Kyodo News Digest: Aug. 26, 2023

Basketball fans enter Okinawa Arena in Okinawa, southern Japan, on Aug. 25, 2023, as FIBA World Cup co-host Japan tips off against Group E opponent Germany the same day. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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

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No anomalies detected in fish samples after Fukushima water release

TOKYO – No detectable amount of tritium was found in the first fish samples taken in waters near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, where the discharge of treated radioactive water into the sea began this week, the Japanese government said Saturday.

The water discharge began Thursday despite persistent concerns among local fishermen and some neighboring countries about the environmental impact, while the U.N. nuclear watchdog has said the procedure aligned with global safety standards.

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Athletics: Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi wins women’s world javelin throw title

BUDAPEST – Haruka Kitaguchi captured her first world javelin throw title Friday, making her only the third Japanese woman to win a gold medal in the history of the world athletics championships.

Kitaguchi climbed to the top from fourth place with her sixth and last throw of 66.73 meters. She also became the first Japanese in athletics to earn a place at next summer’s Paris Olympics as she met the Olympic qualifying standard set by Japan’s athletics governing body.

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4 astronauts including Japan’s Furukawa head to space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – A team of four astronauts from Japan, Denmark, Russia and the United States lifted off early Saturday aboard a SpaceX craft bound for the International Space Station.

The Crew-7 mission is commanded by NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli and managed by Satoshi Furukawa of Japan, Andreas Mogensen of Denmark and Konstantin Borisov of Russia.

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Baseball: Oshima gets 2,000th hit in Dragons’ loss

NAGOYA – Chunichi Dragons outfielder Yohei Oshima picked up his 2,000th career hit in a 2-0, 12-inning loss to the DeNA BayStars on Saturday.

The 37-year-old Oshima singled to center in the third inning off Kenta Ishida at Vantelin Dome Nagoya, making him the 55th player in Nippon Professional Baseball to reach the milestone.

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Basketball: Japan’s Hovasse wants more of same from star Watanabe

OKINAWA, Japan – Despite dealing with fatigue from a lack of game practice and early shooting woes, a “fantastic” Yuta Watanabe needs to continue to play as he did in Japan’s opening loss to Germany at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, according to head coach Tom Hovasse.

Speaking after Germany triumphed 81-63 over the tournament co-host on Friday, Hovasse had nothing but praise for his star player, who had missed all of Japan’s World Cup warm-up games since spraining his ankle in an exhibition win over Angola on Aug. 15.

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Baseball: Shohei Ohtani gets double, 3 walks as Angels snap 4-game skid

NEW YORK – Shohei Ohtani reached base four times and scored a run in the Los Angeles Angels’ 3-1 win over the New York Mets on Friday, going 1-for-2 with a double and three walks.

The two-way star continued to be the Angels’ designated hitter two days after being diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that prevents him from pitching again this season.

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Japan’s 1st new tram system in 75 years starts operating north of Tokyo

UTSUNOMIYA, Japan – Japan’s first new tram system in 75 years began operating north of Tokyo on Saturday, with features designed to make it easy to access for the elderly and wheelchair users as Japan’s society grays.

The so-called next-generation tram system in Tochigi Prefecture runs between the east side of JR Utsunomiya Station and the nearby town of Haga, covering the 14.6-kilometer route in 48 minutes.

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FOCUS: Osaka frets over World Expo failure amid slow pavilion construction

TOKYO – Concerns are growing among the organizers of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka that the event may flop due to the slower-than-anticipated construction of pavilions by overseas participants.

The event, to be held from April 13 to Oct. 13 in 2025 on the man-made Yumeshima island in Osaka Bay, western Japan, is set to showcase technological and cultural exhibitions from around 150 countries and is expected to attract 28.2 million visitors. Its economic impact is estimated to reach about 2 trillion yen ($14 billion).

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Video: New hovercraft in Oita