(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani is tracking the ‘very serious’ cases of three Italian aid workers who were attacked and robbed by Israeli settlers at the house where they were staying near the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, the

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Three major Japanese department store operators on Monday reported year-on-year growth in same-store sales for November, thanks to strong demand for winter clothing amid falling temperatures. Sales rose 5.1 pct at Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co., 3.5 pct

(Adnkronos) – Hong Kong police announced that they have so far arrested 13 people as part of the investigation into the fire that last week caused the death of 146 people in a residential complex. “A thorough investigation for manslaughter was immediately

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is considering setting up its planned disaster management agency under the cabinet on Nov. 1, 2026, Jiji Press learned Monday. In or after fiscal 2027, the agency will have a local base in an area

Jakarta, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–Indonesian authorities evacuated seven of the eight Japanese nationals stranded by torrential rains in the province of Aceh on the northern tip of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, flying them to safety on Monday, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

(Adnkronos) – EU candidate Ukraine must rid itself of the stain of corruption if it wants greater credibility as a democracy, Italy said Monday after Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff and top peace negotiator Andriy Yermak stood down last week amid a

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–“Hataraite, hataraite, hataraite, hataraite and hataraite mairimasu” (I pledge to work, work, work, work and work) and “josei shusho” (female prime minister), both linked to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, were named this year’s top buzzwords in Japan

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–New vehicle sales in Japan fell 5.1 pct in November from a year earlier to 369,721 units, marking the fifth straight monthly decline as few fresh models hit the market, industry data showed Monday. Seven automakers posted year-on-year

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

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