be held within the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the proposed update to the National Defense Strategy, given some opposition to the wording that evokes military combat, they said.
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Traditional deer antler-cutting ceremony held in Nara Park
NARA, Japan - A traditional event of cutting the antlers of deer, a custom passed down for over 370 years since the Edo period, was held Saturday in western Japan's Nara Park.
In the annual ceremony running through Sunday at Kasugataisha Shrine inside the park, catchers used red flags to corner a buck, capture it with ropes and sawed off its antlers.
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2 dead after falling from fishing boat off Ibaraki
MITO, Japan - Two people were confirmed dead after falling overboard from a fishing boat off Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Saturday, police and the local coast guard said.
The two, a 58-year-old man and his 56-year-old sister, were among three people on the boat that ran aground off Kitaibaraki. Their 91-year-old father remained on the stranded vessel.
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World Media Summit discusses journalism amid rapid AI development
BEIJING - Representatives from major news outlets worldwide on Saturday discussed how newsrooms should cope with the rapid development of artificial intelligence at the World Media Summit in Beijing.
Some 500 media professionals, think tank officials and others from over 110 countries and regions gathered in the Chinese capital for the conference, which was launched in 2009 in Beijing to boost media exchanges and cooperation.
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New Zealand general election too close to call with 99% of votes counted
AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Neither of New Zealand's main political party leaders have claimed victory, nor conceded defeat, in Saturday's general election, with the preliminary vote count too close to call.
With over 99 percent of votes counted, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's center-right National Party and the opposition Labour Party were neck and neck, both polling just short of 30 percent of the popular vote, with just a few thousand votes separating the two.
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Figure skating: Chiba wins Cup of China to extend Japan women's GP streak
SHENZHEN, China - Japan's Mone Chiba won the Cup of China on Saturday to extend Japanese women's winning streak to three events at the start of the Grand Prix Series season.
Top after Friday's short program, last season's world championships runner-up Chiba scored 148.40 points in the free skate for a total of 224.48 in Shenzhen, claiming the third Grand Prix victory of her career.
