Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama on Friday expressed concerns over the day’s depreciation of the yen on the foreign exchange market, describing it as “one-sided and rapid.” “We will take appropriate measures against excessive movements, including speculative ones”

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan will provide around 6 billion dollars, or about 940 billion yen, in additional financial assistance to Ukraine in the first half of 2026. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama unveiled this plan at an online meeting of finance

(Adnkronos) – The United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, has ordered the immediate suspension of the Diversity Visa program, the US federal program that annually grants up to 55,000 visas to citizens of countries with low immigration rates, and which

(Adnkronos) – There have been “almost three million” requests for the “direct line” with Vladimir Putin. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, as reported by the Russian agency Tass. “We have collected almost three million requests from citizens in just

(Adnkronos) – The Louvre Museum was able to reopen to the public “normally” today after employees of the Parisian museum voted to end the strike called to demand better working conditions, while maintaining a notice in the event of insufficient progress in

(Adnkronos) – The Swedish government has summoned the Iranian ambassador to Stockholm following news that a compatriot has been sentenced to death in the Islamic Republic. This was announced by the Scandinavian country’s Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, after Tehran’s judiciary announced

(Adnkronos) – London police are investigating several incidents of apparent vandalism against public menorahs in various areas of the English capital. This is reported by the Jewish News, according to which law enforcement could attribute the damage to the Jewish candelabras to

(Adnkronos) – The Wisconsin judge accused of trying to prevent ICE from arresting an undocumented migrant who was in her courtroom has been convicted. Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County court judge, was found guilty of obstructing federal agents but was acquitted of

Nagoya, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–The Fair Trade Commission on Friday recognized bid-rigging by Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Tokai, and five other firms regarding inspection work for bridges installed over railroad tracks in violation of the antimonopoly law, ordering them to

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Four major Japanese banks said Friday that they will raise their annual interest rates on ordinary deposits to 0.3 pct from current 0.2 pct, effective Feb. 2, 2026, following the Bank of Japan’s latest rate hike decision. The

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan and five Central Asian nations kicked off their first-ever leaders’ meeting in Tokyo on Friday, aiming to deepen cooperation on energy and mineral resources and on artificial intelligence. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, chair of the two-day

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling parties agreed Friday to seek to reduce the country’s medical costs by 188 billion yen per year, by revising the eligibility of certain drugs for insurance coverage. The agreement was struck between the policy chiefs of

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering adding Japanese language proficiency as a requirement for permanent residency for foreigners, sources familiar with the matter said Friday. To obtain the status, foreigners will also be mandated to take a

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. said Friday that it plans to invest some 396.2 billion Indian rupees, or about 682.3 billion yen, in major Indian nonbanking financial company Shriram Finance Ltd. The Japanese megabank group will acquire, through

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Emperor Naruhito held separate meetings with the visiting presidents of four Central Asian countries–Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan–at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday. The Emperor and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev talked about, among other things,

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday instructed relevant government agencies to work to hold a summit on artificial intelligence in Japan as early as possible. The envisaged summit would bring together government officials and researchers from countries

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition parties on Friday urged Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to dismiss a senior government official who has said that the country should possess nuclear weapons. The government has emphasized that it remains committed to the three nonnuclear

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–The Fair Trade Commission on Friday recognized bid-rigging by Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Tokai, and five other firms regarding inspection work for bridges installed over railroad tracks in violation of the antimonopoly law, ordering them to

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Defense Ministry resumed ground improvement work in Oura Bay in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, on Friday for the construction of a replacement facility for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma air base also in the southernmost prefecture,

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his New Zealand counterpart, Judith Collins, on Friday agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in the security field amid China’s increasingly hegemonic moves in the Indo-Pacific region. Also on Friday, the Japanese and

(Adnkronos) – Protests, blocked streets in Dhaka this morning after last night’s attacks and vandalism in various areas of Bangladesh, where tension remains high after the news of the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, one of the faces of the 2024 student

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan will raise the main portion of government-set medical service fees, which mainly covers labor costs for medical workers, by 3.09 pct in fiscal 2026, it was learned Friday. The hike is significantly larger than the 0.88 pct

Fukuoka, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–A man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in a stabbing incident near the Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka told investigators he was targeting members of the idol group HKT48, investigative sources

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan should play a key part in re-establishing order in the global trading system disrupted by U.S.-China tensions and U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies, John Denton, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Commerce, said Friday. Japan “plays

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–The ruling bloc of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai) adopted on Friday a tax system reform package for fiscal 2026, including a rise in the taxable income threshold to 1.78

(Adnkronos) – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today announced a broad firearm buyback program following the attack on Bondi Beach in Sydney. Referring to the six weapons legally held by Sajid Akram – the attacker who died during the attack – Anthony

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government will launch a framework of strategic partnership with the Mercosur trade bloc as early as Saturday to discuss stronger economic ties, it was learned Friday. The government will work to hold the first meeting under

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–The Fair Trade Commission on Friday recognized bid-rigging by Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Tokai, and five other firms regarding inspection work for bridges installed over railroad tracks in violation of the antimonopoly law, ordering them to

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–The U.S. military has rejected Okinawa’s requests to conduct on-site inspections at U.S. bases in the southernmost Japan prefecture, after per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, were detected around the facilities, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Friday. The

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–The benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond yield, the country’s key long-term interest rate, hit a 26-year high in Tokyo trading Friday in a bond sell-off after the Bank of Japan’s decision to raise interest rates. The yield on