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

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2 Japan SDF choppers crash during drill leaving 1 dead, 7 missing

TOKYO - Two Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopters crashed during a drill in the Pacific late Saturday, leaving at least one of the eight crew members dead, with the other seven still missing, Japan's defense minister said Sunday.

The two aircraft, which crashed in waters around 270 kilometers east of Torishima Island in the Izu Island chain during a nighttime anti-submarine drill in the area, are believed to have collided with each other, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters. The Izu island chain is located south of Tokyo.

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Japan PM sends offering to war-linked Yasukuni shrine for spring rite

TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday sent a ritual offering to the war-linked Yasukuni shrine, viewed by some of Japan's Asian neighbors as a symbol of the country's past militarism, on the occasion of its spring festival.

Kishida sent the ceremonial tree, called "masakaki," on the first day of the three-day ceremony at the Shinto religious facility in central Tokyo.

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Blinken to visit China next week, with Russia high on agenda

WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make a three-day visit to China next week to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and other senior officials, in the latest effort to control tensions even as the major powers continue to spar on many issues.

During the visit from Wednesday, Blinken will express "deep concerns" over China's support for Russia's defense industrial base, while other high-priority issues will include the importance of stability around Taiwan ahead of next month's inauguration of the self-ruled island's President-elect Lai Ching-te, a senior State Department official said.

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Delta to scrap connecting flight baggage checks in U.S. from Haneda

TOKYO - Delta Air Lines Inc. will scrap required baggage checks for its passengers from Tokyo's Haneda airport when they take connecting domestic flights in the United States, according to a senior executive.

Jeff Moomaw, Delta's vice president for the Asia Pacific region, said in a recent interview that the airline is working out the details of the planned measure in consultation with Japan's transport ministry alongside U.S. authorities, with an eye to introducing the new rule this year at the earliest.

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Criteria shift raises U.S. subcritical nuclear test count: peace NPO

TOKYO - A Japanese peace research institute discovered in March that an additional subcritical nuclear test was added to a U.S. tally due to a change in its criteria, with a series of plutonium experiments from 2007 now being grouped together to represent a single test.

Peace Depot Inc., based in Yokohama near Tokyo, filed a request last September with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under the Freedom of Information Act to disclose the details after it was revealed last year that the number of U.S. subcritical nuclear tests had risen from a total of 32 to 33.

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Figure skating: Hanyu still pursuing excellence in new forms

TOKYO - Although Yuzuru Hanyu has turned his back on competition, the two-time Olympic figure skating champion's desire to achieve unparalleled heights remains unwavering in his new venture as an ice show artist.

In a March interview, the 29-year-old said he would not return to competition but feels compelled to deliver skating performances at "the highest level in the world."

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Japan eyes launch of new dialogue framework on int'l AI regulations

TOKYO - Japan is considering establishing a new framework for dialogue involving like-minded nations to discuss international regulations on the appropriate use of generative artificial intelligence technology, a government source said Saturday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to reveal the plan to launch a "Friends" meeting on AI issues at a ministerial council meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development scheduled for May 2 to 3 in Paris, the source said.

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China's March crude oil imports from Russia up 13% amid Ukraine war

BEIJING - China's crude oil imports from Russia surged 13 percent from a year earlier in March to 10.81 million tons, government data showed Saturday, underscoring the close ties between the two nations amid Moscow's war in Ukraine.

The latest data suggest that the effects of economic sanctions imposed by Western democracies have been limited, as China has continued to buy crude oil and other natural resources from Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since February 2022.

==Kyodo

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