A woman gazes softly at candles at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on April 20, 2025. (Kyodo)
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Pope Francis, known for promoting peace, helping refugees, dies at 88
ROME - Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church known for his efforts to promote peace, help for refugees and action on climate change, died Monday morning at his residence, the Vatican said. He was 88.
Francis, who in 2013 became head of the more than 1.3 billion Catholics around the world, was the first pontiff from Latin America and the first Jesuit pope. He was only the second pontiff to travel to Japan, visiting in 2019, 38 years after Pope John Paul II.
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Japan PM says substance, not speed, is important in tariff talks
TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that substance, rather than speed, of agreement will be important in Japan's tariff negotiations with the United States as he vowed not to make easy compromises on car safety standards and agricultural product trades.
Ishiba also told a parliamentary session that Japan must coordinate closely with other countries, including Southeast Asian nations, as Japan-U.S. negotiations will serve as a "model" for others at a time when China is claiming to be a defender of free trade.
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Central Tokyo condo prices top 100 mil. yen for 2nd straight year
TOKYO - The average price of a new condominium in central Tokyo surged 11.2 percent in fiscal 2024 from the previous year to 116.32 million yen ($827,000), topping 100 million yen for the second straight year, a research institute said Monday.
The rise in condo prices mainly reflected soaring material and labor costs. The number of new condominiums listed for sale in Tokyo's 23 wards, meanwhile, plunged 25.5 percent to 8,272 units.
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Philippines, U.S. begin joint drill, deploy anti-ship missile system
MANILA - The Philippines and the United States launched a military drill Monday that includes the latest U.S. anti-ship missile launcher, deployed to the Southeast Asian country for the first time, to strengthen defense ties amid tensions in the South China Sea and around Taiwan.
The Balikatan, or "shoulder-to-shoulder," exercises will run through May 9 and involve 14,000 troops from the two allies' militaries, down from nearly 17,000 last year. It is the first drill of its kind since U.S. President Donald Trump began his nonconsecutive second term in January.
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Japan, Netherlands leaders agree to deepen security, economic ties
TOKYO - The leaders of Japan and the Netherlands agreed Monday that the two nations will further security and economic cooperation based on a new action plan, underscoring the importance of longstanding bilateral ties amid unprecedented global challenges.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force should never be allowed "anywhere in the world," stressing that the security of the Indo-Pacific region and that of Europe are inseparable.
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Gov't panel backs evidence disclosure reform in retrial system review
TOKYO - Japan's Justice Ministry said Monday that its advisory body has mostly agreed on the need to reform provisions on evidence disclosure, as part of efforts to revise the country's controversial retrial system.
The broad consensus was reached during the first meeting of a subcommittee of the Legislative Council tasked with reviewing Japan's criminal retrial system, amid criticism that the process of overturning wrongful convictions is excessively prolonged due largely to inadequate legal provisions.
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Iris Ohyama to invest $13 mil. in U.S. plants to offset tariff impact
SENDAI - Japanese home appliance company Iris Ohyama Inc. said Monday it will invest around $13 million to boost output at its four plants in the United States in response to higher tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
The company, based in Sendai, northeastern Japan, said it faces supply chain risks and rises in the cost of importing products to the United States due to Trump's additional tariffs of 145 percent on all goods entering the United States from China where the company has extensive manufacturing operations.
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Mom acquitted of defrauding co-op by starving child
OSAKA - A 35-year-old mother was acquitted Monday of defrauding a cooperative out of mutual aid money by starving her daughter to the point of hospitalization in 2023.
The Osaka District Court, however, gave Kasumi Nawata a six-month prison term, suspended for two years, for attempted coercion by ordering the girl, who was 8 at the time, not to eat.
Video: Ukrainians pray for peace during Easter celebrations
