Kyodo News Digest: March 13, 2022

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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“Peace” Paralympics to close as Ukraine war looms large

BEIJING – The Beijing Paralympics close Sunday after nine days of sport that focused the world’s attention on the plight of Ukraine’s athletes and their calls for peace in their homeland while putting the planet’s most accomplished disabled winter athletes at center stage.

The closing ceremony at the National Stadium in the Chinese capital marks the end of a Winter Games that featured more than 560 athletes from 46 countries and regions in 78 medal events across six sports.

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Kishida calls for unity at party convention to win upcoming election

TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday asked ruling party lawmakers to unite as one to clinch a victory in the upcoming House of Councillors election and ensure a stable coalition government as Japan confronts “history-making” challenges such as COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Kishida, who spoke as president of the Liberal Democratic Party at its convention, underscored the importance of its coalition with its junior partner Komeito, dismissing an emerging view that their relationship has become awkward over cooperation in the election, possibly in July.

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Beijing Paralympics fail to escape repercussions of Ukraine war

BEIJING – As the curtain closes on what has been heralded as another successful Paralympics, what has been made evident is that even the world’s premier sporting event for athletes with impairments is not immune from the ripple effects of the Ukraine war.

Even before the Beijing Paralympics officially opened on March 4, tensions were high as the International Paralympic Committee initially decided it would let athletes from Russia and Belarus participate as neutrals, then made a stunning about-face the next day following backlash from other countries.

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Ghibli’s Suzuki honored for work in animation at Annie Awards

LOS ANGELES – Toshio Suzuki, a producer and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, won one of the highest honors for his contributions to the art of animation at the 49th annual Annie Awards on Saturday.

The international animated film society ASIFA-Hollywood presented Suzuki with this year’s Winsor McCay Award alongside animator Ruben A. Aquino and artist Lillian Schwartz for their lifetime achievements.

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Tennis: Osaka crushed, heckled in 2nd-round Indian Wells defeat

INDIAN WELLS, California – Japan’s Naomi Osaka suffered a tearful BNP Paribas Open second-round loss on Saturday after being insulted by someone in the crowd.

The 78th-ranked Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 who has been open about her struggles with depression, lost 6-0, 6-4 to Russian 21st seed Veronika Kudermetova.

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Japan looking for a youth movement to power future Paralympic teams

TOKYO – With the Beijing Winter Games ending Sunday, Japan will turn its attention to discovering young athletes with disabilities who have the potential to become future Paralympic medalists.

But Japan is grappling with challenges in the talent identification process as it looks to help young athletes with impairments find a path into sport and then onwards to the Paralympic podium.

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FOCUS: Beijing Paralympics may prompt China to promote barrier-free society

BEIJING – Hopes are mounting that the Beijing Winter Paralympics may become a catalyst for China to take the final steps needed to create a fully “barrier-free” environment for its citizens with disabilities.

In the world’s most populous nation, busy and bumpy roads can sometimes make wheelchair use a challenge, while the tactile paving installed on sidewalks for the blind is often obscured by parked cars, motorcycles and bicycles.