Latest from Kyodo News
Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Iran envoy urges A-bombed Japan to stand against U.S. attacks
KYODO NEWS - 20 hours ago - 20:02 | All, Japan, World Iranian ambassador to Japan Peiman Seadat has urged Tokyo to stand against U.S. and Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities in his nation after President Donald Trump's remark likening the U.S. attacks to the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The ambassador said in a recent interview with Kyodo News that the comment is an "insult" not only to Iran, but also to Japan, the world's only country to have suffered atomic bombings. Japan should raise a "very loud voice," Seadat said, adding that Japan's voice is "important" to the international community. The interview was held after the United States, Japan's close ally, bombarded key Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday. Israel and Iran had been engaged in a tit-for-tat conflict following Israeli airstrikes on military and nuclear targets on June 13 before announcing a cease-fire on Tuesday. Trump said Wednesday during his visit to the Netherlands for a NATO summit, "I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war." Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said in a statement Monday that Japan "understands" the U.S. military action as a demonstration of its resolve to de-escalate the situation while preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Stability in the Middle East is vital for resource-poor Japan, given its heavy dependence on the region for crude oil, and it has traditionally maintained friendly ties with Iran. Seadat criticized Trump's reference to the atomic bombings on the two Japanese cities in the closing days of World War II as an "outrageous" and "irresponsible" statement showing "total disregard for human suffering." The envoy said the U.S. attacks on the nuclear sites deserve "global condemnation," calling them "acts of aggression" committed in violation of international law. He also said that "forcing peace is not peace," in reference to Trump's comment on his Truth Social media site that "Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region." The U.S. military action right in the middle of nuclear negotiations was an act of "betrayal by the Trump administration," Seadat said. Related coverage: Trump likens U.S. strikes on Iran to bombings of Hiroshima, Nagasaki NATO leaders agree to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035
Kyodo News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Baseball: Ohtani homers in 2nd straight game as Dodgers down Royals
KYODO NEWS - 30 minutes ago - 14:43 | Sports, All Shohei Ohtani hit a home run for the second straight game and also had an RBI triple as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Friday for their fifth consecutive win. The two-way star slugged a leadoff homer to right off a 1-2 changeup from Noah Cameron (2-4) at Kauffman Stadium, going deep for the National League lead-extending 29th time this year. Trailing 4-3 with a runner on and no out in the fifth, Ohtani then tied the game by lining a drive to right-center for a triple off the left-hander's 1-1 four-seamer, and scored the decisive run on a Mookie Betts single. Ohtani went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk on the eve of his next pitching start against the Royals on Saturday, his first away game on the mound this season. Tomoyuki Sugano had a wild start and surrendered seven runs over five innings on nine hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk, but picked up the unlikely win as the Baltimore Orioles roared back to batter the Tampa Bay Rays 22-8. Jonathan Aranda and Josh Lowe hit a solo shot each before Brandon Lowe cranked a three-run shot to right off Sugano (6-4) in a six-run second at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles scored four runs in the home half and added another in the third to cut the arrears before Sugano allowed his last run in the fourth on three straight singles. However, a Colton Cowser RBI double and Gary Sanchez's two-run shot in the fifth gave the Orioles a lead they would not surrender. "In my long baseball career, it's probably the first time I earned the win giving up this many runs," said Sugano after his team amassed 14 runs over three innings after he got the hook. "I was tense and couldn't get the subtleties of my control right. I know the reason why." Related coverage: Baseball: Imanaga gets win in return from injury, Ohtani hits 28th HR Baseball: Dodgers' Yamamoto, Angels' Kikuchi pitch teams to victories Baseball: Shohei Ohtani hits 300th homer of combined Japan-U.S. career
Kyodo News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Football: Machida joins Hoffenheim, Fujita moving to St. Pauli
KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 13:00 | Sports, All Japan defender Koki Machida has joined Hoffenheim from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise while midfielder Joel Chima Fujita is moving to St. Pauli from Sint-Truiden, the respective German Bundesliga clubs said Friday. Machida played six seasons for his boyhood club Kashima Antlers before joining Saint-Gilloise in January 2022. The 27-year-old helped the Belgian side win their first league title in 90 years this past campaign. The 23-year-old Fujita, who captained Japan U-23 at the Paris Olympics last summer, is making the move to the Bundesliga after two seasons in Belgium. The Tokyo Verdy youth product made his professional debut at the club in 2019, then in the J-League second division, before playing for Tokushima Vortis and Yokohama F Marinos in J1. Defender Daiki Hashioka, meanwhile, completed his move from Luton Town to Czech champions Slavia Prague, who will play in next season's European Champions League. The 26-year-old former Urawa Reds player was also on the books at Sint-Truiden before he joined Luton in January 2024. He could not help Luton stay in the English Premier League, however, and the team then suffered a double relegation this past campaign after finishing 22nd in the second-tier Championship. Related coverage: Football: Spurs to sign 20-yr-old Japan defender Kota Takai from Kawasaki
Kyodo News
5 hours ago
- Health
- Kyodo News
Japanese diet may help in fight against depression, study shows
KYODO NEWS - 4 hours ago - 09:55 | All, Japan The rate of depressive symptoms was lower among working-age people who consume a Japanese-style diet including rice, miso soup and fish, the first study of its kind recently showed. The Japan Institute for Health Security assessed the benefits of a traditional "Japanese-style diet" comprising of soy products, cooked vegetables, mushrooms, fish, seaweed, and green tea, along with a modified version that added fruit, fresh vegetables and dairy products. While there are few studies on the Japanese diet's impact on mental health, such assessments of the Mediterranean diet -- which consists of vegetables, whole grains, olive oil and fish -- and depression have previously been conducted, the institute said. "Further research is required, but we hope the evidence shown among Japanese people can be used for public health measures in workplaces and areas concerning the prevention of depression," it said in a press release. The self-reported study was conducted among 12,499 employees from five companies, of whom 88 percent were male with an average age of 42.5 years. A total of 30.9 percent of the cohort exhibited depressive symptoms, but those who followed a typical Japanese diet were found to be less likely to do so. The researchers made efforts to isolate other potential factors that could influence the results. The institute said certain foods in the diet could be linked to improved well-being. Seaweed, soy products and the folic acid in vegetables assist in releasing neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, while oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids has anti-inflammatory effects. Related coverage: FEATURE: Cactus tempura? Japanese tuck into prickly pear superfood International culinary experts discover the flavors of Kagawa Japanese restaurants, food companies switching to noodles from rice
Kyodo News
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Baseball: Imanaga gets win in return from injury, Ohtani hits 28th HR
KYODO NEWS - 23 hours ago - 13:40 | Sports, All Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga picked up his fourth win of the season in his return from a hamstring strain and Shohei Ohtani hit his National League-leading 28th home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Imanaga (4-2) allowed only two baserunners via a single and a walk in five innings of work in the Cubs' 3-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Japanese left-hander struck out three en route to lowering his ERA to 2.54. Michael Busch hit a solo home run in the second inning and scored the Cubs' second run in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Ian Happ. "Working on a limited pitch count, I didn't want to be pulled after something like 4-2/3 innings, so I'm glad I got through five innings," said Imanaga, who missed nearly two months after suffering the left hamstring injury in his May 4 start. "I've realized that leaving a hole in the rotation would put my starting spot in jeopardy, so I need to prepare well for each start." Cubs teammate Seiya Suzuki went hitless in three at-bats. At Coors Field, Ohtani's seventh-inning solo homer capped the scoring in the Dodgers' 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. It was his third home run in four games. Ohtani went 1-for-3 with the RBI. Related coverage: Baseball: Dodgers' Yamamoto, Angels' Kikuchi pitch teams to victories Baseball: Shohei Ohtani hits 300th homer of combined Japan-U.S. career
