Kyodo News Digest: June 15, 2025
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Philippines, Japan conduct joint exercise in South China Sea
ABOARD THE MIGUEL MALVAR, off Philippines - The Philippines and Japan conducted a joint maritime exercise Saturday in an area of the South China Sea that the Southeast Asian country insists it has jurisdiction over, amid China's intensifying claims in the waters.
The Miguel Malvar, a guided missile frigate from the Philippine Navy and the Takanami, a destroyer from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, took part in the exercise, which was held west of the town of Masinloc on the Philippines' main island of Luzon.
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Trump effectively approves Nippon Steel's takeover of U.S. Steel
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday effectively approved a deal for Nippon Steel Corp. to acquire United States Steel Corp., reversing his staunch opposition to the Japanese company's takeover bid after it committed to investing heavily in the struggling American producer.
Nippon Steel will acquire a 100 percent stake in U.S. Steel as initially planned, a person with knowledge of the deal said. The acquisition process is expected to be completed possibly on Wednesday, according to sources close to the matter.
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Half of women in local assemblies have been harassed: study
TOKYO - More than half of women in local assemblies across Japan have either experienced harassment themselves or had family members who did, a recent government study found, highlighting how male-dominated political circles can make women more vulnerable.
A Cabinet Office survey released June 6 found that 53.8 percent of assemblywomen reported experiencing harassment, ranging from humiliation to physical encounters, more than twice the 23.6 percent of assemblymen who said the same.
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Japan negotiator mum on if Japan, U.S. can strike tariff deal at G7
WASHINGTON - Japan's chief tariff negotiator on Friday made a last-ditch effort to smooth the way for a mutually beneficial trade deal at a planned in-person meeting next week between the leader of his country and U.S. President Donald Trump, but whether that goal can be achieved appeared to be still up in the air.
Following separate meetings with U.S Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington, Ryosei Akazawa told reporters that he had "explored the possibility" of a trade deal with them during "extremely in-depth" discussions.
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Tokyo police wary of lone-wolf attacks as election campaigning begins
TOKYO - Campaigning began Friday for the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election, with the capital's police stepping up measures to thwart possible lone-wolf attacks after incidents involving notable politicians in recent years.
Top politicians are set to converge on Tokyo for a close contest seen as a bellwether for the national House of Councillors election this summer, in which the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to struggle.
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Ex-Taiwan leader Ma starts China trip to attend exchange events
TAIPEI - Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, previously the head of the main opposition Nationalist Party, began a trip to mainland China on Saturday for exchange events including a cross-strait forum in Fujian Province, drawing criticism from Taiwanese authorities.
During the nearly two-week trip through June 27, Ma's delegation, including young people from the self-ruled island, will attend the Straits Forum in Xiamen, a city on the southeastern Chinese coast just across the Taiwan Strait, on Sunday.
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Sumo: Hakuho reveals company, Toyota chairman heads amateurs' body
TOKYO - Former grand champion Hakuho announced the name of his new company on Saturday as he looks to promote the sport through the concept of a "world sumo grand slam" after leaving the Japan Sumo Association.
Earlier in the day, the Japan Sumo Federation, which oversees the amateur side of the sport, unanimously elected the chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. and long-term Hakuho supporter Akio Toyoda as its new head.
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Judo: Ryuju Nagayama wins men's 60-kg gold on opening day of world c'ships
BUDAPEST - Japan's Ryuju Nagayama defeated France's Romain Valadier Picard by ippon in the men's 60-kilogram final at the world judo championships in Budapest on Friday.
The 29-year-old from Hokkaido, who took bronze at last year's Paris Olympics, captured his first world title in his sixth appearance.
Video: Traditional horse parade "Chagu Chagu Umakko" takes place in Iwate Prefecture
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an hour ago
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Trump says many are starving in Gaza, vows to set up food centers
CAIRO/GENEVA (Reuters) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday many people were starving in Gaza and suggested Israel could do more on humanitarian access, as Palestinians struggled to feed their children a day after Israel declared steps to improve supplies. As the death toll from two years of war in Gaza nears 60,000, a growing number of people are dying from starvation and malnutrition, Gaza health authorities say, with images of starving children shocking the world and fueling international criticism of Israel over sharply worsening conditions. Describing starvation in Gaza as real, Trump's assessment put him at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Sunday "there is no starvation in Gaza" and vowed to fight on against the Palestinian militant group Hamas -- a statement he reposted on X on Monday. Trump, speaking during a visit to Scotland, said Israel has a lot of responsibility for aid flows, and that a lot of people could be saved. "You have a lot of starving people," he said. "We're going to set up food centers," with no fences or boundaries to ease access, Trump said. The U.S. would work with other countries to provide more humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, including food and sanitation, he said. A White House spokesperson said additional details on the food centers would be "forthcoming." On Monday, the Gaza health ministry said at least 14 people had died in the past 24 hours of starvation and malnutrition, bringing the war's death toll from hunger to 147, including 88 children, most in just the last few weeks. Israel announced several measures over the weekend, including daily humanitarian pauses to fighting in three areas of Gaza, new safe corridors for aid convoys, and airdrops. The decision followed the collapse of ceasefire talks on Friday. Wessal Nabil from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza described the struggle of trying to feed her three children. "When you go to bed hungry, you wake up hungry. We distract them with anything ... to make them calm down," she told Reuters. "I call on the world, on those with merciful hearts, the compassionate, to look at us with compassion, to be kind to us, to stand with us until aid comes in and ensure it reaches us." Two Israeli defense officials said the international pressure prompted the new Israeli measures, as did the worsening conditions on the ground. U.N. agencies said a long-term and steady supply of aid was needed. The World Food Programme said 60 trucks of aid had been dispatched -- short of the target. Almost 470,000 people in Gaza are enduring famine-like conditions, with 90,000 women and children in need of specialist nutrition treatments, it said. "Our target at the moment, every day, is to get 100 trucks into Gaza," Samer AbdelJaber, WFP regional director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, told Reuters. Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Reuters the situation is catastrophic. "At this time, children are dying every single day from starvation, from preventable disease. So time has run out." Netanyahu has denied any policy of starvation toward Gaza, saying aid supplies would be kept up whether Israel was negotiating a ceasefire or fighting. A spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, said Israel had not placed a time limit on the humanitarian pauses in its military operation, a day after U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said Israel had decided "to support a one-week scale-up of aid." "We hope this pause will last much longer than a week, ultimately turning into a permanent ceasefire," Fletcher's spokesperson, Eri Kaneko, said on Monday. Netanyahu's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Compared to last week, U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said, there had only been a "small uptick" in the amount of aid being transported into Gaza since Israel started the humanitarian pauses. In his statement on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel would continue to fight until it achieved the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas and the destruction of its military and governing capabilities. Trump said Hamas had become difficult to deal with in recent days, but he was talking with Netanyahu about "various plans" to free hostages still held in the enclave. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked communities across the border in southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. The Gaza health ministry said that 98 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours. Some of the trucks that made it into Gaza were seized by desperate Palestinians, and some by armed looters, witnesses said. "Currently aid comes for the strong who can race ahead, who can push others and grab a box or a sack of flour. That chaos must be stopped, and protection for those trucks must be allowed," said Emad, 58, who used to own a factory in Gaza City. The WFP said it has 170,000 metric tons of food in the region, outside Gaza, which would be enough to feed the whole population for the next three months if it gets the clearance to bring it into the enclave. COGAT said more than 120 truckloads of aid were distributed in Gaza on Sunday by the U.N. and international organizations. More aid was expected on Monday. Qatar said it had sent 49 trucks that arrived in Egypt en route for Gaza. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies. Israel cut off aid to Gaza from the start of March in what it said was a means to pressure Hamas into giving up dozens of hostages it still holds, and reopened aid with new restrictions in May. Hamas accuses Israel of using hunger as a weapon. Israel says it abides by international law but must prevent aid from being diverted by militants, and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people.
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2 hours ago
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Trump sets deadline of 10 or 12 days for Russia to act on Ukraine war
TURNBERRY, Scotland (Reuters) -- U.S. President Donald Trump set a new deadline on Monday of 10 or 12 days for Russia to make progress toward ending the war in Ukraine or face consequences, underscoring frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the 3-1/2-year-old conflict. Trump has threatened both sanctions on Russia and buyers of its exports unless progress is made. The fresh deadline suggests the U.S. president is prepared to move forward on those threats after previous hesitation to do so. Speaking in Scotland, where he is holding meetings with European leaders and playing golf, Trump said he was disappointed in Putin and shortening a 50-day deadline he had set on the issue earlier this month. "I'm going to make a new deadline of about ... 10 or 12 days from today," Trump told reporters during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "There's no reason in waiting... We just don't see any progress being made." There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. In a post on X, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Putin, said Trump was playing "a game of ultimatums" that could lead to a war involving the U.S. Medvedev wrote: "Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with [Trump's] own country." Ukraine welcomed Trump's statement. Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, thanked Trump in a social media post for "standing firm and delivering a clear message of peace through strength." Trump, who has expressed annoyance also with Zelenskyy, has not always followed tough talk about Putin with action, citing what he deems a good relationship that the two men have had previously. On Monday, Trump indicated he was not interested in more talks with Putin. He said sanctions and tariffs would be used as penalties for Moscow if it did not meet Trump's demands. "There's no reason to wait. If you know what the answer is going to be, why wait? And it would be sanctions and maybe tariffs, secondary tariffs," Trump said. "I don't want to do that to Russia. I love the Russian people." Ukraine had proposed a summit between Putin and Zelenskyy before the end of August, but the Kremlin has said that timeline was unlikely and that a meeting could only happen as a final step to clinch peace. Russia's foreign ministry said on Saturday that if the West wanted real peace with Ukraine, it would stop supplying Kyiv with weapons. Trump has repeatedly voiced exasperation with Putin for pursuing attacks on Ukraine despite U.S. efforts to end the war. Trump has played up successes in other parts of the world where the United States has helped to broker peace agreements and has been flattered by some leaders who suggest he should be given the Nobel Peace Prize. "I'm disappointed in President Putin," Trump said on Monday. "I'm going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number because I think I already know the answer what's going to happen." Trump, who is also struggling to achieve a peace deal in Gaza, has touted his role in ending conflicts between India and Pakistan as well as Rwanda and Congo. Before returning to the White House in January, Trump campaigned on a promise to end Russia's conflict with Ukraine in a day. "We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever," Trump said. "And I say that's not the way to do it."
