Osaka, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Panasonic Holdings Corp. said Wednesday that it has lowered its consolidated operating and net profit estimates for the year ending in March, due to rising restructuring costs. The Japanese company’s operating profit is now projected at 290 billion

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–A video message from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, posted on YouTube by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has garnered over 100 million views as of Wednesday, a rarity for a political video. Some have questioned how much

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Fisheries Agency plans to increase the catch quota for Japanese common squid in the next fishing season, starting in April, by 3.6-fold from the previous season’s initial level to 68,400 tons, it was learned Wednesday. The increase

(Adnkronos) – Two Chinese investigative journalists, Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao, have been detained by police after publishing an investigation that allegedly revealed corruption cases linked to an official in Sichuan province. Human rights organizations denounce this, stating that Liu was detained

(Adnkronos) – Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has denounced the spraying of “toxic substances” by Israeli planes on fields and orchards in several border villages in southern Lebanon, describing it as “a blatant violation of Lebanese sovereignty, as well as an environmental and

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Five major Japanese banking groups saw their combined consolidated net profits in April-December 2025 rise 14.1 pct from a year before to 4,716.9 billion yen, according to their earnings reports released by Wednesday. The profit growth reflected interest

(Adnkronos) – “Congratulations on taking office as prime minister… you have managed to defeat some extraordinary men… My wife and daughters fully support you.” On October 26 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country chairs ASEAN this year, greeted

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, aims to launch the improved Epsilon S rocket in fiscal 2026, which starts in April, using an existing second-stage engine, officials said Wednesday. The agency submitted the plan to the day’s

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo High Court will decide on March 4 whether to back a lower court’s order for the Unification Church to disband itself, informed sources said Wednesday. If the high court upholds the dissolution order, it will take effect

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Federation of Basic Industry Workers’ Unions decided Wednesday to demand a monthly pay scale increase of 15,000 yen in this year’s “shunto” spring wage negotiations. The unified demand is at the same level as the previous

(Adnkronos) – Over 250 people have been killed in a series of coordinated attacks launched by separatists in Pakistan’s Balochistan province since Saturday and during counter-terrorism operations initiated by security forces to counter the attackers. A security official announced this today.  Pakistan

(Adnkronos) – At least 35 people have been killed by armed men in Kwara state, in central-western Nigeria. Local authorities, quoted by Afp, reported this. “I was told that between 35 and 40 bodies were counted,” said Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, local deputy

(Adnkronos) – Saif al-Islam Gaddafi died from gunshot wounds. The Prosecutor General’s office confirmed this morning, as reported by the Libyan agency Lana, following yesterday’s news of the death of Muammar Gaddafi’s son, killed yesterday in Libya, in the Zintan area. The

(Adnkronos) – The death toll from Israeli air and artillery raids on the Gaza Strip has risen to 17, including three children and six women. Gaza Civil Defense reported this. The Israeli army said it conducted “precision attacks” in response to direct

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Attention is being paid to whether parties calling for constitutional amendments in Japan will secure seats enough for parliament to propose the changes to the people, in Sunday’s election for the House of Representatives, its lower chamber. Views

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Calls are rising for more discussions on whether to boost Japan’s defense capabilities during the campaign for Sunday’s House of Representatives election, the first national poll since the departure from the ruling coalition of Komeito, which had long

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Retail gold prices in Japan have been volatile over the past week, swung by developments outside the country. Tanaka Precious Metal Technologies Co., based in Tokyo, set its tax-inclusive retail gold price at a record high of 30,248

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and ruling parties are considering convening the Diet for a 150-day session from Feb. 18, after Sunday’s general election, informed sources said Wednesday. This schedule assumes that the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition will win a

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Innovation Party is worried that it is overshadowed by popular Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in campaigning for Sunday’s House of Representatives election. The poll for the all-important lower parliamentary

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police arrested a 40-year-old nursery school teacher on Wednesday on suspicion of indecent assault on an elementary school boy during an accommodation event hosted by an after-school child care center. The suspect, Masaaki Kimura, who works at

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s foreign exchange fund special account is attracting attention as a possible source of funding for consumption tax reduction or elimination proposed by many parties ahead of Sunday’s general election. The account holds as its assets the foreign

Nara, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–The defense for Tetsuya Yamagami filed an appeal with Osaka High Court on Wednesday to challenge the indefinite prison term handed down by Nara District Court for the 2022 murder of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “Following

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police have arrested a nursery school teacher for allegedly sexually abusing a boy during an overnight program, people familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. The Metropolitan Police Department arrested Masaaki Kimura, 40, who works at a nursery

Milan, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese Olympic Committee has established a special team to protect athletes participating in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics from defamation, the first such effort for both the summer and winter games. The team consists of six members at

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Changes must be made across a wide range of settings to overcome deeply rooted gender roles and achieve gender equality, Tomoko Yoshino, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, the umbrella organization for labor unions in the country,

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–A total of 117 Japanese lawmakers said they believe the country should sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a survey by the hibakusha atomic bomb survivor group Nihon Hidankyo has shown. Meanwhile, the

Sapporo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–A popular annual snow festival kicked off in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, on Wednesday, showcasing 210 ice and snow sculptures across three venues. The 76th Sapporo Snow Festival, which runs until Feb. 11, is expected

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Japan Airlines has said that its passenger revenue on China routes last December was about 20 pct lower than its initial plan, following Beijing’s notices advising Chinese citizens against traveling to Japan. The weakness continued into January and

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Prudential Life Insurance Co. said Wednesday it will suspend new policy sales for 90 days in response to a large-scale fraud scandal that came to light last month. The insurer said the decision was made to prioritize overhauling

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s five largest securities firms posted higher revenue and profit for April-December last year as rising stock prices lifted brokerage fee revenue and robust merger and acquisition activity boosted advisory fee revenue. The broader adoption of Japan’s revamped