Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s gross domestic product in April-June grew 0.3 pct from the previous quarter after price and seasonal adjustments, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report Monday. The reading represents a 1.1 pct annualized rise. The annualized figure

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–Amid a surge in bear-related incidents across Japan, local governments and companies are increasingly turning to drones as part of efforts to prevent attacks and reduce damage. Beyond their use in aerial searches for bears, drones are proving

Chiba, Aug. 16 (Jiji Press)–The death toll from record rainfall in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, this month has risen to 10, including cases under investigation for links with the disaster, while one person remains missing, the prefectural government said Sunday. The

Tokyo, Aug. 16 (Jiji Press)–As Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is believed to be considering reshuffling her cabinet and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s executive lineup in September, a focal point is how she will treat those close to LDP Vice President

Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Aug. 16 (Jiji Press)–A new-type Shinkansen train, manufactured in Japan, has been delivered to Taiwan for the first time. On Saturday, the 12 N700ST train cars, which feature iconic orange and black lines on a white body, were unloaded from

Frankfurt, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan won the silver medal in the group all-around competition at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Frankfurt, Germany, on Saturday, securing a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which is awarded to the top three finishers.

Tokyo, Aug. 16 (Jiji Press)–Fumiko Yamamoto still vividly remembers the moment she entered a gymnasium-turned-morgue as a nurse in the aftermath of the 1985 Japan Airlines jumbo jet crash. As she passed through the blackout curtain, “something heavy pressed down on my

Tokyo, Aug. 16 (Jiji Press)–Kazuhiko Takahashi, 98, who was the oldest war-bereaved relative to attend Saturday’s war-end anniversary ceremony in Tokyo, calls for remembering the fact that some 3.1 million Japanese people died in World War II. With the horrors of the

Chiba, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–The death toll from this week’s record rain in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, has risen to nine, while one man is still missing, the prefectural government’s disaster response headquarters said Saturday. In the prefecture, a total of

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not visit Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, but worshiped toward the war-related shrine from afar before attending a national war anniversary ceremony.

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government held a memorial ceremony in Tokyo on Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, with attendees remembering about 3.1 million victims in the war and renewing their pledge for

Chiba, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–The death toll from this week’s record rain in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, has risen to eight, while one man is still missing, the prefectural government’s disaster response headquarters said Saturday. In the prefecture, a total of

Seoul, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–South Korean President Lee Jae-myung expressed his intention to develop a future-oriented relationship with Japan in his speech at a ceremony in Seoul on Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the Korean Peninsula’s liberation from Japanese colonial

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not use the word “remorse” in her speech at an annual war memorial ceremony in Tokyo on Saturday, the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, apparently out of consideration

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government held a memorial ceremony in Tokyo on Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, with attendees remembering about 3.1 million victims in the war and renewing their pledge for

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–Four Japanese ministers visited Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the country’s 81st war-end anniversary, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a cash offering to the war-linked shrine from her own money in her capacity as president of the

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–Efforts have been made to keep alive the history of public housing for those who returned to Japan from former Manchuria, a northeastern China region once controlled by Japan, and elsewhere after the end of World War II.

(Adnkronos) – At least eight people have died due to the torrential rains described as ‘unprecedented’ by local authorities that have hit eastern Japan. The rains caused power outages in over 20,000 homes in Chiba prefecture. Yesterday, a level five alert, the

(Adnkronos) – The Israeli army confirms the killing of Muhammad Bassam Mushtaha, who was struck two weeks ago in the northern Gaza Strip. Muhammad Mushtaha, the IDF reports, held the role of company commander in the Shati’ battalion, belonging to Hamas’s military

Tokyo, Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has begun considering potential measures against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to one of the four Russian-controlled islands known as the Northern Territories in and claimed by Japan. Options include further strengthening economic sanctions on

(Adnkronos) – German police have arrested two alleged members of the Islamic State (Isis) terrorist organization in eastern Germany and brought them before a judge, authorities confirmed today.  The police operation also involved searching the apartments of the two Iraqi citizens in

Tokyo, Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Bank for International Cooperation said Friday it and two major U.S. banks, Citibank and JPMorgan Chase Bank, will jointly provide 4.61-billion-dollar loans for U.S. projects, based on an investment and loan pledge the Japanese government has

Tokyo, Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)–Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. said Friday that its consolidated net profit in January-June jumped 68.8 pct from a year before to 99.1 billion yen, hitting a first-half record high, thanks to a weaker yen and the sale of

(Adnkronos) – The Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced that they shot down an Mq-9 Reaper drone in the skies of the southern province of Hormozgan. According to Iranian state television, the aircraft was intercepted and destroyed using a “new and advanced defense system”

Tokyo, Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)–The Chinese and Russian ambassadors to Japan have issued a joint statement claiming that their countries made huge sacrifices in the fight against Nazism and Japanese militarism during World War II. The statement was released on Thursday, when

(Adnkronos) – Several people were injured in a fire that broke out inside a multi-story residential building in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin. Dramatic moments were experienced during the rescue operation, a fire department spokesperson announced, with people leaning out of windows

Tokyo, Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Meteorological Agency on Friday raised the volcanic alert for Mount Aso in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto to Level 3 from Level 2, banning entry to the mountain, due to increased volcanic tremor amplitudes and rapidly

Manila, Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)–Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday expressed his eagerness to conclude maritime demarcation talks with Japan by the end of this year. During a press conference, Marcos said that he does not see “any great obstacle” in

Chiba, Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)–Heavy rain that struck Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Thursday evening has left five people dead and two others in cardiopulmonary arrest before subsiding in the small hours of Friday, the prefectural government’s disaster response headquarters said.

Tokyo, Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will visit Saudi Arabia and Oman from Monday through Aug. 22 for talks with local officials on normal maritime navigation and infrastructure reconstruction in the Middle East, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. The