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

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Incumbent Koike leads by small margin in Tokyo governor race: poll

TOKYO - Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike is leading the polls by a small margin in the Tokyo gubernatorial election that will take place on July 7, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.

The incumbent 71-year-old Koike, who is seeking to secure her third four-year term, is effectively backed by the ruling bloc. She is closely followed by key challenger Renho, 56, a former upper house lawmaker supported by the main opposition.

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Japan to launch new banknotes, 1st design change in 20 yrs

TOKYO - Japan will start issuing new banknotes on Wednesday, showcasing what it touts is the world's first use of cutting-edge holography that makes the portraits of historic figures look like they are rotating in 3D on the bills, one of their anti-counterfeit measures.

In the first design change in 20 years, the 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 1,000 yen bills will have bigger face value numbers printed on them than the current versions, so all people, regardless of age and nationality, can recognize them easily.

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Japan's fair trade watchdog to issue warning to Toyota subsidiary

TOKYO - Japan's antitrust watchdog has found that a Toyota Motor Corp. subsidiary forced about 50 subcontractors to store auto parts molds without paying the costs and plans to warn the group company to take measures to prevent a recurrence, a source familiar with the matter said Sunday.

Toyota Customizing & Development Co., in which Toyota holds a 90.5 percent stake, has admitted to violating the subcontract law, the sources said.

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Skateboarding: Japan sweeps women's street podiums at X Games

VENTURA, California - Paris Olympics-bound Liz Akama claimed silver Saturday as Japan swept the women's street skateboarding podium at the X Games in Ventura, California.

Miyu Ito won gold after scoring 88.66 for her best of three runs in the final. She was three points clear of Akama, with world champion Yumeka Oda finishing 4.66 points off the lead for bronze.

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Baseball: Ohtani hits 26th homer in Dodgers' wild win over Giants

SAN FRANCISCO - Shohei Ohtani broke a third-inning tie with a solo home run, his National League-leading 26th, on Saturday for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their wild 14-7 11-inning win over the San Francisco Giants.

A day after the Giants won on a walk-off home run at Oracle Park, the Dodgers bounced back after starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow allowed five runs in three innings, taking a 6-5 fourth-inning lead.

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FEATURE: Costco proving a one-stop shop for regional revitalization in Japan

FUKUOKA, Japan - Since its arrival on Japan's shores a quarter-century ago, American membership-only warehouse food and home goods club retailer Costco has grown significantly and evolved into being seen by many as a consumption-driven savior for struggling local economies.

An increasing number of cities and towns are investing in hopes of attracting a Costco megastore by preparing potential sites and road infrastructure, banking on the aggressive business expansion plans of the company's Japanese unit to boost their coffers.

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Hokkaido town aims to create local specialty by aging sake underwater

SAPPORO - A town on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido has been working on producing a new local specialty by submerging sake in a brackish lake, in the hope that the vibrations in the water will impact the taste of the alcohol.

Following field tests in May, the town of Yubetsu plans on sinking 100 bottles of sake at a depth of around 10 meters in Lake Saroma from late July. The alcohol to be used in the project comes from Kamikawa Taisetsu Sake Brewery, located west of Yubetsu.

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Volleyball: Japan men advance to 1st Nations League final

LODZ, Poland - World No. 2 Japan set up a clash for the gold medal with Olympic champion France via a 3-0 win over third-ranked Slovenia in Saturday's semifinals.

Spikes from captain Yuki Ishikawa and Yuji Nishida powered Japan in a 25-21 first set at Atlas Arena. Japan reached set point first before pulling out the second 27-25 and surviving a 31-29 nail-biting third set to clinch its final berth.

==Kyodo

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