TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

----------

Japan 10-year gov't bond yield hits 3.0%, highest since Oct. 1996

TOKYO - The yield on Japan's benchmark 10-year government bond jumped to 3.000 percent on Tuesday for the first time since October 1996, amid growing expectations for another interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan to curb inflationary risks and persistent concern about the country's worsening fiscal health.

Japanese government bond yields have tracked gains in U.S. Treasury yields, as inflation concerns reemerged after the benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures contract topped $85 per barrel following the resumption of fighting between the United States and Iran.

----------

Japan, U.S. agree "orderly" yen rates crucial for financial stability

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina - Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Monday she agreed with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that "orderly" yen movements are essential to the stability of global financial markets.

After a meeting with Bessent in Asheville, North Carolina, amid the yen's stubborn weakness, Katayama told reporters they confirmed that "Japan-U.S. continued, coordinated efforts will contribute to this shared objective."

----------

G20 finance chiefs discuss growth strategies amid Iran war strains

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina - The Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors on Monday discussed ways to boost economic growth as the fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran continues to muddy the outlook for business conditions and inflation.

As their two-day meeting began in a mountain city in North Carolina, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made it clear that the United States will continue to pile pressure on Iran, saying he believes its economy could collapse "within weeks or months."

----------

Japan "closely watching" bond market moves: top gov't spokesman

TOKYO - Japan is "closely watching" the government bond market with heightened vigilance after the yield on the benchmark 10-year issue hit 3 percent, its highest level in nearly three decades, the top government spokesman said Tuesday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara also said at a press conference that continued rises in bond yields and the resulting increase in the government's interest payments could leave less money available for policy measures.

----------

Japan PM seeks Nepal's full cooperation on 5 nationals missing in floods

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday asked Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah for full cooperation in locating five Japanese nationals still missing after massive flooding and landslides near the country's border with China.

Speaking to reporters at her office in Tokyo after phone talks with Shah, Takaichi said she also conveyed Japan's condolences over the deaths in the disaster that struck Wednesday, noting that Japan and Nepal are both frequently affected by natural disasters.

----------

Toyohiro Akiyama, 1st Japanese to go to space, dies at 84

TOKYO, Japan - Toyohiro Akiyama, the first Japanese to fly into space and a former journalist, has died, a relative said Tuesday. He was 84.

The Tokyo native became an astronaut through an internal screening process at Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc., staying at the Mir space station in December 1990 and becoming known for his first words in space, "Am I on air?"

----------

Japan, U.S. agree to intensify cooperation in space transport business

TOKYO - Japan and the United States have agreed to further enhance cooperation in the space transportation business by standardizing part of the review procedures when Japanese firms launch rockets from U.S. sites and vice versa, Japan's Cabinet Office said Tuesday.

Japan's National Space Policy Secretariat and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration signed a memorandum of cooperation on Monday, also aimed at streamlining regulations and intensifying information sharing.

----------

Japan OKs use of 616 bil. yen in emergency funds for gasoline subsidies

TOKYO - Japan's Cabinet on Tuesday decided to use 616.0 billion yen ($3.9 billion) in emergency reserve funds for the current fiscal year for measures such as capping gasoline prices amid heighted tensions in the Middle East.

Of the sum, 613.6 billion yen will be used to continue government subsidies to keep retail gasoline prices at around 170 yen per liter to ease burdens on households and businesses.