Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a mountain fire near a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force shooting range (lower R) in Etajima in the western Japan prefecture of Hiroshima on Jan. 17, 2025. A fire occurred at the shooting range earlier in the day as MSDF personnel conducted underwater mine-disposing training using an explosive, spreading to the mountain side. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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China’s Xi, Trump hope for “good start” to ties
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump expressed hope for “a good start” to Sino-U.S. relations during the new U.S. presidency in their telephone talks Friday ahead of Trump’s inauguration next week, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Trump said in a social media post that the teleconference was “a very good one” for the world’s two largest economies. “President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!” he said.
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China court to sentence man Thurs. over Japanese school bus stabbings
BEIJING – A Chinese court is set to sentence a man next week over a knife attack near Shanghai last June in which a Japanese mother and child were injured and a Chinese bus attendant who tried to intervene was killed, a Japanese government source said Saturday.
The first hearing of the case held at the Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court earlier this month was closed to the media.
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Baseball: Dodgers agree to terms with Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki
LOS ANGELES – Hard-throwing Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki has agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he said in an Instagram post Friday.
The talented but injury-prone 23-year-old, who was posted by the Lotte Marines in December, chose the Dodgers after reportedly meeting with other Major League Baseball teams, including the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.
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Japan sees 5,400 deaths from post-disaster fatigue, stress since 1995
TOKYO – More than 5,400 people died in Japan over the past 30 years due to severe stress and exhaustion caused by evacuation following earthquakes and other natural disasters, according to a recent tally by Kyodo News.
At least 5,456 “disaster-related deaths” have been recognized since local governments began such designation following the Great Hanshin Earthquake in western Japan on Jan. 17, 1995, with the figure including deaths linked to the Noto Peninsula quake last year.
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7-Eleven to enhance security amid rise of solo workers at night
TOKYO – Seven-Eleven Japan Co. plans to strengthen security at its convenience stores as more are being run by a single employee overnight due to a severe labor shortage.
Under the new security system, employees will control access to the store, using a remote control to allow entry when a sensor detects that a customer has arrived at the entrance door, sources said.
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Baseball: Roki Sasaki’s move to MLB at 23 breaks precedent
TOKYO – Roki Sasaki’s move to MLB from the Lotte Marines at the age of 23 marks a landmark change in the dynamic that exists between Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball as well as future negotiations between top amateurs and Japanese clubs.
An NPB player can move to MLB as either a free agent or a posted player whose club agrees to accept a transfer fee if he signs abroad. For a posted star who is 25 or older with six years of pro experience, there are no limits to the rewards he or his club could reap.
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Baseball: Right-hander Aoyagi joins Phillies on minor league contract
NEW YORK – Right-hander Koyo Aoyagi has signed a minor league contract as a non-roster spring-training invitee with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Major League Baseball club announced Friday.
The 31-year-old side-armer was posted during the offseason by the Central League’s Hanshin Tigers, for whom he pitched nine seasons.
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Top court nixes Okinawa Pref.’s last appeal over U.S. base landfill
NAHA, Japan – Okinawa Prefecture said Friday that Japan’s Supreme Court has not accepted its appeal claiming the state’s overturning of its rejection of a modified landfill plan for a controversial U.S. military base transfer was illegal.
The court decision, dated Thursday, is the last in a total of 14 lawsuits between the state and the prefecture over the matter and finalizes a ruling by the Fukuoka High Court’s Naha branch in September that also dismissed the appeal, citing the local government’s lack of standing as a plaintiff.
Video: Mountain fire near a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force shooting range in Hiroshima Prefecture
