Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Central Social Insurance Medical Council on Wednesday started to discuss extending the public health insurance coverage to two regenerative medicine products using induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells. The council, which advises the health minister, is expected

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Novel Alzheimer’s therapies have been given to 19 pct of outpatients who applied for the medications, according to a recent survey at a Tokyo hospital. The lecanemab and donanemab therapies for early-stage Alzheimer’s patients are now clinically available

Seoul, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss Japan-South Korea relations and the international situation. During their 90-minute meeting, which included lunch, Ishiba and Lee agreed to expand

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his visiting Australian counterpart Richard Marles agreed Wednesday to deepen bilateral defense cooperation to ensure the stability of the Indo-Pacific region. At their meeting in Tokyo, the ministers mainly discussed the tensions

Seoul/Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan from around Wonsan in the eastern province of Kangwon twice on Wednesday, in the morning and afternoon, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. According to the

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Cats leaving their meals unfinished is not only due to the felines being full, but also due to scent, a Japanese team of researchers said Wednesday. The Iwate University team said that it had confirmed that cats’ appetites

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Financial Services Agency is considering the first major revision of the money lending business law since December 2006, with a view to supporting corporate financing for growth-oriented investments and business acquisitions, Jiji Press learned Wednesday. The FSA

(Adnkronos) – New ballistic missile launches by North Korea today, Wednesday, April 8. According to South Korean authorities, Pyongyang launched one or more rockets towards the Sea of Japan, detected in the early hours of the day. According to Yonhap news agency,

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks surged in Tokyo trading Wednesday thanks to a U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal, sending the benchmark Nikkei 225 index climbing 5.38 pct. The Nikkei index rose 2,878.86 points to 56,308.42, marking its third-largest single-day point gain and ending

Kawasaki, Kanagawa Pref., April 8 (Jiji Press)–Three workers died after scaffolding at the Keihin District of JFE Steel Corp.’s East Japan Works in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, collapsed Tuesday, local authorities have said. A total of five workers, all men, were

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had a roughly 25-minute phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday. Takaichi is believed to have urged the Middle East country to ensure safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks surged in Tokyo trading Wednesday thanks to a U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal, sending the benchmark Nikkei 225 index climbing 5.38 pct. The Nikkei index rose 2,878.86 points to 56,308.42, marking its third-largest single-day point gain and ending

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s GMO Internet Group Inc. has launched a research and development laboratory for humanoid robots at its headquarters in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward. The internet-related service provider hopes the facility, GMO Humanoid Lab, which was opened and unveiled to

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks surged in Tokyo trading Wednesday thanks to a U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal, sending the benchmark Nikkei 225 index climbing 5.38 pct. The Nikkei index rose 2,878.86 points to 56,308.42, marking its third-largest single-day point gain. END [Copyright

Fukuoka, April 8 (Jiji Press)–The Fukuoka prefectural police have arrested five more people linked to Philippines-based Japanese crime ring JP Dragon after their transfer to Japan, over suspected scams and thefts. The suspects, including Miyako Iwamoto, 34, had been detained by Philippine

Seoul/Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Wednesday morning, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. Fired from the Wonsan area in the eastern North Korean province of Kangwon, the

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government welcomes a two-week ceasefire deal between the United States and Iran as a positive move, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Wednesday. “We hope that a final (peace) deal will be made at an early

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–The number of corporate bankruptcies with debts of at least 10 million yen in Japan in fiscal 2025, which ended last month, rose 3.5 pct from the previous year to a 12-year high, Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd. said

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan saw inflation-adjusted real wages increase 1.9 pct from a year earlier in February, the labor ministry reported Wednesday. The second straight monthly increase can be attributed to regular pay hikes and slower inflation. Before adjustment with the

Washington, April 7 (Jiji Press)–U.S. Undersecretary of State Sarah Rogers on Tuesday welcomed growing exchanges between Japanese and U.S. users of social media platform X as a microcosm of their countries’ close relationship. “Americans want to know Japan better,” Rogers said in

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s current account surplus stood at 3,932.7 billion yen in February, marking the 13th straight month in the black, Finance Ministry preliminary data showed Wednesday. The surplus in the balance of international payments linked to goods and services

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average briefly surged over 2,800 points to top the 56,000 line for the first time in about a month on Wednesday morning, after the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire and

Urayasu, Chiba Pref., April 8 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo DisneySea will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, with a year-long event unveiled to the press by park operator Oriental Land Co. on Wednesday. The Sparkling Jubilee celebration will run from April 15 to the

Seoul, April 8 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Wednesday morning, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. They were fired from around Wonsan in the eastern North Korean province of Kangwon

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average briefly surged over 2,600 points to top the 56,000 line for the first time in about a month on Wednesday morning, after the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire and

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Sake, Japan’s traditional alcoholic beverage, is becoming increasingly popular in Russia despite wartime tensions and strained bilateral relations. Japanese distrust of Russia has long been fueled by a decades-old territorial dispute over a cluster of islands in the

Kawasaki, Kanagawa Pref., April 8 (Jiji Press)–Three workers died after scaffolding collapsed during crane dismantling work at the Keihin District of JFE Steel Corp.’s East Japan Works in the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday. The Kanagawa prefectural police

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese chemical makers are working desperately to avoid halting factories for ethylene, a material for plastics and synthetic fibers, amid the ongoing Middle East crisis. Ethylene production facilities take over a month to restart once suspended, so

Tokyo, April 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday asked the United Arab Emirates to continue stable crude oil supplies to her country amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Making the request in phone talks with UAE President Sheikh

Tokyo, April 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan has secured oil supplies to cover its demand until early 2027, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday. Speaking to reporters at the prime minister’s office, Takaichi explained that this was the result of efforts to increase oil