Kyodo News Digest: June 15, 2026

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U.S., Iran announce deal to end war

WASHINGTON - The United States and Iran announced a memorandum of understanding to end their monthslong war, the two countries said Monday, possibly leading to the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route.

The announcement came after U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday on social media that under a deal scheduled to be signed with Iran the following day, the strait would be immediately "open to all."

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Football: Kamada deflects in late leveler as Japan hold Netherlands

ARLINGTON, Texas - Daichi Kamada equalized in the 88th minute to secure Japan a hard-fought 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in their opening World Cup clash on Sunday.

The Samurai Blue twice came from behind, with Keito Nakamura canceling out Virgil van Dijk's opener before Crysencio Summerville restored the three-time runners-up's lead, all in the second half of the first Group F encounter in front of 69,285 at Dallas Stadium.

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Japan's emperor, empress arrive in Netherlands for official visit

AMSTERDAM - Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday for an official visit, marking their first trip to the country since attending the coronation of King Willem-Alexander in 2013.

The emperor and empress were welcomed by aides to the Dutch royal couple as well as government officials at Schiphol Airport. The imperial couple then went to Het Oude Loo castle in Apeldoorn where they will stay at the invitation of the royal couple.

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TV personality Bobby Ologun arrested over alleged sexual assault

CHIBA, Japan - Bobby Ologun, who has appeared on various TV shows in Japan and obtained Japanese nationality, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman, police said.

The 60-year-old, whose real name is Bobby Konda, is suspected of having nonconsensual intercourse with the woman at a house in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on April 21. She reported it to a police station the following day.

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Man trying to buy car via social media robbed of 5 mil. yen on street

OSAKA - A 24-year-old man was robbed of 5 million yen ($31,000) on a street in Osaka on Saturday night when he was visiting the western Japanese city to purchase a car in a deal arranged through social media, according to police.

At around 11:15 p.m., the man from Yokohama near Tokyo arrived at the location in Osaka where he was supposed to meet the seller, only to be assaulted by two men and have his bag with around 5 million yen in cash inside snatched, according to the police.

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Sumo: Kotozakura beats Kirishima to win opening day of Paris exhibition

PARIS - Kotozakura defeated fellow ozeki Kirishima in Saturday's final at the Japan Sumo Association's two-day event in Paris.

The French capital is hosting an exhibition tournament featuring wrestlers from sumo's elite makuuchi division for the third time, following tours in 1986 and 1995.

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Football: Moriyasu eager to show latest Japan progress against Netherlands

ARLINGTON, Texas - Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu urged his players to show their work over the past three and a half years when they take on the Netherlands in their opening World Cup match on Sunday.

Speaking at Dallas Stadium a day before the Group F encounter, Moriyasu said the 18th-ranked Samurai Blue have sought to be more proactive since the tournament in Qatar in 2022, when they were dominated early by Germany and Spain before beating both in dramatic second-half comebacks.

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Baseball: Yamamoto flirts with perfection, Ohtani homers against White Sox

CHICAGO - Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto came within four outs of a perfect game and narrowly missed a no-hitter, while Shohei Ohtani homered for the third straight outing in Saturday's 7-1 win against the Chicago White Sox.

Yamamoto (7-4) allowed one hit and one run while striking out seven over 8-1/3 dominant innings at Chicago's Rate Field.