Kyodo News Digest: Sept. 4, 2022

The IFA consumer technology fair opens to the public in Berlin on Sept. 2, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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

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Powerful typhoon Hinnamnor may approach southwestern Japan on Sept. 6

TOKYO – Powerful typhoon Hinnamnor may approach Japan’s southwestern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday, the weather agency said, while warning of high waves, strong wind gusts and mudslides.

The season’s 11th typhoon was moving slowly north over the East China Sea after passing between Ishigaki and Miyako islands in Okinawa Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Sunday.

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IPEF ministers to declare start of economic rules-making talks

TOKYO – Ministers from 14 member states of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific economic framework are expected to declare the start of formal negotiations this week in Los Angeles, informed sources say, as they work to codify a rules-based economic order in the fast-growing region.

The two-day meeting from Thursday in Los Angeles will be the first in-person ministerial gathering of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, known as the IPEF, which U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has created as a vehicle to counter China’s ascendance in the region.

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Japan, South Korea stress need for better ties before key court decision

SEOUL – The Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers on Saturday underscored the need for improving bilateral relations strained over wartime issues, as South Korea’s top court is expected to make a relevant decision soon.

“There has never been a time when progress in Japan-South Korea, Japan-U.S.-South Korea cooperation is more important than now,” Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s top diplomat, said in a speech at an online forum. The three nations have been working closely to address challenges, including threats from North Korea.

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Dogs shed tears of joy when reuniting with owners: study

TOKYO – Dogs shed tears of joy when they reunite with their beloved owners after spending several hours apart, a recent study by a Japanese research team has found.

Although animals have been known to shed tears to protect their eyes, this is the first time it has been confirmed that dogs can also cry as an emotional response, said Miho Nagasawa, assistant professor of animal behavior at Japan’s Azabu University who contributed to the study.

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Number of female university teachers in Japan at record high

TOKYO – The number of women teaching at universities in Japan hit a record high this May, a more than fourfold increase from 30 years ago, recently released preliminary government data showed.

There were 50,975 women in teaching positions at public and private universities as of May 1, up 738 from the previous year and making up an unprecedented 26.7 percent of the total number of university educators, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

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Russia holds events on disputed isles to mark 1945 victory over Japan

TOKYO – Russia held military events on a group of disputed islands off Hokkaido on Saturday, commemorating the day designated by Moscow as the anniversary of its victory over Japan in the Pacific War in 1945.

The events, held on three of the four islands known collectively as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, were also a demonstration of Russia’s effective control of the isles.