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

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Blinken meets with Xi to pave way for U.S.-China summit

BEIJING - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday amid heightened tensions, with the talks expected to pave the way for a summit between Xi and his American counterpart Joe Biden later this year.

Xi told Blinken that state-to-state interactions should always be based on mutual respect and sincerity. He expressed hope that Blinken could make positive contributions to stabilizing China-U.S. relations through this visit, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

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Japan emperor, empress attend welcoming ceremony in Indonesia

JAKARTA - The Japanese imperial couple on Monday attended a welcoming ceremony at the Indonesian presidential palace in Bogor, south of Jakarta, on the third day of their trip to the country.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, who are making their first official goodwill visit since the emperor's ascension to the throne in 2019, were greeted by President Joko Widodo and first lady Iriana Joko Widodo. The emperor received a formal salute from the guard of honor.

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7 divers rescued after going missing off Japan's Okinawa

NAHA, Japan - Seven people were rescued Monday hours after they had gone missing while diving in waters off the southern island of Okinawa, the Japan Coast Guard said.

The coast guard had dispatched a helicopter and patrol vessels to search for the group, which included two instructors, after it received a call from their diving boat at around 11:50 a.m.

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Japan Post, Yamato to tie up to address delivery driver shortage

TOKYO - Japan Post Holdings Co. and Yamato Holdings Co. said Monday they will collaborate in the direct mail and small package businesses to deal with logistics shortages and increase their operations' efficiency.

Yamato will commission its mailbox delivery services for catalogs, brochures and small packages to Japan Post by March 2025, the two companies said.

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Japan agrees to set up reconstruction liaison system with Ukraine

TOKYO - Japan agreed Monday with Ukraine to establish a liaison system that will support the Eastern European country in its efforts to reconstruct areas severely damaged during the ongoing Russian invasion.

At a ceremony in Tokyo, Japan's reconstruction minister Hiromichi Watanabe and Oleksandr Kubrakov, deputy prime minister for the restoration of Ukraine, signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the reconstruction support initiative.

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N. Korea to increase production of "powerful nuclear weapons": KCNA

BEIJING - North Korea will maintain its policy of "increasing the production of powerful nuclear weapons," its state media said Monday.

The pledge came after the Workers' Party of Korea ended a key meeting the previous day. The country also assessed that its failed attempt to launch a military reconnaissance satellite late last month was a "most serious" shortcoming that "cannot be overlooked."

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"Panama Papers" journalist says AI helps investigative reporting

TOKYO - Journalist Emilia Diaz-Struck, involved in the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Panama Papers" stories on tax havens, said Sunday that artificial intelligence could be useful in investigative reporting but called for efforts to ensure credibility in coverage.

"It is the beginning of new things," the data and research editor of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists said at an event in Tokyo to discuss the use of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, in reporting, playing down concerns the new technology will mean the "end of journalism" or the "end of journalists."

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5 dead after bus collides with truck in Japan's Hokkaido

SAPPORO - Five people died Sunday in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, which police believe occurred after the 4-ton truck strayed into oncoming traffic.

Following the crash at around 11:55 a.m. on a slow curve on Route 5 in Yakumo in southern Hokkaido, the male drivers of both vehicles were confirmed dead, along with three on board the bus. Twelve other passengers were taken to the hospital.

==Kyodo

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