TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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U.S. celebrates 250th birthday with nationwide events
WASHINGTON - The United States on Saturday marked the 250th anniversary of its independence, with nationwide festivities, including military flyovers and concerts, taking place amid a record-setting heat wave gripping parts of the country.
In Washington, where President Donald Trump will seek to take center stage at the milestone celebrations later in the day, dozens of roads were closed for security reasons and the extreme weather forced organizers to cancel a major parade.
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Tokyo wards tighten screws on "minpaku" home-sharing amid complaints
TOKYO - Faced with complaints about noise, garbage and other nuisances, municipalities in Tokyo are ramping up inspections of "minpaku" private lodging facilities and imposing restrictions as the number of such properties rises.
Local authorities in the Japanese capital are zeroing in on unregistered providers of such lodging services, with some municipalities using ordinances to mitigate the negative impact on residential neighborhoods.
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Official "Gundam" store opens in London, drawing long queues
LONDON - An official store selling plastic model kits from Japan's robot anime "Mobile Suit Gundam" series opened Friday in London, becoming the second "Gundam Base" outlet in Europe after Germany.
About 200 products were on display inside the shop and customers holding boxes of "Gunpla," as Gundam plastic model kits are known, formed queues to purchase them. Some waited for hours outside before the shop opened.
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Tennis: Osaka beats Kasatkina to reach Wimbledon 4th round for 1st time
LONDON - Japan's former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka dispatched Australian opponent Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3 in just 65 minutes on Friday to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time.
Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki, meanwhile, produced an upset in the men's draw, beating Spanish 23rd seed Rafael Jodar 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4 and advancing to the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
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Rugby: Japan defeat Italy 27-10 in opening Nations Championship test
TOKYO - Japan overpowered Italy 27-10 in Tokyo on Saturday in a promising start to rugby's Nations Championship for Eddie Jones' men.
Jones was absent from the coach's box at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground while serving the last game of his suspension for verbally abusing local match officials during an under-23 tour of Australia in April.
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Baseball: Ohtani makes quality start, feels biceps pain in win over Padres
LOS ANGELES - Shohei Ohtani struck out nine over six quality innings but made an early exit from the Los Angeles Dodgers batting lineup with tightness in his right biceps during Friday's 4-3 comeback win against the San Diego Padres.
The two-way superstar did not factor in the decision, having left the mound with the back-to-back World Series champions trailing 3-0 before getting off the hook for the loss thanks to Teoscar Hernandez's seventh-inning grand slam at Dodger Stadium.
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Baseball: Blue Jays 3rd baseman Okamoto named AL Rookie of Month
NEW YORK - Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto has been named the American League Rookie of the Month for June, Major League Baseball announced Friday.
Okamoto led all rookies with seven home runs in June and tied for the AL rookie lead with 20 RBIs, while averaging .286.
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Japan pledges $3 mil. to help Kazakhstan address Caspian Sea water decline
TOKYO - Japan has partnered with the U.N. Development Program to support Kazakhstan's efforts to address the decline in the Caspian Sea's water level driven by climate change, pledging a 465 million yen ($3 million) grant toward its sustainable use.
Under the initiative for the world's largest inland water body, Japan hopes to promote cooperation among littoral states on water resource management and enhance monitoring systems, the Foreign Ministry said. The decline in the Caspian Sea's water level could have an immense impact on logistics and regional ecosystems.
