Los Angeles, Nov. 24 (Jiji Press)–Shohei Ohtani announced Monday that he will participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic as a member of Japan’s national team, nicknamed Samurai Japan. The Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar wrote on Instagram in Japanese that he

(Adnkronos) – Iran has publicly hanged a man after finding him guilty of raping two women in the northern province of Semnan. Tehran’s judiciary stated that the execution took place in the city of Bastam after the Supreme Court upheld the sentence.

(Adnkronos) – At least nine children and one woman were killed in a raid conducted by Pakistani armed forces against the home of a local resident in Afghanistan’s Khost province. This was stated by the spokesman for the Afghan Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid,

(Adnkronos) – The Prime Minister of Taiwan, Cho Jung-tai, has stated that for the 23 million citizens of his country, a “return” to China is not an option. His statements follow those of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who told US President Donald

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–A powerful earthquake hit southwestern Japan on Tuesday, measuring up to upper 5, the fourth-highest level on the country’s 10-point seismic intensity scale, in Kumamoto Prefecture. The temblor with an estimated magnitude of 5.7 struck around 6:01 p.m.,

Hiroshima, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Hiroshima High Court ruled on Tuesday that the July election for Japan’s House of Councillors was held in a state of unconstitutionality, the last in a series of judgments in 16 lawsuits filed by two groups of lawyers

Washington, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi does not need to “back off” despite heightened tensions between Japan and China following her recent remarks about a potential contingency over Taiwan. In a recent interview with Jiji Press, Kenneth Weinstein, Japan

(Adnkronos) – Grand finale, last night, in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, for ‘Silk Way Star’, the first major Asian vocal competition. The singing competition, which could be called the Asian Eurovision, was won by Mongolian singer Michelle Joseph, as reported by

Fukui, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Tatsuji Sugimoto, governor of the central Japan prefecture of Fukui, said Tuesday that he will step down following sexual harassment allegations against him. A Fukui government employee informed the prefectural government that the person had received inappropriate messages

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–“Kokuho” has become Japan’s highest-grossing live-action film, earning box office revenue of 17,377.39 million yen by Monday, according to Toho Co. Directed by Lee Sang-il, the film adaptation of Shuichi Yoshida’s same-name novel has broken the record set

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese court on Monday ordered publisher Kodansha Ltd. and the chief editor of its weekly magazine Friday to pay 2.2 million yen in damages to a comedian over defamatory reporting. The comedian, Sense Watanabe, had sued Kodansha

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese government survey showed Tuesday that 3.0 pct of people who bought new condominiums in Tokyo between January and June this year were overseas residents. The survey, conducted by the land ministry, also found that 8.5 pct

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Tuesday rejected China’s claim over Tokyo’s plan to deploy missile troops on Yonaguni Island in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. Troops to be deployed on the island will be “tasked with air

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Tuesday said that it has set up a new office to review tax breaks and subsidies for businesses to reduce wasteful spending, a Japanese version of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, led by

New York, Nov. 24 (Jiji Press)–Kazuyuki Yamazaki, Japan’s ambassador to the United Nations, on Monday sent U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres a letter rebutting China’s claim over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remarks on a possible Taiwan contingency. China’s assertions shown in

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–U.S.-originated Black Friday sales campaigns are heating up in Japan, with retailers offering discounts ahead of the main event on Friday. Supermarkets and other retailers are waging the campaigns in hopes of attracting consumers, who have turned thrifty

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held telephone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, with topics including relations between the United States and China. Trump explained recent developments in his country’s relations with China, such as his

Japan Department Stores Association Nov. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 466,875 M. Yen Up 4.3 pct Clothing 133,738 Up 3.0 Personal Articles 79,787 Up 2.3 Sundry Goods 104,028 Up 10.6 Household Goods 14,641 Up 2.2 Foodstuffs 107,982 Up 2.1 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Japan Department Stores Association Nov. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 135,803 M. Yen Up 3.7 pct Clothing 38,842 Up 3.1 Personal Articles 24,935 Up 0.5 Sundry Goods 33,970 Up 11.0 Household Goods 5,121 Up 2.3 Foodstuffs 26,892 Up 3.6 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, on Tuesday passed legislation to scrap the provisional gasoline tax surcharge of 25.1 yen per liter, effective Dec. 31. The legislation, adopted at a Lower House plenary meeting, also

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held telephone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, with topics including relations between the United States and China. Trump explained recent developments in his country’s relations with China, such as his

Hong Kong, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Hong Kong leader John Lee on Monday strongly criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi over her recent remarks about Taiwan. These extremely erroneous remarks hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and challenged the postwar international order,

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s culture ministry said Tuesday it will recommend “Fushikaden,” Noh master Zeami’s 15th-century treatise on the traditional Japanese theater performances, for inscription on UNESCO’s Memory of the World register. The government will soon submit a formal application to

Washington/Beijing, Nov. 24 (Jiji Press)–Chinese President Xi Jinping in phone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump has emphasized Beijing’s “principled position” over Taiwan, China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday. The U.S. and Chinese governments announced that the phone talks were held the same

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s plan to restart its nuclear power station in central Japan has made a major step forward, but it remains unclear if the company will be able to stabilize its earnings. On Friday,

Tokyo, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–Indie video games developed on modest budgets by individuals and small teams are gaining traction in Japan for their innovative ideas and variety often absent from major studio titles. Advances in development tools have helped lower barriers to

Seoul, Nov. 25 (Jiji Press)–South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has said that the country needs to calmly watch rising Japan-China tensions stemming from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark over Taiwan and do its best to maximize its national interest. The

(Adnkronos) – The United States “understands the importance of the Taiwan issue for China”. This was reportedly stated by American President Donald Trump during a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, according to Xinhua.  

(Adnkronos) – Poland has summoned the Israeli ambassador to Warsaw, Yaakov Finkelstein, over a post published on X by Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust museum. This was announced on X by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who is protesting against a post

(Adnkronos) – Controlled Human Infection Models (CHIM), clinical studies in which carefully selected volunteers are deliberately exposed to controlled doses of pathogens, are now used in several European countries, while Japan remains cautious. Also known as ‘human challenge studies’, they are considered