Kobe, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office on Friday decided not to indict Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito and two others in connection with the leaking of the private information of a whistleblower who died in July 2024. The other two

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The Supreme Court on Friday backed a hunter seeking to cancel the revocation of his gun license that was decided after he shot a bear at the request of a municipality in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan. The Japanese top

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s industry ministry decided Friday to raise the operating rate of coal-fired thermal power plants for one year from April, amid uncertainty over liquefied natural gas procurement due to the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. At a

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The number of foreign residents in Japan as of the end of 2025 rose 9.5 pct from a year earlier to a record 4,125,395, exceeding 4 million for the first time, the Immigration Services Agency said Friday. The

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The dollar briefly rose to 159.98 yen in Tokyo foreign exchange trading Friday, hitting the highest level since mid-July 2024 reflecting investor worries over the Middle East situation. At 5 p.m., the U.S. currency stood at 159.94-95 yen,

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government adopted Friday a new basic plan for science and technology policy, which for the first time calls for promoting research and development activities on technologies for military-civilian dual-use goods. The policy direction reflects the fact

Seoul, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Mizushima said in a lecture in Seoul on Friday that the two countries maintain good relations “based on the strong trust between their leaders.” Mizushima stressed that the two countries’ “shuttle diplomacy,”

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Friday highlighted the need to closely monitor the economic impact of the conflict in the Middle East. “The Japanese economy is recovering at a moderate pace, while attention should be given to the effects

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the most recent issue of 10-year Japanese government bonds hit a 27-year high of 2.385 pct, in Tokyo trading Friday, after a rise in U.S. long-term interest rates amid inflation concerns. The key 10-year JGB

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Rohm Co., Toshiba Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. have agreed in principle to start discussions on integrating their power semiconductor operations, the three Japanese firms said Friday. They intend to survive intensifying global competition by unifying their technologies

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Friday highlighted the need to closely monitor the economic impact of the conflict in the Middle East. “The Japanese economy is recovering at a moderate pace, while attention should be given to the effects

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The Supreme Court on Friday backed a hunter seeking to cancel the revocation of his gun license that had been decided after he shot a bear at the request of a municipality in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan. The court

Osaka, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. rejected Friday management reform proposals by the top shareholder in the Osaka-based producer of health problem-causing supplements containing “beni koji” red fermented rice. At the day’s general shareholders meeting in the western Japan city, Hong

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Atra, an investment firm linked to Japanese activist investor Yoshiaki Murakami, has proposed together with others to acquire Fuji Media Holdings Inc.’s real estate business for 350 billion yen, it was learned Friday. Fuji Media is currently considering

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Shizuoka Financial Group Inc., the parent of Shizuoka Bank, and Bank of Nagoya said Friday that they have reached a basic agreement to merge operations in April 2028. Shizuoka Financial will take full control of Bank of Nagoya

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Iranian Ambassador to Japan Peyman Saadat urged Tokyo on Thursday to play a leading role in helping end the U.S.-Iran conflict. “Japan is a friend of Iran. We trust Japan,” Saadat told reporters after a meeting with a

Cernay-la-Ville, France, March 26 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Thursday agreed with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, to enhance bilateral relations in a wide range of fields, including security and economic security. At a meeting in Cernay-la-Ville near Paris that

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Foreign residents in Japan holding the country’s specified skilled worker status totaled a record 390,296 at the end of 2025, the Immigration Services Agency said Friday. Of the total, holders of the Type 2 status for highly skilled

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Aegis destroyer Chokai, currently deployed to the United States, has completed upgrades and crew training for launching U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Friday. The destroyer, based at the MSDF’s

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The man who killed a woman at the Sunshine City commercial complex in Tokyo on Thursday is believed to have stabbed the victim more than 10 times, Jiji Press learned Friday. Sources from the Japanese capital’s Metropolitan Police

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The 12 member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the European Union plan to hold a joint ministerial meeting as early as Friday, people familiar with the matter told Jiji Press. The two

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Shizuoka Financial Group Inc., the parent of Shizuoka Bank, and Bank of Nagoya said Friday that they have reached basic agreement to merge operations in April 2028. Shizuoka Financial will take full control of Bank of Nagoya through

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The number of lives lost to suicide fell below 20,000 for the first time on record in Japan last year, a revised government report showed Friday. According to the report for 2025 compiled jointly by the health ministry

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan will implement a 10-year residency requirement for foreigners seeking nationality, starting Wednesday, Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said Friday. Currently, the nationality law requires applicants to live in Japan for at least five years. The ministry will tighten

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government adopted a new target Friday to increase the number of regions implementing measures against overtourism from 47 in 2025 to 100 by 2030. The target, included in the government’s new basic plan for tourism promotion

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government adopted a stopgap budget plan with 8,564.1 billion yen in general-account spending on Friday to cover expenditures for the first 11 days of fiscal 2026, which begins on Wednesday. The government remains committed to enacting

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government adopted a stopgap budget plan with 8,564.1 billion yen in general-account spending on Friday to cover expenditures for the first 11 days of fiscal 2026, which begins on Wednesday. The government remains committed to enacting

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Aegis destroyer Chokai, currently deployed to the United States, has completed upgrades and crew training for launching U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Friday. The destroyer, based at the MSDF’s

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–A financial support program operated by Japan’s internal affairs ministry, known as the “Local 10,000 Project,” is drawing increasing interest from startups and new business initiatives working to address local community challenges. Designed to foster new regional economic

Hikone, Shiga Pref., March 27 (Jiji Press)–“Hikonyan,” the beloved official white cat mascot of the city of Hikone in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, will mark the 20th anniversary of its debut in April. Hikonyan derives from a legend that a white cat