TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. TOKYO - A senior ruling party lawmaker plans to step down from a key post in the upper house after coming under fire for describing last year's massive earthquake in central Japan as "fortunate," a source familiar with the matter said Saturday. The blunder by Yosuke Tsuruho of the Liberal Democratic Party, chairman of the influential Budget Committee of the House of Councillors, and its fallout are a major blow to the LDP and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, as they face an uphill battle in the July 20 upper house election. OSAKA - Around one in seven coaches of track and field athletes believe their team members, including school students, have been targeted for voyeurism, a survey by a Japanese athletics association showed Saturday, amid growing concerns in the sports world over the capturing and sharing of sexualized images. In the survey that received responses from 555 of around 6,300 coaches, many teaching students from elementary to high schools, 75 acknowledged that their teams were surreptitiously photographed, apparently with sexual intentions, during competitions, while 18 said such incidents happened even during practice and other activities. U.S. demands clear Japan commitment in event of war over Taiwan: FT LONDON - The U.S. Defense Department is pressing Japan and Australia to make clear what role they would play if the United States and China went to war over Taiwan, in an effort that has frustrated the two most important American allies in the Indo-Pacific, the Financial Times reported Saturday. Elbridge Colby, U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, has been pushing the issue in meetings with Japanese and Australian defense officials in recent months, the report said, citing five people familiar with the discussions. SAPPORO - Hokkaido on Saturday issued a strong warning of brown bears across one of its towns following a fatal attack on a newspaper deliveryman there, making it the first time that the highest-level of alert has been sent out in the northern prefecture. The warning, affecting the town of Fukushima in southwestern Hokkaido, is expected to be effective for a month through Aug. 11. The highest level of the three-stage alert is issued when a bear attack against humans in an urban area or its vicinity. Russian foreign minister meets N. Korean leader Kim, showcasing ties MOSCOW/BEIJING - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday, showcasing the closeness of bilateral ties during his first visit to North Korea in over a year. The talks were held in the city where a massive tourist zone opened recently, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, as the two countries pursue strategic security and economic cooperation. Trump threatens to hit EU, Mexico with 30% tariffs from Aug. 1 WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday disclosed that he plans to impose 30 percent tariffs on goods imported from the European Union and Mexico starting Aug. 1, in his latest threat against the economies of the key American trading partners. The tariff rates for the European Union and Mexico increased from the 20 percent and 25 percent tariffs that Trump initially imposed, respectively, earlier this year, although the tone of his verbal attacks on them has somewhat eased recently. YONGIN, South Korea - Japan set up a winner-take-all clash with South Korea at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 men's championship by defeating China 2-0 on Saturday. Defending champions Japan moved to a 2-0 win-loss record to join hosts South Korea at the top of the four-team table, and the two teams will meet Tuesday for the title. KOBE - Japan put in a gritty performance but went down 31-22 against Wales at home in the men's rugby international test match on Saturday as the visitors stopped their 18-game losing streak by ending the two-game series in a tie. A week after securing their first win over the Europeans since 2013 with a 24-19 comeback victory in Kitakyushu, the Brave Blossoms mounted a second-half comeback but were made to pay for their errors in the heat under the closed roof at Kobe's Noevir Stadium. Video: Blue Impulse aerobatic team performs for Osaka Expo