Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the ruling camp are considering submitting a bill to legalize the use of former surnames by people who changed their original family names upon marriage, informed sources said Wednesday. The bill is likely to

(Adnkronos) – Europe must “be a driver of competitiveness and growth” requiring “a strong industrial policy”, a capital markets union, more research and development investment, and cheaper and more diverse energy supplies, Italy said on Wednesday.  “Europe needs to be a driver

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–A proposed reduction in House of Representatives seats is estimated to affect single-seat constituencies in 20 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka, Gunma and Nagano, it was learned Wednesday. This was revealed in an estimate by the

(Adnkronos) – Eni has inked a multi-year liquified natural gas supply accord with Turkey’s state-owned company Botas. The deal is part of the Italian major’s strategy to diversify its investments globally and boost its LNG portfolio to some 20 million tonnes per

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The umbrella body for labor unions in Japan’s automotive, electronics and other industries formally decided Wednesday to demand pay scale increases of at least 12,000 yen a month in next year’s “shunto” spring labor-management negotiations. With the demand,

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani will pay a visit to strategic partner India “in a few days” as part of his drive to boost exports to non-EU countries, Tajani told the Confimi Industria assembly via video link.  “In a few

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The average retail price of regular gasoline in Japan as of Monday hit the lowest level in three years and 11 months, reflecting an increase in government subsidies, industry ministry data showed Wednesday. The average price at the

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani on Monday described the standoff between the United States and Venezuela as “very tense” and said he hoped “there will be no war” amid a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and deadly US strikes

Nara, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, who is charged with murdering Abe, for the first time on Wednesday. The wife, Akie, sat behind prosecutors and listened to the 13th

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai), on Wednesday told opposition parties that the ruling camp will not submit a bill to increase salaries for lawmakers to the

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the ruling bloc plan to extend the existing tax cut program for mortgage loans for some five years, beyond its scheduled expiry at the end of 2025, informed sources said Wednesday. They will also

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani is taking part in a Nato ministerial meeting in Brussels Wednesday focussed on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, efforts to strengthen the military alliance’s deterrence, defence of its southern flank and on security in the Western Balkans. 

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Diet, Japan’s parliament, on Wednesday enacted a bill revising the antistalking law to prohibit the use of loss prevention tags to track stalking victims’ locations. The revised law, expected to take effect by the end of the

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the newest issue of 10-year Japanese government bonds, regarded as the country’s benchmark long-term interest rate, reached 1.890 pct in Tokyo interdealer trading Wednesday, the highest level since mid-June 2008. JGBs came under selling pressure

Nagoya, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–Hiroto Fuku, a 33-year-old Japanese professional baseball pitcher, cut his hair he had grown for three years after his Chunichi Dragons of the Central League finished its games with Pacific League teams scheduled for June. It was not

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday said that the Japanese economy is gradually shifting from a cost-cutting economy under deflation to a growth-oriented economy. “We will aim to increase tax revenue without raising tax rates” based on

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health ministry plans to give full public health insurance coverage to the cost of childbirth, it was learned Wednesday. The plan, aimed at eliminating out-of-pocket childbirth expenses, is expected to be presented to the medical insurance subcommittee

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is expected to lower the state-set prices of drugs in its fiscal 2026 revision after a health ministry survey found that market prices are lower than the official prices. The survey results, presented Wednesday to

(Adnkronos) – The United States government has suspended immigration applications for citizens from 19 countries. According to an official memo released yesterday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has suspended the processing of green card and citizenship applications for those from countries already

Seoul, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Wednesday that Seoul will not take sides in the recent spat between Japan and China over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan. Taking sides would worsen the standoff between the

(Adnkronos) – South Korea has approved a law banning the launch of balloons in no-fly zones, where overflights are prohibited. This was announced today by Seoul’s unification ministry. The measure is intended to curb activists who use balloons to send anti-Pyongyang leaflets

(Adnkronos) – Searches for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared in 2014, will resume on December 30. This was announced today by the Malaysian Ministry of Transport. The Boeing 777 with 239 people on board disappeared from radar screens on March 8,

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese office and household goods supplier Askul Corp. on Wednesday resumed order receipts on the internet from corporate clients under its “Askul” brand service, following a system failure caused by a cyberattack. Internet order receipts, which had been

Paris, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has put global economic growth for 2026 at 2.9 pct, unchanged from its previous forecast in September. Strong investment in artificial intelligence is expected to support the global economy, leaving the

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–“Hagoita” Japanese wooden paddles featuring Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and 10 other people who made headlines this year were unveiled by Tokyo-based doll maker Kyugetsu Co. on Wednesday. Ohtani was named U.S.

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is expected to lower the state-set prices of drugs in its fiscal 2026 revision after a health ministry survey found that market prices are lower than the official prices. The survey results, presented Wednesday to

Seoul, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Wednesday that Seoul will not take sides in the recent spat between Japan and China over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan. Taking sides will worsen the standoff between the

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has allocated 200 billion yen in its draft fiscal 2025 supplementary budget mainly for Japan Coast Guard activities and U.N. peacekeeping operations, it has been learned. About 100 billion yen will be spent to strengthen

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is working to arrange a summit with five Central Asian countries for Dec. 19-20 in Tokyo. Bilateral meetings between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and leaders from the Central Asian nations are also being considered.

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)–A Chinese cruise operator has canceled its tours to Japan scheduled from late December to late January next year, apparently due to rising tensions between the two East Asian countries. An agent in Japan was notified of the