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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Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa plans to visit the United States this week at the earliest for an eighth round for tariff negotiations, he said Saturday at a ministerial meeting. Akazawa told reporters in Osaka about the planned visit after showing U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent around the venue of the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Bessent is the chief U.S. negotiator for Japan's tariff talks. The Aug. 1 deadline of the U.S. imposing its 25% 'reciprocal tariff' on Japanese imports is approaching. 'While protecting Japan's national interests, I want to continue efforts of searching for a possible concession that both sides can agree on,' Akazawa said. If his visit to the United States is realized, it will be Akazawa's first since late June. On the day, Akazawa and Bessent visited the Japanese and U.S. pavilions at the Expo as the U.S. treasury secretary attended an official event for the United States' 'national day' at the Expo. The U.S. did not regard Bessent's visit to Japan as part of the tariff talks. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Bessent met on Friday but exchanged only a few remarks about the tariff. 'We did not discuss tariff-related issues,' Akazawa added on Saturday.
