Bangkok, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan should apply penalties to the customer’s side, as well as the seller’s side, over prostitution, Pavena Hongsakul, president of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, a Thai organization that supports victims of sex trafficking, said. A

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday called for investment in Japan at a Saudi Arabia-led international financial conference, quoting a famous line from the popular Japanese manga series “Attack on Titan.” After mentioning the popularity of Japanese

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum will exhibit next year some 200 masterpieces of Japanese art mainly from the British Museum, including “ukiyo-e” traditional woodblock prints and “fusuma-e” paintings on sliding door panels. Titled “Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks and government bonds were heavily sold on Monday, amid growing speculation about an early interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan. On the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the benchmark Nikkei 225 average slid 950.63 points, or

Nagoya, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Monday that the central bank delaying an interest rate hike could cause turmoil. “Being slow to adjust the degree of monetary easing could take inflation to levels as high as in

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks and government bonds were heavily sold on Monday, amid growing speculation of an early interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan. On the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the benchmark Nikkei 225 average slid 950.63 points, or

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi and Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai), the LDP’s coalition partner, met on Monday and agreed on the framework for a proposed

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Eight Japanese nationals stranded in Indonesia due to heavy rains are safe and in good health, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Monday. They are staying in hotels with electricity, water and food, and will be evacuated

Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association Dec. 1 Yr/Yr Change Total 135,006 units Down 3.4 pct Passenger Cars 105,467 Down 2.5 Trucks 29,539 Down 6.2 -Brand- Suzuki 44,290 Down 9.1 Daihatsu 42,254 Up 8.0 Mitsubishi 7,039 Up 12.9 Subaru 1,080 Down

Japan Automobile Dealers Association Dec. 1 Yr/Yr Change Total 234,715 units Down 6.1 pct Over-2,000-c.c. Cars 132,488 Down 16.3 Smaller Cars 69,511 Up 8.4 Trucks 32,049 Up 19.9 Buses 667 Down 3.5 -Brand- Daihatsu 2,144 Up 44.1 Honda 26,322 Down 8.0 Lexus

Nagoya, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Monday that the central bank will make an appropriate decision on whether to raise interest rates at its next monetary policy meeting scheduled for Dec. 18-19. “The bank will examine and

Osaka, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–The 2025 World Exposition in Osaka has boosted earnings at major railroad operators in western Japan, with Osaka Metro Co. and Western Japan Railway Co., or JR West, set to pay special bonuses to their employees. Four out

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese nonfinancial firms’ combined ordinary profits in July-September grew 19.7 pct from a year before to 27,538.5 billion yen, a record high for the quarter, according to a quarterly survey report released by the Finance Ministry on Monday.

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department on Monday added a new feature to its Digi Police crime prevention app that blocks incoming calls from international numbers and those believed to have been used for special fraud. When the new feature

Nagoya, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Monday that the central bank will make an appropriate decision on whether to raise interest rates at its next monetary policy meeting scheduled for Dec. 18-19. “The bank will examine and

Sapporo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–A fire has occurred at Nippon Steel Corp.’s North Nippon Works in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido. A resident near the steelworks called a local fire department around 12:50 a.m. Monday, reporting that a fire is believed

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average shed nearly 900 points in morning trading Monday, amid growing speculation of an early interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan. The Nikkei average finished the morning at 49,407.31, down 846.60

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–BYD Co. released its first plug-in hybrid model for the Japanese market on Monday as the Chinese electric vehicle giant seeks to expand sales in the country where EV adoption is slow. The plug-in SUV, the Sealion 6,

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–NTT Docomo Business Inc. has begun deploying drones to locate and drive away wild bears, in partnership with the village of Showa in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, Jiji Press has learned. The high-performance drones featuring a camera equipped

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has expressed her sympathies for the victims of a cyclone that struck Sri Lanka recently. “I am deeply saddened by the loss of many precious lives caused by the cyclone,” she said in

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Dark clouds are hanging over the Japanese ruling coalition’s plan to cut the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament. Reducing Lower House seats is a key

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Amid a summer of intense heat across many regions of Japan, fires linked to electric devices powered by lithium-ion batteries increased this year. With the arrival of winter, the use of electrically heated clothing and rechargeable hand warmers

Jakarta, Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese Embassy in Indonesia said Sunday that eight Japanese nationals have been stranded in the province of Aceh on the northern end of Indonesia’s Sumatra island due to torrential rains that began on Monday. All of them

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, turned 24 on Monday. The princess has spent her days busy yet fulfilling, balancing her work at the Japanese Red Cross Society with her official duties

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese central government and Okinawa Prefecture remained apart Sunday over the planned relocation of a U.S. military base within the southernmost Japan prefecture. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara visited Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki at the

Tokyo, Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)–Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said in a television program on Sunday that Japan should work on making its economic structure self-reliant, advocating for breaking away from dependence on China. The remark came

Tokyo, Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)–Katsuya Okada of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan said in a recent interview with Jiji Press that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s parliamentary remark on a possible Taiwan contingency “could become a path leading to war.”

Tokyo, Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)–About 60 pct of designated emergency evacuation sites in areas expected to be damaged by tsunami do not have stockpiles, a survey by Japan’s Cabinet Office showed Sunday. The rate rose to about 80 pct when limited to

Tokyo, Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)–The yen’s recent rapid depreciation against other major currencies is clearly not driven by economic fundamentals, Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said in a television program on Sunday, cautioning against speculative moves on the foreign exchange market. “It’s

Tokyo, Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, celebrated his 60th birthday on Sunday. In a press conference held in advance at the Akasaka East Residence in Tokyo, the Crown Prince said that he had “opportunities