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

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Dentsu officials admit to Tokyo Olympic test event bid rigging

TOKYO - Several officials of Japanese ad giant Dentsu Inc. have admitted to collusion over bid rigging for contracts related to test events for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, a source familiar with the matter said Friday.

The officials admitted to the wrongdoing during voluntary questioning with prosecutors, while maintaining they were not aware of any illegality at first when the bid rigging took place, according to the source.

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N. Korea slams U.S. plan to send battle tanks to Ukraine

BEIJING - North Korea criticized the United States on Friday for deciding to send Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, saying the plan has only escalated the situation surrounding the war in Ukraine.

Washington is "further crossing the red line" and revealing its confrontational stance against Russia with the move, Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a senior official of the country's ruling party, said in a statement.

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Foreign entries into Japan surge 12-fold in 2022 on eased COVID steps

TOKYO - The number of foreigners entering Japan surged nearly 12-fold to 4.20 million people in 2022, as COVID-19 border control measures were eased gradually and the number of inbound tourists spiked, the Immigration Services Agency's data showed Friday.

The figure is up sharply from around 353,000 in 2021 but far below the record 31.19 million in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to the data.

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Japan decides to ease medical rules on COVID-19 on May 8: PM Kishida

TOKYO - Japan formally decided Friday to downgrade the legal status of the novel coronavirus on May 8 to the same category as common infectious diseases, such as seasonal influenza, to ease COVID-19 prevention rules, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

In a major policy shift in its response to the three-year-long pandemic, the Japanese government would be able to relax existing intensive COVID-19 measures, including limiting the movements of infected people and their close contacts.

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Man detained in Manila allegedly gave robbery orders in Japan via app

MANILA - The alleged ringleader of a string of robberies across Japan, known to have gone by the name of "Luffy," is believed to have remotely given instructions to those carrying out the break-ins via an encrypted messaging app from an immigration facility in Manila, where he is being held.

Philippine Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told Kyodo News on Thursday evening that the man was arrested in the Philippines in 2021 and is being held at the immigration facility, along with another Japanese national suspected of being part of the robbery group.

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1st oral abortion pill steps closer to approval in Japan

TOKYO - A pharmaceutical advisory body for Japan's health ministry on Friday expressed no objection to the manufacturing and marketing of an abortion pill, bringing the medication a step closer to becoming the first of its kind to gain approval in the country.

Abortions in early stages of pregnancies in Japan are currently limited to surgical procedures, and the oral pill, if approved, is seen as a new option that could lighten both physical and mental stress on women.

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Biden names Zients, ex-COVID response head, as next chief of staff

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday he has chosen his former COVID-19 response leader Jeff Zients to be the next White House chief of staff, with the change coming more than halfway through his term as preparations begin for a re-election campaign in 2024.

Next week, Zients will succeed Ron Klain, a longtime confidant of Biden's who has held the role since the current administration started. Klain previously worked for Biden in various pivotal positions, including as his chief of staff when he became vice president in the Barack Obama administration in 2009.

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Japanese insurance company encourages staff to work elsewhere

TOKYO - Major Japanese insurance company Sompo Holdings Inc. is attempting to change its traditional working culture by encouraging some employees to work for almost a year at start-ups and nonprofit organizations unrelated to their usual line of work.

The company hopes that their employees' diverse experiences will enhance its competitiveness in the insurance market as it ventures into new domains such as nursing care and digital realm that require a more varied skill set.

==Kyodo

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