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

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Japan ruling party lawmaker Ikeda arrested over slush fund scandal

TOKYO - A lawmaker from the largest faction within Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party was arrested Sunday over allegations linked to a political fundraising scandal that has engulfed the party.

Prosecutors suspect Yoshitaka Ikeda, a member of the House of Representatives, received a total of 48.26 million yen ($333,000) over five years through 2022 from slush funds created by the faction formerly led by late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

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Japan foreign minister visits Ukraine, vows continued support

KYIV - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa made an unannounced visit on Sunday to Ukraine to vow continued support for the Eastern European nation amid its ongoing war with Russia, the ministry said.

Kamikawa, who is visiting Ukraine for the first time since taking the role in September, will hold talks with government officials including her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the ministry said.

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Toyota to restart domestic production Mon. on schedule after quake

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. will restart this year's domestic vehicle production on schedule from Monday, despite some suppliers suffering disruption caused by a recent powerful earthquake that struck the country's Noto Peninsula, the automaker said Sunday.

Toyota said that due to many suppliers and affiliates suffering damage in the quake, it will use parts held in stock outside affected areas.

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Japan PM forced to rely more on "kingmaker" Aso amid funds scandal

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been compelled to rely more on former Prime Minister Taro Aso, called a "kingmaker" by critics, to maintain his administration amid a political fundraising scandal involving his Liberal Democratic Party.

The move underscored that Kishida's political influence has been plunging as more LDP lawmakers have begun to doubt his leadership and ability to handle the scandal, making him more isolated within the ruling party, political experts said.

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Ski jumping: Kobayashi joins elite company with 3rd Four Hills crown

BISCHOFSHOFEN, Austria - Japanese ski jumper Ryoyu Kobayashi won the prestigious Four Hills Tournament for the third time Saturday with a second-place finish in the final leg in Austria's Bischofshofen.

The 27-year-old claimed the Golden Eagle Trophy with 1,145.2 points after placing second in all four of the World Cup events in Germany and Austria that comprise the tournament.

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Paralympics: IPC president Parsons asserts the power of diversity

TOKYO - The 2024 Paralympic Games will create an unprecedented spectacle with its opening ceremony on Paris' iconic Champs-Elysees boulevard, while continuing to open minds to the talent and potential of people with disabilities, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons believes.

Speaking to Kyodo News recently, Parsons discussed the meaning of the event both locally as well as for the wider world at a time of increasing pushback against the rights of marginalized people.

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Woman rescued 5 days after Japan quake, as death toll tops 120

TOKYO - A woman was rescued from a collapsed house in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture on Saturday, five days after a powerful earthquake struck the prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, as the death toll from the quake topped 120 with over 200 still unaccounted for, according to authorities.

A family member said the rescued woman is in her 90s. Suzu is one of the coastal cities hit hardest by the magnitude-7.6 quake that occurred in the Noto Peninsula, central Japan, on New Year's Day.

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Coast guard pilot unlikely heard JAL-tower comms before crash

TOKYO - The captain of the coast guard plane that was involved in a collision with a Japan Airlines aircraft this week at Tokyo's Haneda airport may have not heard the exchanges between the JAL plane and the airport traffic controller as his radio may have been set at a different frequency, a transport ministry official said Saturday.

According to the transcript of the radio communications released Wednesday by the ministry, the tower controller, who determines when planes can enter the runway and take off, gave clearance to the JAL plane to land before the deadly accident occurred at one of Japan's busiest airports at around 5:47 p.m. Tuesday.

==Kyodo

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