Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Questions surrounding the salaries of publicly funded secretaries to members of parliament, Japan’s Diet, continue to surface, underscoring persistent concerns about oversight within the country’s political system. Recent cases have renewed scrutiny of allegations that some lawmakers improperly

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan may consider an additional interest rate increase at its next policy meeting Sept. 17-18, following a hike in June, in response to rising risks of higher inflation, informed sources said. Prices in Japan may

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s seasonally adjusted gross domestic product in April-June is projected to have grown a real 2.1 pct from the previous quarter on an annualized basis. The figure represents the average forecast among 10 private-sector think tanks. The Japanese

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Immigration Services Agency has started sharing personal information on foreign nationals subject to deportation proceedings with local governments, as part of a review of policies concerning foreigners pursued by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Previously, such information was

Kumamoto, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Over 6,000 people are still living at evacuation centers following a massive earthquake that struck the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto two weeks ago. As of 6 p.m. Monday, a total of 39 deaths had been confirmed from

(Adnkronos) – A new passenger rail service connects Finland to Sweden, creating for the first time since the 1990s a land rail link running between northern Finland and southern Europe.  The resumption of Finnish cross-border trains, interrupted in 1988, will allow connection

(Adnkronos) – A strong earthquake struck Colombia and was also felt in other Latin American countries, from Panama to Quito, Ecuador. For the earthquake, which shook buildings in the capital Bogota, the Colombian Geological Service estimated a magnitude of 6.6, while the

(Adnkronos) – Russia rules out any possibility of “freezing” the war in Ukraine without first addressing what Moscow calls the “root causes” of the conflict. This was stated to Tass by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, while the United States is

(Adnkronos) – Moldova has recalled its ambassador to Moscow, Lilian Darii, for consultations, after the crash of a Russian drone in Crocmaz, in the southern district of Stefan Voda, which caused damage to some buildings without causing casualties. The Moldovan Foreign Ministry

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will refrain from making overseas trips this summer, except possibly to New York for a U.N. General Assembly session in late September, informed sources said Monday. Takaichi will stay at home to prioritize

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq on Monday to engage in close consultations with the international community, including countries that use the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transportation waterway, amid tensions in

Otsu, Shiga Pref., Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–The organizers of a large fireworks festival planned for Aug. 22 in three cities in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, have announced the event’s cancellation, it was learned Monday. According to local fire authorities, fireworks event organizers

(Adnkronos) – Taiwan has launched its first mobile network slowdown exercise, a new civil defense measure designed to prepare the population for possible communication disruptions in the event of war, cyberattacks, or natural disasters. The South China Morning Post reports that the

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has begun considering incorporating domestically developed artificial intelligence into the Self-Defense Forces’ command and control system, informed sources have said. The government hopes the move will speed up and improve the accuracy of decision-making by

(Adnkronos) – At least 19 Palestinians have been arrested in various areas of the West Bank. This was reported by the Wafa news agency, to which a security source stated that ten of them were arrested in the village of Marah Rabah,

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government said Monday that it has decided to apply the law on postdisaster livelihood reconstruction aid to all areas of the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto, which was hit by a powerful earthquake late last month. Under

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese e-commerce and mobile phone operator Rakuten Group Inc. on Monday posted its first January-June consolidated operating profit in seven years. Its operating profit came to 50.4 billion yen in the first-half period, against a loss of

(Adnkronos) – An explosion occurred during the night in front of a house in the municipality of Evere, Brussels. There are no injuries, one person, in a state of shock, was assisted on site. The blast – which occurred around 3:45 AM

Kumamoto, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Over 6,000 people are still living at evacuation centers following a massive earthquake that struck the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto almost two weeks ago. As of 2 p.m. Monday, a total of 39 deaths had been confirmed

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday that her government is preparing to apply the law on postdisaster livelihood reconstruction aid to all areas of the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto, which was hit by a powerful earthquake late

Kumamoto, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–A massive earthquake that rocked the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto two weeks ago has highlighted difficulties supporting evacuees who opt to stay in their vehicles, rather than at evacuation centers or their own homes. Local municipalities are

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Food delivery service providers in Japan are increasingly allowing customers to order items at prices equivalent to those in physical stores, aiming to increase the number of users by dispelling the belief that such services are costly. In

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Video clips of interrogations were played at Tokyo District Court on Monday in a damages lawsuit against the government for alleged improper interrogations filed by a company president indicted for fraud. Litigant Naoyuki Ikuta, 52, the head of

Nagano, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Newspaper publisher Shinano Mainichi Shimbun and trading firm Hachijuni Link Nagano Co., both in the central Japan prefecture of Nagano, announced Monday a business alliance to expand overseas sales channels for local specialties and increase visitors from abroad.

(Adnkronos) – Twelve people were killed in a drone attack launched by Ukraine against the city of Nizhny Kamsk, in western Russia. The Russian news agency RIA reported this, adding that 39 people were injured. Previously, the Russian Ministry of Defense had

(Adnkronos) – One person has died and five others were injured following a collapse in the Sukari gold mine, Egypt’s largest, according to authorities. A statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum said that “the incident occurred inside a tunnel during underground

Kumamoto, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Over 6,000 people are still living at evacuation centers following a massive earthquake that struck the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto almost two weeks ago. As of 7:30 a.m. Monday, a total of 39 deaths had been confirmed

Uki, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Efforts are underway in Kumamoto Prefecture to provide children with developmental and intellectual disabilities with places to stay during the day and relieve stress, after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the southwestern Japan prefecture late last month.

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Ministry officials have begun to use social media under their own names to combat misinformation, after the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s “hometown” project to promote exchanges between Japanese and African cities came under undue attack. JICA

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Corporate bankruptcies with liabilities of at least 10 million yen in Japan in July rose 6.9 pct from a year before to 1,028, the highest level for the month in 13 years, Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd. said Monday.