Kyodo News Digest: June 11, 2022

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

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Japan, U.S., S. Korea say peace, stability of Taiwan Strait important

SINGAPORE – Defense chiefs from Japan, the United States and South Korea on Saturday highlighted the importance of “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait at a time when China has raised regional tensions by putting military pressure on democratically governed Taiwan.

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong Sup also condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile launches and agreed to conduct joint drills to deal with them, according to a joint statement issued after their meeting in Singapore.

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Japan, Singapore to launch talks on defense equipment transfer pact

SINGAPORE – Japan and Singapore will start negotiations to reach a deal on the transfer of defense equipment and technology, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Saturday, setting the stage for more security cooperation in a region facing challenges by an assertive China.

During a summit meeting, Kishida and Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong agreed on the launch and jointly defend the rules-based order after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent ripples to the Indo-Pacific region.

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Okinawa governor announces re-election bid

NAHA, Japan – Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Saturday announced his bid for a second four-year term, likely facing a challenger backed by the Liberal Democratic Party in the Sept. 11 election.

Tamaki made clear at a news conference his continued opposition to the controversial relocation of a U.S. Marine Corps base within the prefecture, saying construction of a new airfield off the eastern coast is “absolutely unacceptable.”

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Boxing: Kyoguchi TKOs Bermudez for 4th WBA light flyweight defense

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – World Boxing Association super champion Hiroto Kyoguchi defended his light flyweight title for the fourth time Friday with an eighth-round technical knockout of Mexico’s Esteban Bermudez.

The 28-year-old from Japan dominated the WBA’s regular light flyweight champion Bermudez with a range of attacks including right and left uppercuts before the referee stopped the fight following a flurry of punches in the eighth.

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U.S. to end COVID-19 testing requirement for int’l travelers

WASHINGTON – The United States will end the COVID-19 testing requirement for air travelers entering the country starting Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, deciding to lift a measure that has been in place for more than a year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Overseas travelers have been required to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test result — initially within three days, and currently within one day — before boarding a flight to the United States.

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U.S. to focus on maintaining status quo over Taiwan: Pentagon chief

WASHINGTON – The United States will focus on maintaining the status quo around Taiwan in the face of China’s growing assertiveness, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a key Asia security gathering on Saturday, noting a “free and open Indo-Pacific” is central to his nation’s security strategies.

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reminding the world of the dangers of undermining the international order, Austin said in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that the rules-based international order “matters just as much in the Indo-Pacific as it does in Europe.”

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High grain prices prompt Japan farmers to grow wheat rather than rice

TOKYO – More Japanese farmers are planning to lower their rice production and switch to wheat and soybean this year amid rising grain prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a government survey.

Among Japan’s 47 prefectures, 37 said as of the end of April that they will reduce cooking rice acreage from a year earlier, up from the 22 prefectures that responded the same way in the previous January survey, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

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N. Korea makes diplomat Choe its 1st female foreign minister

BEIJING – North Korea named Choe Son Hui as the nation’s first female foreign minister, state-run media reported Saturday, amid speculation the country may soon carry out its seventh nuclear test.

Choe, a senior diplomat and close aide to leader Kim Jong Un, has long handled nuclear weapons issues and North Korea’s negotiations with the United States. Direct talks on denuclearization and sanctions relief between the two nations have been at a standstill for more than two years.