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19 Aprile 2026

LDP Less Eager Than JIP on Lower House Seat Cut

Tokyo, April 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, are slated to resume later this month working-level talks on cutting the number of the House of Representatives seats by 10 pct. Last month, the
19 Aprile 2026

N. Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles toward Sea of Japan

Seoul/Tokyo, April 19 (Jiji Press)–North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan from an area around Sinpo in the east of the country around 6:10 a.m. Sunday, the South Korean military said. The missiles are believed to have
19 Aprile 2026

Compact EV Competition Heating Up in Japan

Tokyo, April 19 (Jiji Press)–Competition is intensifying in the Japanese market for electric minivehicles and compact electric vehicles, with Chinese automaker BYD Co. set to join the race this summer. Some industry officials expect greater competition will help revitalize the domestic EV
19 Aprile 2026

Takaichi Actively Engages in Summit Diplomacy over Iran Crisis

Tokyo, April 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is actively engaging in summit diplomacy with leaders of other Asian nations and countries in Europe and the Middle East amid the prolonged crisis over Iran. She apparently aims to demonstrate Japan’s presence
19 Aprile 2026

INTERVIEW: TSE Planning New Disclosure Rules for Midsize Firms

Tokyo, April 19 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Stock Exchange Inc. plans to introduce new disclosure rules for midsize companies that have not published specific measures to improve capital efficiency, its president, Ryusuke Yokoyama, has said in a recent interview. Although three years have passed
19 Aprile 2026

N. Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles toward Sea of Japan

Seoul/Tokyo, April 19 (Jiji Press)–North Korea fired several ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan from an area around Sinpo in the east of the country around 6:10 a.m. Sunday, the South Korean military said. The missiles are forecast to have fallen
19 Aprile 2026

N. Korea Launches Possible Ballistic Missile

(The final paragraph should have read, “…eastern province of…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) N. Korea Launches Possible Ballistic Missile Tokyo, April 19 (Jiji Press)–An object that may be a ballistic missile has been launched from North Korea, Japan’s
19 Aprile 2026

Japanese Fishers Hit Hard by High Crude Oil Prices

Tokyo, April 19 (Jiji Press)–High crude oil prices reflecting the turmoil in the Middle East have hit the Japanese fishing industry hard, including through surges in costs for fuel and related equipment. The owner of a company in the city of Kesennuma,
18 Aprile 2026

Ex-Death Row Inmate’s Sister Slams Govt Retrial Review Plan

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–The elder sister of former Japanese death-row inmate Iwao Hakamata, 90, who was acquitted in a retrial, criticized on Saturday the Justice Ministry’s current bill to reform the nation’s retrial system. Attending a rally held in front of
18 Aprile 2026

Ex-Death Row Inmate’s Sister Slams Govt Retrial Review Plan

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–The elder sister of former Japanese death-row inmate Iwao Hakamata, 90, who was acquitted in a retrial, criticized on Saturday the Justice Ministry’s current bill to reform the nation’s retrial system. Attending a rally held in front of
18 Aprile 2026

Japan, Australia to Expand Regional Security Cooperation

Melbourne, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles agreed Saturday to expand cooperation between their countries and with like-minded nations for the security of the Indo-Pacific region. In a meeting in Melbourne, the two ministers
18 Aprile 2026

Strong Quakes Jolt Nagano Pref. in Central Japan

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Two powerful earthquakes struck northern areas of Nagano Prefecture in central Japan on Saturday, with the first temblor measuring up to upper 5, the fourth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency,
18 Aprile 2026

Strong Quakes Jolt Nagano Pref. in Central Japan

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Two powerful earthquakes struck northern areas of Nagano Prefecture in central Japan on Saturday, with the first temblor measuring up to upper 5, the fourth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency,
18 Aprile 2026

CRA’s Ogawa Calls for Dialogue, Consensus in Int’l Conference

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Junya Ogawa, leader of Japan’s main opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, has called for “dialogue and consensus” to better the world at an international conference of center-left political parties. At a panel discussion in the inaugural Global Progressive Mobilization
18 Aprile 2026

Japan, EU Hold 1st Defense Industry Dialogue

Brussels, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan and the European Union have held the first dialogue designed to reinforce their cooperation for the defense industry. Amid an increasingly severe global security environment, Japan and the EU aim to work closely together to strengthen supply
18 Aprile 2026

Japan Pledges “All Possible Measures” for Hormuz Safety

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sent a message to an international meeting expressing her country’s determination to take “all possible measures” to improve the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. In the message sent to the meeting
18 Aprile 2026

Strong Quake Jolts Nagano Pref. in Central Japan

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–A powerful earthquake measuring up to upper 5, the fourth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, struck northern areas of Nagano Prefecture in central Japan on Saturday. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake with an
18 Aprile 2026

Japan, Australia to Boost Cooperation for East Asia Security

Melbourne, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles at a meeting in Melbourne on Saturday agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation to ensure security in East Asia. The two ministers confirmed their countries’ cooperation apparently to
18 Aprile 2026

BOJ Caught in Dilemma over Next Rate Hike

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan faces a dilemma of choosing between reining in inflation and propping up the economy as it considers whether to raise the policy interest rate at its next policy-setting meeting April 27-28. The Japanese central
18 Aprile 2026

G-7 Ministers Discuss Increasing Aid to Resource-Rich Nations

Washington, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Finance ministers from the Group of Seven major industrialized countries on Friday discussed plans to increase financial aid to resource-rich nations through the World Bank and other entities as part of efforts to build supply chains for rare
18 Aprile 2026

Tokyo IT Firm Head Arrested for Alleged Body Abandonment

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police on Friday arrested the president of Linux Japan, an information technology service provider in the Japanese capital, on suspicion of abandoning a body. The suspect, Katsuya Mizuguchi, 49, has denied the allegations against him, saying, “I
18 Aprile 2026

Tokyo IT Firm Head Arrested for Alleged Body Abandonment

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police on Friday arrested the president of Linux Japan, an information technology service provider in the Japanese capital, on suspicion of abandoning a body. The suspect, Katsuya Mizuguchi, 49, has denied the allegations against him, saying, “I
17 Aprile 2026

Italy, China clinch deals worth €360m during Tajani visit

(Adnkronos) – Export credit agency Sace and Chinese partners finalised three agreements worth a total 360 million euros including two strategic ones to bolster exports in the industrial and wood-furniture sectors, the foreign minister said in a statement.  The deals were signed
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