Latest News

19 Marzo 2026

Takaichi Arrives in U.S. for Talks with Trump

Washington, March 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in the United States on Wednesday night, ahead of her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump the following day. The prime minister flew to the U.S. Air Force’s Joint Base Andrews near
19 Marzo 2026

Nikkei Sheds Over 1,600 Points in Morning

Tokyo, March 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average gave up over 1,600 points briefly in Tokyo trading Thursday morning, following overnight falls in key U.S. stock indexes. At 10:13 a.m., the index of 225 selected issues listed on the Tokyo
19 Marzo 2026

OPINION: Japan Cannot Afford to Leave Foreign Children Behind

By Nobutoshi Kobayashi Commentary Writer Tokyo, March 19 (Jiji Press)–Asked where she considers home, 32-year-old Juri Afuso paused for a moment. “Japan,” she said firmly. “That’s where I come back to.” Afuso was born and raised in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, to Brazilian
19 Marzo 2026

Japanese Nationals Urged to Leave Iraq Immediately

Tokyo, March 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Foreign Ministry has raised its travel alert to the highest Level 4 for the whole of Iraq, urging Japanese nationals in the country to leave it immediately. The move reflects the deteriorating situation in Iraq, where pro-Iran
19 Marzo 2026

Iran Tensions Overshadowing Inbound Travel to Japan

Tokyo, March 19 (Jiji Press)–Escalating tensions over Iran following U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country are beginning to affect foreigners’ travel to Japan. A number of flights have been canceled as airports in Middle East countries and airspace over the region
19 Marzo 2026

U.S. Report Calls Takaichi’s Taiwan Remarks “Significant Shift”

Washington, March 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s parliamentary remarks last year on a potential Taiwan contingency marked a “significant shift,” a U.S. government report said Wednesday. The 2026 annual threat assessment of the U.S. intelligence community, released by the Office
19 Marzo 2026

Nikkei Sheds Over 1,500 Points in Early Trade

Tokyo, March 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average gave up over 1,500 points in early trading in Tokyo on Thursday, following overnight falls in key U.S. stock indexes. At 9:06 a.m., the index of 225 selected issues listed on the
19 Marzo 2026

German Defense Chief Pistorius to Visit Japan

Berlin, March 18 (Jiji Press)–The German government said Wednesday that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will visit Asia-Pacific countries including Japan, Singapore and Australia for nine days from Friday. The security of Europe and that of the Indo-Pacific region are closely interconnected, a
19 Marzo 2026

Navon to Become Israel’s New Ambassador to Japan

Cairo, March 19 (Jiji Press)–The Israeli Foreign Ministry has announced the appointment of foreign policy expert Emmanuel Navon, 55, as ambassador to Japan to succeed Gilad Cohen, 58. International order and geopolitics are the main research themes of Navon, who teaches international
18 Marzo 2026

USA, limits on the use of AI by the Pentagon, bill proposed

(Adnkronos) – Regulating and limiting the use of artificial intelligence by the Pentagon. This is the objective of the bill introduced by Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin, a member of the Armed Services Committee. This is reported by the Nbc broadcaster, emphasizing
18 Marzo 2026

Norway, 7 years in prison requested for crown princess’s son

(Adnkronos) – The Oslo prosecutor’s office has requested a sentence of seven years and seven months in prison for Marius Borg Høiby, son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who appears in hundreds of the so-called ‘Epstein files’, and of businessman Morten Borg,
18 Marzo 2026

Takaichi Leaves for 1st U.S. Visit as P.M. to Meet Trump

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday night departed for Washington to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on her first visit to the United States since taking office in October last year. Ensuring the safety of
18 Marzo 2026

Chinese Coast Guard Ships Enter Japanese Waters off Senkakus

Naha, Okinawa Pref., March 18 (Jiji Press)–Four Chinese Coast Guard ships entered Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa on Wednesday. According to the Japan Coast Guard’s 11th regional headquarters in Naha, the capital of Okinawa,
18 Marzo 2026

Japan, Singapore Agree to Deepen Strategic Cooperation

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Singaporean counterpart, Lawrence Wong, agreed Wednesday to deepen their countries’ strategic cooperation in various fields, including the economy, national security and digitalization. During their meeting at the prime minister’s office in
18 Marzo 2026

Ceasefire Needed for SDF Dispatch to Hormuz: Takaichi

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday that the establishment of a ceasefire is a prerequisite for the dispatch of Self-Defense Forces troops to the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transportation waterway that has been effectively blocked
18 Marzo 2026

New Bird Species Found in Japan for 1st Time in 45 Years

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)–An international research team including Japan’s Yamashina Institute for Ornithology said Wednesday that it has discovered a new bird species in the Tokara Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The new bird, named the Tokara Leaf Warbler, or
18 Marzo 2026

Japan Pump Price Hits Record High of 190.8 Yen

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)–The average retail price of regular gasoline in Japan surged by 29 yen from a week earlier to a record high of 190.8 yen per liter as of Monday, the industry ministry said Wednesday. The pace of increase
18 Marzo 2026

Many Major Japan Firms Fully Accept Pay Hike Demands

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)–Many major Japanese companies fully accepted their unions’ pay hike demands Wednesday, when this year’s “shunto” spring labor-management negotiations reached a climax. Despite an uncertain business environment due partly to U.S. President Donald Trump’s high tariff policy and
18 Marzo 2026

3 Opposition Parties to Join Suprapartisan Talks on Tax Cut

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)–The Centrist Reform Alliance, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito agreed Wednesday to join the National Council for Social Security for suprapartisan talks on a proposed consumption tax reduction and a refundable tax credit system. The
18 Marzo 2026

Chinese Visitors to Japan Down 45 Pct in Feb.

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)–The estimated number of Chinese visitors to Japan in February fell 45.2 pct from a year earlier to 396,400, marking a decline for the third consecutive month, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. Meanwhile, the overall number
1 2 3 279