Kyoto News Digest: July 9, 2023

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Yellen has called for talks with Chinese Vice Premier He

BEIJING – US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Saturday called for closer ties between the world’s two largest economies when she met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

„Amid a complex global economic outlook, there is an urgent need for the two largest economies to communicate closely and exchange views on our responses to the various challenges,” Yellen said to her in charge of economic and financial affairs.

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500 Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed in the Asian Games

BANGKOK – The Olympic Council of Asia on Saturday approved the participation of 500 Russian and Belarusian athletes without national symbols at this year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The move is aimed at helping those athletes qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics amid Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. They will compete in individual events only and will not be eligible for medals in the Games held from September 23 to October 8.

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A year later, Abe’s assassination leaves Japan with important issues

TOKYO – Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with many contentious issues unresolved, including the relationship between lawmakers and the Unification Church and the rules for holding a state funeral.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Abe’s widow were among those in attendance at Jojoji, a Buddhist temple in Tokyo, to pay their respects to Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, who was shot dead at the age of 67 during a campaign speech.

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Heavy rains lash western Japan, forcing 370,000 people to evacuate

MATSUE, Japan – Heavy rains pounded Shimane Prefecture and other parts of western Japan on Saturday, prompting local authorities to urge some 370,000 residents of the two cities to evacuate their homes.

In Izumo city, at least 15 landslides have occurred and 20 places have been affected by overflowing rivers. With roads cut off, four areas in the city were isolated, although lifelines remained intact, according to provincial and city governments.

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4 Illness reported after steam explosion near Niseko, Hokkaido

SAPPORO – Four people have so far reported illness in a town near Hokkaido’s Niseko mountain resort after steam exploded during drilling for a geothermal energy development project, Mitsui Oil Exploration Co. said Saturday.

High levels of arsenic were found in water collected from the site at Rangoshi and hydrogen sulphide in nearby areas. Mitsui Oil, which is in charge of the project, said it was investigating what caused people to fall ill, though it declined to provide any details of the symptoms for privacy reasons.

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Baseball: New Mariner Ishikawa comes through in the clutch against former team

KITAHIROSHIMA, Japan — Shingo Ishikawa delivered a pinch-hit tiebreaking single in the seventh inning against his first pro team.

With the game tied 2-2 and runners on with two outs, the former fighter, who joined the Marines from the Yomiuri Giants in a trade earlier this week, centered senior reliever Naoki Miyanishi at S Con Field Hokkaido.

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Football: Nagoya, leaders Marinos played hard to draw 2-2

TOYOTA, Japan – Nagoya Grampus and leaders Yokohama F Marinos shared the spoils with a 2-2 draw in J-League First Division on Saturday, keeping the gap between the two title chasers at four points.

Krampus had a late goal disallowed for a tight offside call and settled for a point at Toyota Stadium. With this, champions Marinos advanced to 43 points. Second-place Vissel Cobb has 40 points with a game in hand after Friday night’s win.

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Rugby: Japan XV suffered a heavy defeat against All Blacks XV

TOKYO – The Japan XV were beaten 38-6 in a non-Test international by the All Blacks XV on Saturday, failing to score a try in the first of their five-match home series ahead of the World Cup in France in two months.

Head coach Jamie Joseph has named 39 candidates in his 33-man World Cup squad. But his experimental-looking side failed to provide a spark in the first match of the year against New Zealand’s second-string side at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Stadium.

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Video: Osaka River Glows Blue