TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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UNESCO body recommends Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites for heritage list
TOKYO - A UNESCO advisory body has recommended adding a group of ancient sites in Nara Prefecture that show the formation of Japan's centralized state to the World Cultural Heritage list, the cultural affairs agency said Saturday.
A formal decision on the "Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties" is expected to be made at a meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Committee to be held in South Korea from July 19 to 29.
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Japan ruling party eyes proportional parliament seat cuts in new proposal
TOKYO - Japan's Liberal Democratic Party has drawn up a new proposal for a 10 percent cut in lower house seats, sources said Friday, a move that could favor the ruling party over the opposition camp.
The LDP seeks to reduce only proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives, unlike an earlier proposal by the party and its junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, to cut seats in both proportional representation and single-seat constituencies.
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ANA, JAL to raise fuel surcharges, levels likely to hit records
TOKYO - All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co. plan to raise fuel surcharges for international flight tickets to be issued in July and August to likely record highs as fuel prices continue to surge amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.
With the surcharge for one-way tickets to North America and Europe in May and June already set at 56,000 yen ($350) by both airlines, it could rise to the upper 60,000-yen range despite concerns about the impact on leisure travel demand during the summer holiday season.
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Japanese police put suspected leader in robbery-murder on int'l wanted list
UTSUNOMIYA, Japan - Japan's National Police Agency has put a Japanese man suspected of being the leader in a robbery-murder in Tochigi Prefecture last month on an international wanted list, an investigative source said Saturday.
Kazuhiko Masuda, 48, left Japan after a group of young men allegedly entered the home of a 69-year-old woman in Kaminokawa on May 14 to conduct a robbery and killed her. Her two sons were badly injured.
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Toyota to "reverse-import" Camry sedans made in U.S., possibly from fall
NAGOYA - Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday it will start "reverse-importing" U.S.-made Camry sedans to Japan as early as this fall, in a bid to demonstrate efforts to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with the country.
The top Japanese automaker aims to sell 10,000 such units in Japan annually, building them with the steering wheel on the right to suit Japanese traffic rules.
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Japan ruling party urges gov't to protect farmers in Mercosur trade talks
TOKYO - Japan's ruling party on Friday adopted a resolution urging the government to protect domestic farmers from a potential influx of cheap products such as beef and chicken if the country negotiates an economic partnership agreement with the South American trade bloc Mercosur.
A panel of the Liberal Democratic Party also called for the government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to work to expand the export of Japanese farm products, not just industrial goods such as cars.
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Museum unveils working calendar-making device from 18th century Japan
OTSU, Japan - A museum in the western Japan prefecture of Shiga on Friday unveiled for the first time a working pendulum clock from the late 18th century used for astronomical observations and calendar-making.
The clock museum of Omi Jingu shrine in Otsu is exhibiting the "Suiyo Kyugi," one of eight such devices remaining in the world according to the museum, until June 14. Katsuhiro Sasaki, an honorary researcher at the National Museum of Nature and Science, said it is "extremely rare to see an operating device of this kind."
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China, Myanmar to tackle transnational crime, work for calm in border area
HONG KONG - China will work with Myanmar to combat transnational organized crime and maintain "peace and tranquility" in the border region, top diplomat Wang Yi told his Myanmar counterpart Tin Maung Swe on Friday in Beijing, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
During the talks, Wang said China hopes Naypyidaw will "ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions" in Myanmar, while expressing readiness to jointly tackle online gambling and telecoms fraud, with Tin Maung Swe pledging continued efforts on both fronts.
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Mass coral spawning in Amami
