TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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BOJ to lift key interest rate to 31-yr high of 1.0% in June: sources
TOKYO - The Bank of Japan plans to raise its policy rate to a 31-year high of 1.0 percent at its meeting next week amid inflation risks stemming from the Middle East crisis, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.
The central bank under Governor Kazuo Ueda will raise the policy rate from 0.75 percent in its first hike since December, even if uncertainty over the Iran conflict persists, judging that inflation risks from elevated crude oil prices outweigh downside risks to the Japanese economy.
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Anthropic releases Mythos AI model, says version made safe for general use
WASHINGTON - U.S. artificial-intelligence startup Anthropic said Tuesday it has released a Mythos-class AI model to the public, saying its Claude Fable 5 has been modified to be safe for general use.
Anthropic has given access to Mythos to a select number of companies and organizations, including some Japanese financial institutions, over concerns that the powerful tool could be misused for cyberattacks.
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Japan, Mongolia agree to advance strategic partnership
TOKYO - Japan agreed with Mongolia on Tuesday to further strengthen its "special strategic partnership" to promote peace and prosperity in the region.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi thanked his visiting counterpart, Batmunkh Battsetseg, in Tokyo for Mongolia's understanding and cooperation on the long-standing issue of North Korea's past abductions of Japanese nationals, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.
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100-kg bear caught after 4 days of sightings in city north of Tokyo
UTSUNOMIYA, Japan - A roughly 100-kilogram bear was cornered and tranquilized in a city north of Tokyo on Tuesday, following four days of repeated sightings that prompted school closures in the area to keep children out of harm's way, local authorities said.
The mammal, believed to be a male Asian black bear measuring about a meter in length, was the first of its kind seen in an urban area of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, and the first captured in the city's vicinity since 2020. It is believed to have wandered down from the mountains north of the city.
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Ruling party OKs bill outlawing Japanese flag desecration
TOKYO - The ruling Liberal Democratic Party approved on Tuesday a proposed bill that would outlaw desecration of Japan's national flag, targeting passage in the Diet session through mid-July.
The lawmaker-drafted bill is one of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's top legislative priorities, but it faces criticism from parts of the opposition camp that see it as potentially infringing on the constitutional right to freedom of expression.
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Xi, Kim reaffirm friendship in summit talks, nuclear issue goes unmentioned
BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed Tuesday to carry forward traditional friendship from generation to generation, Chinese state-run media said, while North Korean reports on the summit talks the previous day made no mention of Pyongyang's nuclear program.
Before concluding his two-day trip to North Korea, his first since 2019, Xi paid tribute at the Sino-North Korean friendship tower, built in memory of Chinese soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, accompanied by Kim, China's official Xinhua News Agency said.
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Japan, Italy set to deepen ties in semiconductors, space
TOKYO - Japan and Italy are preparing to strengthen cooperation on semiconductor design and development, with the two countries expected to announce an agreement at next Monday's summit in Rome, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are also likely to agree to deepen cooperation in advanced technologies including space.
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U.S. identifies Alibaba, Baidu, BYD as Chinese military companies
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Defense Department said Monday it has added Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Baidu Inc., BYD Co. and other leading Chinese companies to a long list of entities it believes to be working with China's military.
The expansion of the list to 188 entities comes after U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to stabilize bilateral relations during talks in Beijing in mid-May, despite intense geopolitical rivalry and disputes over numerous issues.
