TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Lower house OKs bill outlawing Japanese flag desecration
TOKYO - Japan's House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill to outlaw desecration of the national flag, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party pursues its conservative policy agenda.
The Democratic Party for the People and the Sanseito party boycotted the vote in the lower house in protest of the steering by the LDP and its junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, of parliamentary debates on other key bills, although the two conservative opposition forces joined the ruling parties in submitting the bill.
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Japan, India planning joint statement on AI cooperation at summit talks
TOKYO - Japan and India's leaders are expected to release a joint statement on cooperation in artificial intelligence when they meet this week, centering on a strengthened partnership to develop large language models, government sources said Tuesday.
The statement is expected to form part of talks between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her counterpart Narendra Modi during her three-day visit to New Delhi from Wednesday.
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Japan "always" ready to act when necessary against yen fall: finance chief
TOKYO - Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Tuesday that the government is "always" ready to act when necessary in response to the yen's fall against the U.S. dollar.
"We will always act appropriately," Katayama said at a press conference, as the U.S. dollar rose above the 162 yen line for the first time in around 39 and a half years, sparking speculation about potential currency interventions by Japanese authorities.
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Japan's May jobless rate flat at 2.5% as fewer leave at business year start
TOKYO - Japan's unemployment rate in May was unchanged from the previous month at 2.5 percent, government data showed Tuesday, as fewer people left their jobs following the conclusion of the hiring season for the start of the new business year.
The number of people with jobs was up 0.1 percent at a seasonally adjusted 68.82 million, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
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Japan sees food waste hit record low for 3rd straight year in FY 2024
TOKYO - The Japanese government said Tuesday the amount of still-edible food discarded in fiscal 2024 marked a record low for the third straight year, falling 30,000 tons from the previous year to an estimated 4.61 million tons.
"We will work to further reduce food waste by promoting donations to food banks," an official said. Such entities collect food items close to their best-before dates and distribute them to those experiencing food insecurity.
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Japan's May industrial output grows 0.5% on month on solid transport sector
TOKYO - Japan's industrial output in May edged up 0.5 percent from the previous month, with the transport equipment and chemicals sectors making up for weak machinery production, government data showed Tuesday, logging a modest gain despite risks posed by the Middle East conflict.
The May outcome followed a downwardly revised rise of 0.5 percent in April. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry maintained its basic assessment of industrial production from the month before, saying it "fluctuates indecisively," and expects output to also rise in June for the third straight month of increase.
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Football: Japan beaten at death by Brazil, leave World Cup in round of 32
HOUSTON - Japan came close to making history but suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Brazil at the death in the World Cup round of 32 on Monday, falling short of their first-ever knockout-phase win at the tournament.
Kaishu Sano scored a 29th-minute opener for Japan, but Casemiro leveled with a 56th-minute header and Gabriel Martinelli netted the winner for the five-time champions in the fifth minute of stoppage time at Houston Stadium.
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Square watermelon shipments begin in western Japan city
TAKAMATSU, Japan - Farmers began shipping ornamental square watermelons in a western Japan city on Tuesday, with around 400 expected to be delivered through mid-July for about 10,000 yen ($62) each.
The cube-shaped fruit, a specialty of Zentsuji, Kagawa Prefecture, has little sweetness and is unsuitable for eating. Its unusual appearance, however, has made it popular as a summer decoration.
