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

----------

U.S., S. Korea warn N. Korea over moving ahead with nuke test

WASHINGTON - Top diplomats from the United States and South Korea on Monday warned North Korea of the consequences it would face for moving ahead with a possible nuclear test, which Seoul believes now only requires a "political decision."

"We affirm that any North Korean provocations, including a nuclear test, will be met with a united and firm response from our alliances and the international community," South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin told a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken after their meeting in Washington.

----------

64% of Japanese unhappy with gov't response to rising prices: poll

TOKYO - The proportion of Japanese who consider Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's response to rising prices to be inadequate came to 64.1 percent, while 28.1 percent said it is satisfactory, a Kyodo News survey showed Monday.

In a three-day nationwide telephone poll conducted from Saturday, a total of 77.3 percent said rising prices of food and other daily necessities have affected their lives to a varying degree, up 8.6 percentage points from the April survey.

----------

Amazon Japan delivery drivers form union, claiming overwork

TOKYO - A group of 10 people working as freelance delivery drivers for Amazon.com Inc.'s Japan unit have unionized and handed over a letter to the online shopping giant's Tokyo headquarters demanding that their poor working conditions be corrected, union members said Monday.

The union claimed that, despite working as freelance drivers, Amazon Japan G.K. effectively controls their work hours by sending delivery instructions via smartphones and that outsourcing of delivery operations is a way to avoid signing labor contracts.

----------

16 Japan universities team up to accept students from war-hit Ukraine

TOKYO - Sixteen Japanese universities have teamed up to accept students fleeing war-torn Ukraine to help them rekindle hopes to build a future that seemed impossible following the Russian invasion.

The colleges, including International Christian University, Meiji University and Sophia University, plan to offer approximately 70 students in total free education and a safe environment to study.

----------

Yen hits over 23-yr low vs. dollar in 135 range, stocks plunge

TOKYO - The yen slipped Monday to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in over 23 years, while stocks plunged in Tokyo as high inflation in the United States last month fueled expectations of aggressive monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve.

The Japanese currency briefly accelerated its decline to trade around 135.20, its weakest level since October 1998, on anticipation of a further widening of the interest rate gap between Japan and the United States.

----------

Japan foreign minister eyes non-nuclear state talks in New York

TOKYO - Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is planning to visit the United States from late July and hold a meeting with his counterparts from a coalition of non-nuclear weapons states in New York, sources familiar with the plan said Monday.

The ministerial gathering of the 12-member Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative is envisaged as Japan hopes to build the momentum for a successful conclusion of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference to be held in August.

----------

JOC signs framework agreement with LGBTQ hub Pride House Tokyo

TOKYO - The Japanese Olympic Committee on Monday signed a framework agreement with the LGBTQ hub Pride House Tokyo to promote inclusiveness in the sporting world.

JOC President Yasuhiro Yamashita said the move came about following last summer's Tokyo Games where the number of athletes who came out as LGBTQ was the highest ever.

----------

Ukraine, U.S. envoys announce fund to integrate evacuees to Japan

TOKYO - The Ukraine and U.S. ambassadors to Tokyo called on the Japanese public Monday to give to a newly launched fund helping Ukrainian evacuees adjust to life in Japan, including with language-learning aid.

The Ukraine Evacuees Assistance Fund, established in a partnership between the philanthropic Nippon Foundation with U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel and Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Korsunsky, aims to raise 1 billion yen ($7.4 million) by Sept. 30.

==Kyodo

© Kyodo News International, Inc., source Newswire