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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Man fatally stabs female clerk at Pokemon store in Tokyo
TOKYO – A man fatally stabbed a woman working at a Pokemon store in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district on Thursday evening, before dying from self-inflicted wounds, according to police.
The attacker was identified as Taiki Hirokawa, 26, occupation and residence unknown, and the victim as 21-year-old part-time worker Moe Harukawa of Hachioji, Tokyo.
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Japan, EU agree to work on de-escalation of Iran war
CERNAY-LA-VILLE, France – Japan and the European Union agreed Thursday to cooperate toward an early de-escalation of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
The agreement came when Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his EU counterpart Kaja Kallas held talks in Cernay-la-Ville, near Paris, on the sidelines of the two-day meeting of the Group of Seven foreign ministers through Friday.
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M’bishi Electric, Toshiba, Rohm in merger talks for power chip business
TOKYO – Electronics maker Mitsubishi Electric Corp., industrial conglomerate Toshiba Corp. and chipmaker Rohm Co. will begin negotiations to merge their power semiconductor device businesses, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
The talks come as the Japanese government pushes for greater recognition of, and market share for, Japanese companies in the chip industry amid declining demand for electric vehicles and the growing dominance of Chinese firms.
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New price index released by BOJ seen as precursor to rate hike
TOKYO – The Bank of Japan on Thursday released a new price index in an effort to grasp underlying trends amid increasing volatility, a move widely viewed by markets as a precursor to a further interest rate hike.
The new inflation indicator, which the BOJ plans to periodically release moving forward, excludes the effects of policies such as free education programs and measures to ease the burden of gasoline, electricity, and gas costs.
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Trump extends pause on attacking Iran’s energy facilities until April 6
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he is extending his pause on threatened attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure by 10 days to April 6.
It effectively means that Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has also been pushed back to that date. He also wrote on social media that talks with Iran are “going very well,” despite its dismissal of a U.S. cease-fire proposal a day before.
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Ex-Taiwan opposition party chief Ko gets 17 years for corruption
TAIPEI – Ko Wen-je, a former mayor of Taipei and the founder of Taiwan People’s Party, the second-largest among the island’s opposition, was sentenced by a court on Thursday to 17 years in prison for corruption and bribery.
The Taipei District Court said Ko accepted a bribe of NT$2.1 million ($65,700) in 2020 over a real estate development project while serving as Taipei mayor.
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Baseball: Over 60% wanted Japan’s WBC games on terrestrial TV: survey
TOKYO – Some 63.4 percent of respondents wanted Japan games televised on terrestrial channels at the recent World Baseball Classic, a survey by Sanno University showed Thursday.
Major U.S. streaming service Netflix had the exclusive rights to broadcast the tournament in Japan, and the research had those who newly subscribed to watch the WBC at 11.5 percent.
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VIDEO: Survey finds torpedo holes on sunken wartime student evacuation shipÂ