Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan started releasing on Friday additional state oil reserves equivalent to about 20 days of domestic consumption, amid crude oil procurement concerns brought on by the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The reserves will be

Minamata, Kumamoto Pref., May 1 (Jiji Press)–A ceremony to remember Minamata disease victims was held in the southwestern Japan city of Minamata on Friday, the 70th anniversary of the official recognition of the neurological disorder caused by polluted industrial wastewater. The event,

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan are believed to have conducted a yen-buying, dollar-selling market intervention on Thursday night, it was learned Friday. The amount of the intervention has been estimated at around 5-6 trillion yen.

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan are believed to have conducted a yen-buying, dollar-selling market intervention on Thursday night, it was learned Friday. The amount of the intervention has been estimated at around 5-6 trillion yen.

Osaka, May 1 (Jiji Press)–West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, announced Friday a capital and business tie-up with the Resona Holdings Inc. group to make its first foray into the banking business as early as fiscal 2027 starting next April. The

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Film commissions, set up by local governments to attract production crews for location shooting of films, dramas and other works, are contributing to local communities, about a quarter century after the first such commission was launched in Japan.

(Typo in 4th para corrected) Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan ranked 62nd among 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, released on Thursday by Reporters Without Borders, or RSF. The ranking was four notches higher than the previous year. But

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi left Japan on Friday afternoon to visit Vietnam and Australia to affirm cooperation in the field of economic security with the two countries’ leaders. During her visit to Vietnam, Takaichi is slated to

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health ministry will establish a secretariat for the disaster medical assistance team, or DMAT, program in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and another in the Kyushu southwestern region within fiscal 2026, which started last month. By creating

Sydney, May 1 (Jiji Press)–A 29-year-old Australian flight instructor and a 24-year-old Japanese student died in a plane crash at an Australian airport on Wednesday, police and others said. A Diamond DA42 twin-engine aircraft carrying the two crashed into a hangar at

Osaka, May 1 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese female prosecutor who was allegedly sexually assaulted by her male boss in 2018 submitted a resignation letter to her office in Osaka on Thursday. The prosecution did not give any concrete response to her request for

New York, April 30 (Jiji Press)–Hiroshima Governor Mika Yokota has highlighted the significance of abolishing nuclear weapons, at an event held on the sidelines of a review conference for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. “The only sure way to prevent the use of

Manila, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have discussed measures to strengthen energy cooperation between the two countries, at a meeting in Manila. Visiting the Philippines as a special envoy of Japanese Prime

Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association May 1 Yr/Yr Change Total 118,582 units Down 5.7 pct Passenger Cars 91,447 Down 4.8 Trucks 27,135 Down 8.9 -Brand- Suzuki 42,559 Down 7.4 Daihatsu 37,776 Down 5.0 Mitsubishi 4,278 Down 13.1 Subaru 1,297 Up

Japan Automobile Dealers Association May 1 Yr/Yr Change Total 255,370 units Up 17.6 pct Over-2,000-c.c. Cars 145,773 Up 13.0 Smaller Cars 77,596 Up 24.9 Trucks 30,959 Up 22.8 Buses 1,042 Up 33.6 -Brand- Daihatsu 2,490 Up 67.7 Honda 27,937 Up 13.5 Lexus

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Inflation in central Tokyo slowed to 1.5 pct year-on-year in April from 1.7 pct in the previous month, the Japanese internal affairs ministry said Friday. The pace of growth in the core consumer price index for Tokyo’s densely

New York, April 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan announced in New York on Thursday that 115 nations and regions have taken part in a joint statement calling for promoting education on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. Tomiko Ichikawa, Japan’s disarmament ambassador, delivered the statement at

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese professional tennis star Kei Nishikori said on social media Friday that he will retire from competition at the end of this season. Nishikori, 36, who was formerly ranked fourth in the world in men’s tennis singles and

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese government advisory panel on Thursday approved a plan to raise compulsory automobile liability insurance premiums by 6.2 pct on average, effective on Nov. 1, the first hike in 13 years. The decision by the Compulsory Automobile

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–The dollar hovered around 157 yen in Tokyo trading Friday morning, after the Japanese currency spiked against the greenback in overnight foreign trading amid speculation of market intervention by Japanese authorities. At noon, the dollar stood at 157.22-23

New York, April 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. will scrap its plans to produce electric vehicles at its vehicle assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi, company officials said Thursday. The decision apparently reflects sluggish EV sales following the end of U.S.

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said Thursday that it swung into net loss in the fiscal year ended in March due to costs for decommissioning its disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. The company logged a group

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese airlines ANA Holdings Inc. and Japan Airlines said Thursday that they forecast sharply lower profits for the year ending in March 2027 as the war in Iran sent fuel prices surging. ANA, the parent of All

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Hirohiko Okano, a prominent Japanese tanka poet who served as a poetry selector for the annual “Utakai Hajime” New Year’s poetry-reading ceremony at the Imperial Palace, died on April 24. He was 101. Born in the western Japan

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s green tea exports are surging, driven by a strong matcha boom around the world. According to customs-cleared trade statistics released by the Finance Ministry on Tuesday, exports of green tea in fiscal 2025, which ended in March,

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Local governments in Japan are wary of a possible increase in administrative workload resulting from a refundable tax credit program that is being discussed at a nonpartisan forum. While discussions about designing the program, which is aimed at

Tokyo, April 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Environment Ministry plans to begin a health survey as early as this year on residents of coastal areas hit by the outbreak of Minamata mercury poisoning disease caused by water pollution from industrial waste. The survey on

Sapporo, April 30 (Jiji Press)–Police on Thursday arrested a man for allegedly burning his wife’s body in an incinerator at his workplace, Asahiyama Zoo, in the city of Asahikawa in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido. Arrested by the Hokkaido police department

Tokyo, April 30 (Jiji Press)–Makino Milling Machine Co. said Thursday that Asian investment fund MBK Partners has withdrawn its plan to launch a tender offer for the major Japanese machine tool maker. MBK Partners accepted the Japanese government’s advisory for the fund

Tokyo, April 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during phone talks Thursday to ensure that all ships, including those from Japan and other Asian nations, can safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz as early as