Kyodo News Digest: May 14, 2025
Performers sing and dance at a Jordan National Day event at the World Exposition in Osaka on May 7, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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U.S., China slash most new tariffs following high-level talks
WASHINGTON – The United States and China on Wednesday slashed most of their recent new tariffs on each other’s imports and suspended part of the so-called reciprocal duties for 90 days, in line with a deal struck during high-level trade talks over the weekend in Switzerland.
Because of what U.S. President Donald Trump called a “total reset” with China, his administration cut the tariffs it had imposed on the Asian economy under his second presidency to 30 percent from 145 percent. China, meanwhile, reduced its retaliatory tariffs on the United States to 10 percent from 125 percent.
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Sony expects net profit to fall 13% in FY 2025 on U.S. tariff impact
TOKYO – Sony Group Corp. said Wednesday that its net profit in the year through next March is expected to fall 12.9 percent, hit by higher U.S. tariffs, after posting a record 1.14 trillion yen ($7.8 billion) for fiscal 2024 on the back of growth in its game and music segments.
In the year ended March 31, Sony’s net profit rose 17.6 percent from a year earlier as sales fell 0.5 percent to 12.96 trillion yen, while operating profit climbed 16.4 percent to 1.41 trillion yen.
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Bag with inflammable tube falls from U.S. forces chopper in Okinawa
NAHA, Japan – A bag containing an inflammable signal flame tube fell from a U.S. military helicopter over the Motobu peninsula in northern Okinawa Prefecture in Japan on Tuesday, a local Defense Ministry bureau said.
An official of the U.S. Marine Corps, which is searching for the 18-kilogram bag, told Kyodo News on Wednesday the UH-1 helicopter dropped it inadvertently during a routine drill and that there were no civilians confirmed in the area where it landed.
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Japanese kids’ mental health ranks poorly among rich nations: UNICEF
TOKYO – Children in Japan continue to suffer poor mental health, with the country ranking 32nd among 43 developed and emerging nations due to high suicide rates and other factors, a UNICEF report released Wednesday showed.
The country improved from 37th in 2020 when the ranking was last published, although this time the suicide rate among Japanese youth was the fourth highest among wealthy states surveyed, worsening from 12th.
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Bulgarian president to visit World Expo during Japan trip from Sat.
TOKYO – Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and his wife will make a five-day trip to Japan from Saturday that will include a visit to the World Exposition in the western city of Osaka, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
After joining the expo’s Bulgaria Day celebrations on Sunday, Radev is scheduled to travel to Tokyo for separate meetings with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the ministry said Wednesday.
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Japan spots new China construction moves in disputed sea area
TOKYO – The Japanese government said Tuesday it has confirmed that China is moving toward constructing a new structure in a contested area of the East China Sea, believing it to be a facility for resource development activities.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry strongly protested to the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, expressing its deep regret that Beijing is “advancing unilateral development” even though the boundary between Japan and China in the sea has yet to be fixed.
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Japan, WTO commit to strengthening multilateral trade system
TOKYO – The Japanese government and the World Trade Organization agreed Tuesday to ramp up their cooperation to strengthen the multilateral trading system, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy raises concerns over protectionism.
During the talks between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Tokyo, the two affirmed the need for WTO members to unite in tackling challenges facing the Geneva-based organization to help it regain its “centripetal force,” according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
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Football: Japan to play Sept. friendly matches vs. Mexico, U.S.
TOKYO – The Japan Football Association said Wednesday the men’s national team will travel to the United States in September to play two friendly matches.
The 2026 World Cup-bound Samurai Blue will face Mexico on Sept. 6 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in California and the United States three days later at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.
Video: South Korea National Day at Osaka Expo
