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

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U.S. alleges Russia in talks to acquire N. Korean arms

WASHINGTON - The United States said Wednesday that Russia is in talks with North Korea to acquire weapons from the Asian country to use in the war in Ukraine, an allegation a U.S.-led group of U.N. members said would constitute a violation of Security Council resolutions.

"We have new information...that arms negotiations between Russia and the DPRK are actively advancing," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters in an online briefing, referring to the formal name of North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

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N. Korea launched 2 ballistic missiles late Wed.: KCNA

BEIJING - North Korea launched two ballistic missiles Wednesday night as part of a tactical nuclear strike drill in response to the deployment of U.S. strategic bombers to the Korean Peninsula during an exercise with South Korea, the country's state media reported.

The official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday a missile unit of the Korean People's Army "fired two tactical ballistic missiles northeastward" and "correctly carried out its nuclear strike mission."

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Toyota restarts all 14 plants in Japan after system failure

NAGOYA - Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday that operations at all 14 of its vehicle assembly plants in Japan have resumed after a system failure led to their suspension the previous day.

A malfunction on Monday in the system that processes orders for vehicle parts has been temporarily resolved by activating an interim system, Toyota said.

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U.S. hopes for results on trade issues with China in next few months

SHANGHAI - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Wednesday expressed hope for "some results" in the next few months on issues such as export controls, having agreed with her Chinese counterpart to launch dialogue platforms.

Speaking to reporters in Shanghai before wrapping up her four-day visit to the Asian country, Raimondo said she hopes the new mechanisms will increase transparency and channels of communication and allow American companies in China to "compete in a fair and predictable business environment."

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Japan PM vows steps to ease gasoline prices, now at record high

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Wednesday to ensure lower domestic gasoline prices after industry ministry data showed that the average retail price has risen for the 15th straight week to its highest-ever level.

Kishida also told reporters that his government will implement new economic measures to ease the negative impact of price hikes and will also seek to extend the subsidy program for oil wholesalers, which was supposed to taper off toward the end of September.

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Top diplomats of Japan, U.S., Australia, India eye talks in Sept.

TOKYO - The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States, Australia and India are arranging to hold a meeting in New York next month, diplomatic sources said Wednesday, amid China's expanding military and economic clout in the Indo-Pacific region.

The ministers from the four-way grouping, known as the Quad, would gather on the fringes of the U.N. General Assembly's annual general debate session starting from Sept. 19 to reaffirm their cooperation on security and other areas, according to the sources.

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Football: J2 Roasso knock J1 title chasers Vissel from Emperor's Cup

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Struggling second-division side Roasso Kumamoto proved to be a match for Vissel Kobe, knocking the J-League first-division title chasers out of the Emperor's Cup Wednesday on penalties after they drew their quarterfinal match 1-1.

Roasso keeper Ryuga Tashiro made a big save in the dying seconds of extra time, and then brought the home crowd to its feet by making one save in the penalty shootout and scoring once on his own as relegation-threatened Kumamoto advanced 4-3 on penalties.

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Baseball: Tongu homers power Buffaloes past Hawks

FUKUOKA - Yuma Tongu, whose offense carried Orix early in the season, homered twice and drove in four runs to boost the Pacific League-leading Buffaloes to an 8-4 win Wednesday over the SoftBank Hawks.

Batting in the first inning at Fukuoka's PayPay Dome with two outs and two on, Tongu hit the first pitch from Kohei Arihara (6-4), a hanging splitter up in the zone and launched it into the left-field stands for his 14th homer of the year.

==Kyodo

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