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

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Toyota shareholders OK re-electing founding family chairman

NAGOYA - Toyota Motor Corp. shareholders on Tuesday approved a proposal to re-elect Chairman Akio Toyoda to the board despite investment advisories urging a vote against him following a recent series of safety test scandals in Japan.

At the carmaker's annual shareholders' meeting at its headquarters in Aichi Prefecture, nine other board members, including President Koji Sato and two executive vice presidents, Hiroki Nakajima and Yoichi Miyazaki, were also reappointed.

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Putin to make 2-day visit to N. Korea from Tues. for talks with Kim

BEIJING - Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a two-day state visit to North Korea starting Tuesday, the two countries said Monday, with Putin expected to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss military and other cooperation.

Putin plans to meet Kim on Wednesday and the leaders could sign a treaty on bilateral strategic partnership, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.

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Japan's Himeji Castle entry fees could increase for overseas visitors

KOBE - The mayor of Himeji, western Japan, has said he is contemplating "quadrupling" entry fees exclusively for foreign tourists visiting Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in response to increasing inbound tourism.

The city government acknowledged Monday that Mayor Hideyasu Kiyomoto made the remark the previous day at an international symposium in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture.

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Tokyo Gov. Koike pitches to struggling families in policy reveal

TOKYO - Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike promised Tuesday to improve child-rearing policies, including helping reduce rent for families, as she detailed her campaign pledges ahead of an expected tough electoral challenge from the high-profile, opposition-backed Renho.

Official campaigning for the gubernatorial race is scheduled to begin Thursday, with Renho, a House of Councillors member of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Koike's biggest rival.

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Japan PM Kishida mulls visiting Germany in July for talks with Scholz

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering visiting Germany in July for talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on economic security and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a government source said Tuesday.

Kishida would visit Germany after participating in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington, as security and economic conditions in Europe and Asia are becoming increasingly unstable, the source added.

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Visiting Putin vows to oppose sanctions in conjunction with N. Korea

BEIJING - Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an article published in North Korean state media ahead of his arrival later Tuesday that Moscow and Pyongyang will jointly circumvent international sanctions by deepening bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

In the article published on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's official newspaper, the Russian leader said the two countries will develop alternative systems of trade and mutual settlements that are "not controlled by the West" and jointly resist "unilateral and illegal measures."

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Myanmar-born Morisaki captures life's beat in directorial debut

TOKYO - Myanmar-born singer-actor Win Morisaki was exuberant after winning the top prize Monday at one of Asia's biggest short film festivals for a musical short depicting Japan's oft-forgotten elderly population.

"I never thought I would receive (such a) prize, so I am genuinely extremely happy. I am truly overwhelmed with surprise and my heart is full," the 33-year-old entertainer said in an exclusive interview with Kyodo News after the win.

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Chinese, Philippine ships collide near disputed shoal in S. China Sea

BEIJING - Chinese and Philippine vessels had a minor collision Monday morning near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, the China Coast Guard said, with Beijing and Manila accusing each other of "illegal" and "dangerous" actions amid heightened tensions in the waters.

The Chinese coast guard claimed the incident occurred as the result of an "illegal intrusion" by a Philippine supply ship that "deliberately and dangerously approached" Chinese vessels despite "repeated stern warnings" while they were navigating normally off the Manila-controlled Second Thomas Shoal.

==Kyodo

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