TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Iran military says Strait of Hormuz closed again, cites deal violations
CAIRO - Iran's military authorities said Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed again, citing alleged U.S. and Israeli violations of a memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington aimed toward ending the war.
The closure was in response to "the explicit breach of the first clause of the postwar memorandum of understanding by the United States" and Israel's "continuous and ongoing violations of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon," Iran's central military command said in a statement, according to state media.
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Japan's Takaichi breaks bread to assuage party malcontents
TOKYO - Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been spending more time socializing with senior ruling party members over lunches and dinners in recent months, in an apparent overture to ease internal dissatisfaction with her leadership style.
The outreach came as Takaichi's surprise move to call a snap election earlier this year and her push, despite the already tight parliamentary schedule because of the poll, to have the fiscal 2026 state budget enacted on time had apparently ruffled the feathers of some ruling party members.
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Baseball: Ohtani homers in return to Dodgers lineup after birth of 2nd baby
LOS ANGELES - Shohei Ohtani got straight back into the swing of things for the Los Angeles Dodgers after missing a game for the birth of his second child, blasting his 16th home run in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Ohtani delivered a solo shot to center field in the ninth inning to complete a 1-for-4 outing at Dodger Stadium.
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Japan audio analysis lab creates buzz for music putting babies to sleep
CHIBA, Japan - A Japanese institute that analyzes audio for courtroom evidence has found viral success with musical sounds it created to help put babies to sleep.
The General Incorporated Association Institute of Audio Communication Laboratory Chiba developed the music as part of a project to support parents struggling with crying babies. It began the initiative after encountering cases of child abuse linked to stress, depression and nervous breakdowns in its work for the courts.
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Football: J-League top-division club Marinos name Corica as new manager
TOKYO - J-League first-division club Yokohama F Marinos on Sunday named Steve Corica, who guided New Zealand's Auckland FC to the Australian A-League Championship in the 2025-26 season, as their new manager.
A former Australian international, Corica played for J1 club Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the 2000-2001 season.
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Japan's key flea market operators to share suspected fraud data with police
TOKYO - Operators of Japan's three major flea market apps and e-commerce sites will begin providing police from July with information on transactions and user accounts strongly suspected of involvement in fraud, industry sources said Saturday.
Mercari Inc., Rakuten Group Inc. and LY Corp., which operates the Yahoo flea market, are expected to soon sign their first cooperation agreements with the National Police Agency amid continuing sales of counterfeit goods and ticket scalping.
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Ukraine sees improved accuracy of N. Korean missile used by Russia
KYIV - Ukraine believes the accuracy of North Korean short-range ballistic missiles used by Russia in the war in Ukraine has improved significantly, defense authorities said Saturday.
The margin of error in the missiles' landing point, which was at least 1 kilometer in 2024, had "narrowed to between 1 and 5 meters" by April this year, a Ukrainian defense intelligence official said, suggesting Russia had upgraded the weapons based on data gathered from their use in combat.
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Person hit by Japan bullet train entered tracks from platform fence gap
NAGOYA - A person fatally struck by a bullet train in central Japan on Friday entered the tracks through a gap in the platform fencing at JR Hamamatsu Station, according to police.
In the incident on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, which disrupted travel for about 140,000 people due to delays and cancellations, security camera footage showed the individual climbing down through a gap in the platform fencing and walking toward the outbound tracks, the police said Saturday.
