TOKYO – The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan starts release of state-held oil to stabilize supplies amid Iran war
TOKYO – The Japanese government on Thursday started releasing state-held oil to stabilize supplies amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, as part of the largest-ever drawdown of reserves stockpiled in the country.
The release of oil equivalent to 30 days of domestic demand, or around 8.5 million kiloliters, is set to conclude by the end of April and follows the freeing up of 15 days’ worth held by the private sector, which commenced last week.
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Trump’s postponed meeting with Xi in Beijing to be held May 14-15
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump will hold a “long-awaited” meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14 and 15, the White House said Wednesday, after the trip was postponed earlier this month due to the ongoing war with Iran.
Trump’s visit to China, his first since returning to office in January last year, was originally scheduled for March 31 to April 2. But despite months of preparations, it was pushed back as he wanted to remain in the United States to focus on the war that his country and Israel had initiated weeks earlier.
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North Korea, Belarus leaders sign friendship cooperation treaty
BEIJING – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on Thursday signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation to boost bilateral relations as they met in Pyongyang, the Belarusian presidential office said.
Both countries support Russia’s war against Ukraine, with North Korea sending troops to aid Moscow and Minsk allowing the use of Belarusian territory for Russia to launch its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
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OECD leaves 2026 global growth outlook at 2.9%, Japan at 0.9%
TOKYO – The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development left its global economic growth forecast for 2026 unchanged at 2.9 percent on Thursday, saying surging energy prices and other costs due to the Middle East conflict are offsetting gains from an effective cut in U.S. tariffs.
In its interim economic outlook report, an update of its December assessment and the first to be released since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, the Paris-based organization also maintained its forecast that the Japanese economy will grow 0.9 percent.
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China’s No. 3 leader urges open markets amid global conflicts
HONG KONG – Zhao Leji, China’s No. 3 leader and top legislator, said Thursday that Beijing will further open up to the outside world, uphold free trade and deepen cooperation with other countries amid ongoing conflicts worldwide that could upend the global economy.
The world’s second-largest economy will continue to expand the domestic market and “welcome enterprises from all countries to explore the Chinese market and win the lead in global competition,” Zhao said in a keynote speech to the annual Boao Forum for Asia held on southern China’s Hainan Island.
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Japan says it shares U.S. view on Taiwan despite no mention after summit
TOKYO – Japan is on the same page with the United States regarding Taiwan, although Tokyo’s press release after talks between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Trump made no reference to the self-ruled island claimed by China, the top government spokesman said Thursday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara made the remark when asked during a press conference about a recent media report claiming that the Japanese government had deleted descriptions of the democratic island from its press release at Takaichi’s request, aiming to avoid further provoking China.
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GSDF officer sent to prosecutors over entry into Chinese Embassy in Tokyo
TOKYO – A 23-year-old second lieutenant in Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force was sent to prosecutors Thursday for alleged unlawful entry into the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo earlier this week.
Kodai Murata, a member of the GSDF’s Camp Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of unlawfully entering the embassy’s premises. He was initially detained by embassy staff, with a knife believed to be his found in the bushes on the premises.
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Experts call for doubling height limit for buildings near Kyoto Station
KYOTO – Kyoto should consider relaxing its existing 31-meter height limit on buildings near Kyoto Station to up to 60 meters to revitalize the gateway for visitors to the western Japanese city, according to an expert panel.
The envisioned relaxation would help spur rebuilding and create more space for offices and shops, even though it should be weighed against the need to protect the unique landscape dotted with temples and other distinctive features of Kyoto, the ancient Japanese capital.
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