Off Showa Station, Antarctica, Dec. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Antarctic research vessel Shirase carved its way through sea ice and reached a fast ice berthing point about 1,700 meters off Japan’s Showa Station at 12:44 p.m. on Saturday. The waters around East Ongul

Tokyo, Dec. 29 (Jiji Press)–A Bank of Japan policymaker called for raising interest rates “with intervals of a few months” at the central bank’s latest policy-setting meeting this month, according to a summary of opinions at the meeting released on Monday. The

Osaka, Dec. 29 (Jiji Press)–Debate is underway on how to carry forward the legacy of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, western Japan, to ensure that the event does not end up as a one-off success. The Expo was held over six

Tokyo, Dec. 29 (Jiji Press)–A 5-year-old boy died after becoming trapped in an escalator at a ski resort in Otaru in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, according to local police. Around 10 a.m. on Sunday, the boy’s mother called for an

Tokyo, Dec. 29 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is set to begin full procedures to select locations for casino-featuring integrated resorts following Osaka, western Japan. Under the integrated resort implementation law, enacted to promote tourism featuring longer stays, up to three locations can

Tokyo, Dec. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, turned 31 on Monday. As this year marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, she has an even stronger wish

Tokyo, Dec. 28 (Jiji Press)–China may have tested Japan and the United States to see their response through military actions by its aircraft carrier Liaoning and bombers near Japan in December, Jiji Press has learned. The Liaoning and the bombers, which flew

Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref., Dec. 28 (Jiji Press)–Sixty households in the Okunoto region of central Japan, hit hard by the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, had their welfare benefits terminated mainly due to income from donations, Jiji Press learned Sunday. Local welfare offices

Yokohama, Dec. 28 (Jiji Press)–Youth clinics offering consultations on sexual and physical health concerns at affordable prices are expanding their reach in Japan, though public awareness remains limited. “We want people to come without worrying alone or feeling nervous,” said Shoko Kizaki,

Tokyo, Dec. 28 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese group remains resolved to seek state relief for civilians who sustained injuries and other damage from U.S. air raids during World War II, although it failed to attain the goal in the milestone year of 2025.

Tokyo, Dec. 28 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s rice policy is at a crossroads as prices of the country’s staple food stay around record highs, squeezing households. “We’ll change course and boost production,” then Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in August 2025, declaring a change

New York, Dec. 27 (Jiji Press)–U.S. investment company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. plans to keep its shares in five major Japanese trading houses over the long term, even after the exit of CEO Warren Buffett on Wednesday. The five are Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui

Tokyo, Dec. 27 (Jiji Press)–Japanese convenience store chain Lawson Inc. plans to launch as early as 2026 a delivery service for over-the-counter drugs at its stores with no pharmacists or registered sellers present, President Sadanobu Takemasu has said. The service, which allows

Tokyo, Dec. 27 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is merging and abolishing councils that its predecessors set up within the Cabinet Secretariat and the Cabinet Office one after another. The councils, established to implement key policies under the leadership of

Maebashi, Gunma Pref., Dec. 27 (Jiji Press)–A multiple collision accident involving 67 vehicles has happened on the Kan-Etsu Expressway in Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, leaving two people dead and 26 injured. Around 7:30 p.m. Friday, the accident occurred near the expressway’s Minakami

Tokyo, Dec. 27 (Jiji Press)–A survey by a nonprofit organization has shown that 76 pct of needy young people in Japan saw an increase in their monthly food expenditure compared with last year amid the ongoing inflation. DxP, the organization based in

Tokyo, Dec. 27 (Jiji Press)–Japanese lawmaker Muneo Suzuki has said that he conveyed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s stance on Japan-Russia relations to Moscow during his trip to Russia. At a press conference in Moscow on Friday, Suzuki, a member of the House

Maebashi, Gunma Pref., Dec. 27 (Jiji Press)–A truck accident on the Kan-Etsu Expressway in Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, has led to multiple collisions involving more than 50 vehicles, leaving one dead and 26 injured. Around 7:30 p.m. Friday, police received an emergency

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Defense Ministry said Friday that it has decided to suspend Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. from bidding on its projects for two and a half months until March 11, citing data falsifications. According to the ministry, Kawasaki Heavy

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–U.S. military police in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, temporarily detained a civilian by mistake in the city of Okinawa on Nov. 22, a panel between the Japanese and U.S. governments said Friday. The Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to raise basic public pension benefits for the fourth straight year in fiscal 2026, reflecting wage increases, it was learned Friday. Basic pension benefits are expected to rise around 2.0 pct from the preceding

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–The first eight members of Japan’s national team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic were announced on Friday, including two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The eight members also include Yusei Kikuchi of the Los

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s transport ministry and the Cabinet Office announced on Friday a roadmap for revitalizing the country’s shipbuilding industry, aiming to double annual ship output to 18 million gross tons by 2035 through sector realignment. Japan’s share of the

Shizuoka, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–Several people were attacked with a knife at a Yokohama Rubber Co. factory in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Friday evening. Shizuoka police received a report of the attack at around 4:30 p.m. According to rescue authorities,

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s business leaders have offered a mixed response to the government’s draft budget for fiscal 2026, which was adopted at a cabinet meeting on Friday. Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, the country’s biggest

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police on Friday arrested two individuals in a high-profile fraud case involving a luxury watch sharing service. The two are Takazumi Fukuhara, 44, who headed the Osaka-based company providing the service, and Taishi Nakayama, 44, a former

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–The number of new influenza patients in Japan remained above the warning level of 30 per medical institution last week, the health ministry said Friday. New flu cases reported by 3,000 regularly monitored hospitals and clinics across the

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–While the Japanese government’s fiscal 2026 budget bill, adopted on Friday, calls for record-high spending on social security, its efforts to reduce the health insurance premium burden on the working generation are still limited. The budget bill allocates

Beijing, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–The Chinese government is instructing travel agencies in the country to reduce the number of group tours to Japan, it was learned Friday. One agency has been told to lower the frequency of such tours to about 60

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s education ministry said Friday that it has revised the calculation method for the basic school survey, after it was pointed out that the survey’s university entry rate had been calculated without reflecting the rate of graduates from