Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Kimiya Yui and three other astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Thursday, aboard the U.S. spacecraft Crew Dragon. The spacecraft splashed down in waters off the coast of California at around 5:40 p.m.

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–The leaders of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, a former member of the ruling bloc, agreed Thursday to form a new centrist party as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to call a

Yokohama, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka was accused Thursday of abusive remarks and inappropriate behavior toward city officials and assembly members. Atsushi Kubota, 49, head of the human resources department at the Yokohama municipal government, held a press conference in

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese and Philippine foreign ministers met in Manila on Thursday and signed a bilateral acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, or ACSA, to allow Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military to exchange supplies, such as fuel and ammunition,

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–The probability of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8-8.5 occurring along the Chishima Trench off the city of Nemuro in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido within 30 years has risen to around 90 pct from around

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese government panel began talks on Thursday to draw up a new growth strategy for the financial sector by this summer. “We hope to develop a financial strategy by the summer to unleash the potential of the

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Leaders of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, also an opposition party, agreed Thursday to form a new centrist party consisting of the two parties’ House of Representatives lawmakers ahead of the next general

(Adnkronos) – An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 on the Richter scale was recorded in the Dead Sea and the southern Negev. This was announced by the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre. According to reports, the earthquake’s epicenter was located near Dimona. The Magen David

(Adnkronos) – Polls open in Uganda for legislative and presidential elections, with Yoweri Museveni seeking to extend his 40 years in power. As reported by AFP, two hours after the start of consultations, some polling stations have not yet opened. This affects

(Adnkronos) – American President Donald Trump lashed out at the city of Minneapolis, stating that ”there is no food, no cleanliness, no services, only fraud”. In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump stated that in Minneapolis ”people receive millions of taxpayer

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–The approval rate for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet increased 1.1 percentage points to 61.0 pct in January from the previous month, a poll conducted by Jiji Press showed Thursday. The cabinet has been able to maintain

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Thursday that its sales dropped by over 20 pct last December from a year earlier, as the company was forced to cut shipments following a computer system glitch due to a cyberattack on its

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Leaders of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, also an opposition party, agreed Thursday to form a new centrist party consisting of the two parties’ House of Representatives lawmakers ahead of the next general

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Over 60 pct of respondents in Japan believe that their country should not possess nuclear weapons, a Jiji Press public opinion poll showed Thursday. The survey found that 62.6 pct of respondents do not agree with a senior

Karuizawa, Nagano Pref., Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Bereaved families on Thursday mourned the victims of a fatal ski tour bus crash in the town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, 10 years ago. Together with his wife, Yoshinori Tahara, 60, head of a

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Over half of respondents support the enactment of legislation to reduce the number of seats in Japan’s House of Representatives during the upcoming ordinary session of parliament, a Jiji Press opinion poll showed Thursday. The survey found that

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police have arrested a Thai woman on suspicion of having a girl from the Southeast Asian nation provide sexual services at a massage parlor in the Japanese capital in violation of the child welfare law. Arrested by

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Over 30 pct of respondents oppose the Democratic Party for the People joining the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, a Jiji Press opinion poll showed Thursday. According to the poll, 32.3

Omaezaki, Shizuoka Pref., Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Chubu Electric Power Co. President Kingo Hayashi and other company officials on Thursday apologized to Masaru Shimomura, mayor of the city of Omaezaki, home to the firm’s Hamaoka nuclear power station, over its earthquake risk data

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–The approval rate for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet increased 1.1 percentage points to 61.0 pct in January from the previous month, a poll conducted by Jiji Press showed Thursday. The cabinet has been able to maintain

Omaezaki, Shizuoka Pref., Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Chubu Electric Power Co. President Kingo Hayashi and other company officials on Thursday apologized to Masaru Shimomura, mayor of the city of Omaezaki, home to the firm’s Hamaoka nuclear power station, over its earthquake risk data

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police have arrested 13 people sent back from Cambodia for their suspected involvement in so-called special fraud conducted through a base in the Southeast Asian nation. The joint investigation headquarters of Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department and the

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–The health ministry has released for the first time five-year survival rates for new cancer patients by cancer site that are based on data from Japan’s national registry. According to the data on some 990,000 people diagnosed with

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s producer prices in 2025 went up 3.2 pct from the previous year, reflecting surges in rice prices and progress in the pass-through of increased material costs, the Bank of Japan said in a preliminary report Thursday. The

Washington, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a recent meeting with Japan’s finance chief noted that excess volatility in foreign exchange rates is undesirable, the Treasury Department said Wednesday. Bessent noted “the inherent undesirability of excess exchange rate volatility”

(The first sentence in the fourth paragraph should have read, “…forged name seal…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) EXCLUSIVE: Judicial Scrivener Arrested over Property Scam in Osaka Osaka, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police have arrested two men, including a

Hiroshima, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–A wooden relief depicting the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, long displayed at an art gallery, has returned to the junior high school where it was created about 50 years ago, after being restored by alumni. The

Omaezaki, Shizuoka Pref., Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–Chubu Electric Power Co. President Kingo Hayashi and other company officials on Thursday apologized to Masaru Shimomura, mayor of the city of Omaezaki, home to the firm’s Hamaoka nuclear power station, over its earthquake risk data

Komoro, Nagano Pref., Jan. 15 (Jiji Press)–A rescue worker recalled the 2016 crash of a ski tour bus in Karuizawa in the central Japan prefecture of Nagano that killed 15 people and injured 26 others, ahead of the 10th anniversary of the

Paris, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–The foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major powers on Wednesday denounced in a joint statement Iranian authorities’ oppression on antigovernment protesters. “We strongly oppose the intensification of the Iranian authorities’ brutal repression of the Iranian people,”