The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Myanmar quake death toll tops 1,000 as many countries offer aid
YANGON - Over 1,000 people have been confirmed killed with more than 2,300 others injured a day after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar, state media said Saturday.
The devastating temblor has led the United States, Russia, China and other countries and international bodies to express their readiness to provide relief assistance to Myanmar. Some have already begun doing so.
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Pentagon head Hegseth joins war memorial service in 1st Japan visit
TOKYO - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended on Saturday a war memorial service on Iwoto Island in the Pacific as he kicked off his first official visit to Japan, showcasing the alliance between the two countries that were enemies 80 years ago.
Hegseth is on his first trip to Asia, and the visit is part of U.S. efforts to work toward "a free and open Indo-Pacific," according to the Defense Department.
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China eyes teaming up with Japan, South Korea to denuclearize North Korea
TOKYO - China has drawn up a scenario to bolster cooperation with Japan and South Korea over North Korea's denuclearization in a bid to drive a wedge in the three-way ties between the two Asian neighbors and the United States, Chinese sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Chinese policymakers share the view that there is a "strategic opportunity" for Beijing to approach Tokyo and Seoul as their trilateral partnership with Washington could be affected by U.S. President Donald Trump's disdain for multilateral frameworks, the sources said.
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JAL pulls out of air taxi demo flights at World Expo in Osaka
OSAKA - Japan Airlines Co. has given up on a plan to conduct demonstration air taxi flights at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, viewed as one of the event's highlights, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Three other operators, including a team made up of Japanese airline operator ANA Holdings Inc. and U.S. air taxi developer Joby Aviation Inc., are still planning to offer exhibition flights during the international event, which will kick off in less than a month.
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Toyota resumes Thai factory operations after quake hits Myanmar
NAGOYA - Toyota Motor Corp. said Saturday it had resumed operations of its factories in Thailand after halting some of them in the wake of a devastating earthquake the previous day in neighboring Myanmar.
There have been no reports that employees of the Thai factories were affected by the magnitude 7.7 quake, the Japanese automaker said. All factories in Thailand and Myanmar are currently running, it added.
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Japanese people more susceptible to authoritarian messages: research
TOKYO - A research team has found that Japanese people tend to be more easily persuaded by the illiberal narratives of authoritarian regimes than by mainstream messages from democracies extolling freedom and human rights.
At a time when countries such as China and Russia are increasingly adopting social media as a new tool to spread story-based messages that appeal to emotions and values, the Japanese team's findings suggest illiberal narratives could become a threat to democracy in Japan.
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Solar-powered smart wear to be trialed at Osaka Expo
NAGOYA - Toyota group company Toyoda Gosei Co. will trial power-generating smart wear fitted with ultrathin solar cells at the upcoming World Exposition in Osaka, as it seeks to bring the technology one step closer to commercialization.
The proof-of-concept experiment at the expo, which opens on April 13, aims to assess durability and other aspects of the vests, which feature four perovskite solar cells manufactured by Kyoto University startup EneCoat Technologies Co. attached to their back.
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Snowboarding: Murase, Kimata win as Japan dominates big air at worlds
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland - Japan dominated the big air podiums at the snowboarding world championships with five medals on Friday as Kokomo Murase headed a women's sweep and Ryoma Kimata triumphed in the men's event.
Murase and Kimata claimed their maiden world championships golds in St. Moritz, Switzerland, with Japan enjoying its first podium sweep at either the snowboarding or skiing worlds since 1999 when it took all the medals in the men's ski jumping, won by Kazuyoshi Funaki.
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