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

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3 top execs at Mizuho to resign next spring over system failures

TOKYO - Mizuho Financial Group Inc. chairman and president as well as the head of its banking unit will resign next spring following a series of system failures that have hurt public confidence in one of Japan's major financial institutions, sources with knowledge of the plan said Thursday.

The departure of the three -- Mizuho Financial Chairman Yasuhiro Sato, President Tatsufumi Sakai and Mizuho Bank President Koji Fujiwara -- is expected to be finalized at a board meeting Friday, the sources said.

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Japan foreign minister airs concerns over Russian military activity

TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi voiced "serious concerns" over a recent increase in military activity by Russia and China near Japan in phone talks Thursday with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, a government source said.

The remarks came after Moscow and Beijing sent a flotilla of naval vessels around Japan and conducted a joint bomber patrol over nearby waters in recent weeks in an apparent show of force against Tokyo.

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Asia, Europe leaders meet virtually as China looms large

PHNOM PENH - Leaders from about 50 Asian and European countries started a two-day virtual summit meeting on Thursday with Cambodia playing host, as China looms large over issues ranging from trade to human rights and to Taiwan.

Speaking at the opening session, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called the summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, a "timely opportunity" for the leaders of the two continents "to reaffirm the importance of the Asia-Europe partnership and cooperation in addressing regional and global issues of common concerns."

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China urges Japan against diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

BEIJING - China on Thursday urged Japan to support the Beijing Olympics, as the United States and other democratic countries are weighing up whether to implement a "diplomatic boycott" of the Winter Games.

"China fully supported Japan in hosting the Tokyo Olympics" this summer, so "Japan should have basic faith," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters.

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Japan apology needed to solve wartime labor issue: S. Korea candidate

SEOUL - The presidential candidate of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party said Thursday that a solution to wartime labor compensation issues can be found if Japan makes a "sincere apology," but did not offer a concrete plan to solve the issues that have aggravated bilateral relations.

At a news conference with foreign media in Seoul, Lee Jae Myung also disputed media reports that paint him as a hard-liner due to his past remarks, saying they are based on misunderstanding and that he respects Japan as a country.

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Australia sending troops to Solomon Islands as unrest continues

SYDNEY - Australia is sending police officers, military personnel and diplomats to aid the Solomon Islands, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday, as violent anti-government protests continued in the island nation for a second day.

In the unrest, tied to the island government's 2019 move to switch its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, rioters and looters have targeted parliament, Chinese businesses and other major buildings in the capital Honiara, according to a Radio New Zealand report.

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Okinawa gov. refuses to approve change to U.S. base transfer plan

NAHA, Japan - Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said Thursday he will not approve the central government's planned design change for the relocation of a key U.S. military base within the southern island prefecture, a decision that could lead to a legal battle.

Tamaki has been calling for dialogue with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida over the controversial transfer plan for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, located in a residential area of Ginowan, to the less densely populated coastal area of Henoko in Nago, but the central government has shown no signs of responding.

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Bruce Lee statue dons shirt in hopes of boosting Hong Kong tourism

HONG KONG - A white shirt has been added to a normally bare-chested statue of the late martial arts star Bruce Lee as part of an effort to boost local tourism in Hong Kong, local media reported on Thursday.

In a collaboration by Hong Kong clothing brand Lee Kung Man and local fan club, the Bruce Lee Club, the statue's new look was unveiled on the anniversary of Lee's 81st birthday in an homage to iconic movie "The Big Boss."

==Kyodo

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