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TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. WASHINGTON - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate for the second time this year amid concerns over the labor market, marking a widely expected second reduction in a row. After a two-day policy meeting, the Fed said its target range for the federal funds rate, which commercial banks charge each other for overnight loans, will be lowered by 0.25 percentage point to 3.75-4.00 percent. Trump, Xi to meet in S. Korea, with focus on trade deal to lower tensions GYEONGJU, South Korea - U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday will hold their first in-person talks since the American leader returned to the White House, with all eyes on whether they can reach a trade deal to defuse tensions. The meeting in South Korea, which will take place before Trump wraps up his three-nation Asia trip and as Xi arrives in the neighboring country to attend a regional economic summit, is expected to address the trade curbs the world's two largest economies have implemented against each other since early this year. TOKYO - Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told U.S. President Donald Trump during their first summit on Tuesday that Japan intends to keep importing Russian liquefied natural gas for the time being, a Japanese government source said Wednesday. The United States had been urging Japan to end Russian energy imports to reinforce sanctions on Moscow over its full-scale war against Ukraine that began in 2022. GYEONGJU, South Korea - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed Wednesday on the details of a new trade deal, both sides said, as the two leaders held their second summit in two months on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the southeastern city of Gyeongju. The framework deal, first announced in July, calls for South Korea to invest $350 billion in the United States in exchange for Washington's reduction of "reciprocal" tariffs from 25 percent to 15 percent. The accord is expected to boost cooperation in strategic industries such as shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing. TOKYO - Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday it has halted operations at a vehicle production plant in Mexico after a shortage of automotive semiconductors stemming from tensions between the Netherlands and China over a Chinese chipmaker. It marks the first confirmed case of the dispute impacting a Japanese automaker. Honda has also begun adjusting production in the United States and Canada, with reduced output in the North American market -- its main source of profits -- potentially dealing a blow to its business performance. TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday proposed opening a new "golden chapter" in Japan-India relations during her first talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi since taking office last week, the Japanese government said. Takaichi, who became Japan's first female prime minister on Oct. 21, said she hopes to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific through cooperation with India, including through the Quad framework, which also involves the United States and Australia, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Body of infant found at demolition site in Tokyo TOKYO - The naked body of an infant was found Wednesday at an apartment demolition site in Tokyo, along with a broken glass jar containing liquid believed to be linked to the case, police said. The police received an emergency call from a construction worker around 2:05 p.m. reporting the discovery at a site in a residential area about 500 meters northeast of Yoyogi-uehara Station in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward. TOKYO - Japan unveiled its red-themed official sportswear for its athletes participating in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics on Wednesday, 100 days before the games open. The outfits are produced by Asics Corp. and feature a "flowing water" motif. Video: Hot air balloon festival in southwestern Japan's Saga
