(The fifth paragraph should have read, “…answers…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) 44 Pct of Japan Firms Say Naphtha Woes Already Hitting Biz Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)–Disruptions to naphtha supply tied to Middle East tensions are already affecting

Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit Vietnam and Australia from Friday through May 5, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tuesday. Takaichi will meet with Vietnamese and Australian leaders on Saturday and Monday, respectively, to reaffirm their

Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)–The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average slipped below 60,000 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday afternoon, following the Bank of Japan’s decision to keep its policy interest rate unchanged. Ahead of the BOJ decision, the Nikkei finished

Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan on Tuesday decided to keep its monetary policy unchanged while raising its fiscal 2026 inflation forecast, in light of higher crude oil prices amid tensions in the Middle East. The BOJ’s Policy Board, at

Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police have taken action against 99 people aged 14 to 72 years in the country as part of an international crackdown on online child pornography, the National Police Agency said Monday. The 99 people included 25 junior

Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)–Helsinki warmly welcomes Japanese visitors and businesses, Daniel Sazonov, mayor of the Finnish capital, said in an interview with Jiji Press in Tokyo on Monday. Sazonov voiced hopes for increased cooperation between Finland and Japan over defense and

Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)–Helsinki warmly welcomes Japanese visitors and businesses, Daniel Sazonov, mayor of the Finnish capital, said in an interview with Jiji Press in Tokyo on Monday. Sazonov voiced hopes for increased cooperation between Finland and Japan over defense and

New York, April 27 (Jiji Press)–A review conference for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty kicked off at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday, with difficult negotiations expected amid slowing momentum for nuclear disarmament. In his opening speech, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

New York, April 27 (Jiji Press)–A review conference for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty kicked off at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday, with difficult negotiations expected amid slowing momentum for nuclear disarmament. In his opening speech, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)–Japan Airlines and GMO AI & Robotics Corp., a unit of GMO Internet Group Inc., have announced a demonstration experiment to utilize humanoid robots for ground handling tasks at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The roughly three-year test will begin

Izumisano, Osaka Pref., April 28 (Jiji Press)–Izumisano, a city in western Japan’s Osaka Prefecture, is seeking to open a baby hatch during the current fiscal year through March 2027, allowing parents who are unable to care for their infants to leave them

Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government announced Tuesday that 603 individuals and 28 groups will receive medals of honor this spring, including figure skating pair Riku Miura, 24, and Ryuichi Kihara, 33, who won gold at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Naha, Okinawa Pref., April 27 (Jiji Press)–Two Chinese coast guard ships intruded into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Monday afternoon. The two Haijing ships crossed into the Japanese waters between around 4:15 p.m. and

(Adnkronos) – Italy wants to strengthen the role of Latin America, a region with which it has “very strong ties”, foreign minister Antonio Tajani told a business forum taking place in the textile hub of Prato, Tuscany, on Monday.  “We want to

Tokyo, April 27 (Jiji Press)–Daiwa Securities Group Inc. said Monday that it will acquire Orix Bank, a fully owned unit of major Japanese financial service provider Orix Corp., in a deal worth 370 billion yen. Daiwa Next Bank, which is under the

(Adnkronos) – Coup and insurgency-hit sub-Saharan Africa is “a cause for concern”, Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said Monday after Mali was left reeling from a string of weekend attack by jihadists and separatist rebels, who seized several towns and military bases

Tokyo, April 27 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Gas Co. said Monday that it will raise its basic gas rate for households by 150 yen starting with October use, partly in the face of rising labor costs. Excluding the time of consumption tax increases, the

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s government is “monitoring” the welfare of 60 Italian citizens in Mali after attacks across the country at the weekend launched by militants from Al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated rebel group in which the defence minister Sadio Camara was

Tokyo, April 27 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday entrusted her letter addressed to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is slated to visit the Southeast Asian nation soon. Amid lingering tensions in the

Tokyo, April 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Monday launched discussions on the revision of its three key security-related documents scheduled for the end of this year. With Japan facing an increasingly severe security environment, the discussions will likely focus on the

(Adnkronos) – Italy and Libya enjoy “exceptional” ties, Italy’s ambassador Gianluca Alberini and Libya’s presidency council head Mohammed al-Menfi agreed during talks in Tripoli on Monday that also looked at key current issues in the fragile, politically divided oil state.  “Ambassador Alberini

Tokyo, April 27 (Jiji Press)–Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday that its global automobile sales reached a record high in fiscal 2025, thanks to the popularity of hybrid vehicles, especially in North America, despite higher tariffs imposed by the administration of U.S. President

Tokyo, April 27 (Jiji Press)–Nissan Motor Co. said Monday that it has revised its consolidated operating balance projection for the fiscal year that ended in March to 50 billion yen in profit from 60 billion yen in loss. The major Japanese automaker,

(Adnkronos) – Foreign minister Antonio Tajani is on Monday addressing the Italy-Latin America Business Forum, an event at which over 160 representatives will aim to exploit opportunties arising from the historic free trade deal between the European Union and the Mercsur bloc

Sydney, April 27 (Jiji Press)–Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Monday that she will visit Japan, China and South Korea this week to seek cooperation for stable fuel procurement amid supply disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict. While exporting natural gas,

(Adnkronos) – Geopolitics and finance are increasingly interconnected. This is the picture that emerges from a Financial Times article after the ‘sudden’ return to the United Arab Emirates by Pakistan, which is attempting difficult mediation between the US and Iran, of a

(Adnkronos) – Russia and North Korea have agreed to make their military cooperation “stable and long-term”, with an understanding covering the period 2027-2031, as announced by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, after a meeting with his North Korean counterpart in Pyongyang, on

Taipei, April 27 (Jiji Press)–A Taiwanese court on Monday sentenced a former employee of Tokyo Electron Ltd.’s Taiwan unit to 10 years in prison for stealing secrets from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest chip foundry. The court also imposed a

Tokyo, April 27 (Jiji Press)–South Korea’s Ambassador to Japan Lee Hyuk on Monday emphasized the need for stable security cooperation between the two East Asian neighbors. At an event hosted by the Research Institute of Japan, a Jiji Press affiliate, in Tokyo,

Seoul, April 27 (Jiji Press)–Foreign medical tourists to South Korea, including for esthetic treatment, surged 71.9 pct in 2025 from the previous year to some 2.01 million, an all-time high, with Japanese ranking second after Chinese, the South Korean government has said.