Traditional thatched roof houses in the World Heritage-listed Shirakawa-go hamlet are lit up in the Gifu Prefecture village of Shirakawa, central Japan, on Jan. 13, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan marks 30 years since Kobe quake that killed over 6,400
KOBE – The western Japan city of Kobe and nearby areas on Friday marked the 30th anniversary of the magnitude 7.3 earthquake that killed over 6,400 people, with many hoping to keep alive the memories as the devastating event continues to teach the importance of enhancing preparedness in the disaster-prone nation.
Residents and victims’ families observed a moment of silence at 5:46 a.m., the exact time the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck Kobe and its vicinity in Hyogo Prefecture on Jan. 17, 1995, leaving 6,434 people dead as many homes were flattened.
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Japan gov’t starts process to compensate forced sterilization victims
TOKYO – The Japanese government started a process Friday to compensate victims of forced sterilization surgery under a now-defunct eugenics protection law, aiming to provide remedy to those who have not joined lawsuits against the state.
The move comes as a law took effect to provide damages to those affected by what is seen as the worst human rights violation in the country’s postwar history.
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China’s 2024 GDP grows 5.0% in line with annual target
BEIJING – China’s economy in 2024 expanded a real 5.0 percent from a year earlier to achieve the country’s annual target, government data showed Friday, aided by stimulus measures implemented since September amid a prolonged property sector crisis.
But the world’s second-largest economy may struggle going ahead as trade frictions with the United States are expected to intensify after President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next week.
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S. Korean investigators to request arrest warrant on Yoon
SEOUL – South Korean investigators plan to request an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday over his imposition of short-lived martial law, before the deadline for the move at 9:05 p.m., they said.
The country’s anti-corruption agency, which is leading the probe into Yoon’s alleged insurrection due to his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, said preparation to request the arrest warrant to a court is almost finished though the timing has yet to be decided.
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Japan’s space agency to develop program that estimates quake damage
KUMAMOTO, Japan – Japan’s space agency signed an agreement on Friday with Kumamoto Prefecture to realize the practical application of a program that can estimate the extent of damage to buildings caused by earthquakes using satellite images.
Under the agreement, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will receive around 200,000 pieces of data on buildings damaged in the earthquake that hit Kumamoto Prefecture in 2016 to enhance the accuracy of the program it seeks to introduce nationwide.
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Tokyo-Osaka bullet train services briefly halted due to fire near track
NAGOYA – Bullet train services between Tokyo and Osaka were temporarily halted Friday after a fire broke out near a track in central Japan, according to JR Central.
The fire occurred in an area between Nagoya and Gifu-Hashima stations on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, but it was extinguished by firefighters, the railway operator said. An emergency call reporting that “grass was on fire” was made at around 11:45 a.m.
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China’s population declines for 3rd straight year in 2024
BEIJING – Mainland China saw its population decline for the third straight year in 2024, government data showed Friday, with the graying of the world’s second-largest economy accelerating despite the scrapping of its “one-child policy” in 2016.
The population of China, excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, reached 1,408.28 million by the end of 2024, down 1.39 million from the previous year. The ratio of those aged 65 or older inched up 0.2 percentage point to 15.6 percent.
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Nintendo to release successor to Switch console this year
OSAKA – Nintendo Co. said Thursday it will release the successor to its Switch game console, which has become one of its best-selling consoles, sometime this year.
The Japanese gaming company unveiled an image and video preview of its new model, the Nintendo Switch 2. Further details will be announced in a video to be released on April 2.
Video: Kobe prepares for ceremony to mark 30 years since Great Hanshin Earthquake
