Kyodo News Digest: Feb. 23, 2025

A man removes snow from a car at temporary housing in quake-hit Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, on Feb. 22, 2025, following heavy snowfall. (Kyodo) 

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

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Japan emperor hopes for peace ahead of 80th anniv. of war end

TOKYO – Emperor Naruhito, on the occasion of his 65th birthday on Sunday, expressed his hope that the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II later this year would serve as an occasion to renew a pledge for peace.

Touching on the many lives lost, including those from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the fierce ground battle on Okinawa, the emperor also highlighted the importance of passing down stories and lessons of the past and that he felt hopeful that the younger generations were actively working to learn about the war.

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Seven & i to give Bain priority in Ito-Yokado supermarket spin-off

TOKYO – Seven & i Holdings Co. is expected to make U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital the preferred buyer for its intermediate subsidiary operating Ito-Yokado supermarket chain, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday.

The Japanese retail giant is aiming to shed its noncore operations and focus on its 7-Eleven convenience stores business, as it tries to fend off a takeover bid from Canadian convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

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Smithsonian exhibition including Japan A-bomb photos delayed to 2026

WASHINGTON – A Smithsonian museum has delayed the opening of an exhibition that includes photographs taken after the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to 2026 instead of this year as initially scheduled, an official said Friday, citing time constraints.

The exhibition “World War II in the Air” at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington was expected to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. But the museum is undergoing a multiyear renovation that has fallen behind schedule, leading to the exhibition’s postponement, according to the official.

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Chubu airport operator launches new runway construction

NAGOYA – The operator of Chubu Centrair International Airport in central Japan held a ceremony Saturday to launch the construction of a new runway, following approval by the transport ministry earlier this month.

The new runway at the airport in Aichi Prefecture, which serves Nagoya city, is expected to be completed by fiscal 2027. The current runway at the airport will be renovated once the new one is operational.

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20th annual event held in Japan to push claim to S. Korea-held islets

MATSUE, Japan – The 20th edition of an annual ceremony to assert Japan’s claim over a group of South Korea-controlled islets in the Sea of Japan was held Saturday, in a long-standing sticking point in bilateral ties.

Shimane Gov. Tatsuya Maruyama and Eriko Imai, a Cabinet Office parliamentary vice minister representing the central government, attended the annual event held in Matsue, western Japan, and called for a resolution to the territorial dispute over the islets called Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.

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Endangered turtles seized in apparent bid to smuggle into Japan

LOS ANGELES – Environmental regulation authorities on Friday seized 121 turtles and 16 frogs, including a number of endangered species, following a search of two bags at Mexico City airport that were checked in for a flight to Japan’s Narita airport.

Among the confiscated creatures were 53 narrow-bridged musk turtles, which are subject to export restrictions under the Washington Convention or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

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National record holder Suzuki confident ahead of Osaka Marathon

OSAKA – Japanese national record holder Kengo Suzuki voiced confidence Saturday that he will make an impact in Monday’s Osaka Marathon.

The race doubles as a selection event for Japanese marathon runners to the world athletics championships in Tokyo in September, with the standard qualifying time set at 2 hours, 6 minutes, 30 seconds.

Video: Dog sled race in Hokkaido

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