Tokyo, March 29 (Jiji Press)–Japan marked the 10th anniversary of the implementation of its landmark national security legislation on Sunday, as the scope of activity of its Self-Defense Forces continues to expand. The rapidly deteriorating situation involving Iran since late February has

Tokyo, March 29 (Jiji Press)–The opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan adopted its fiscal 2026 campaign policy at a regular party convention on Sunday, stopping short of specifying when it will decide whether to merge into the Centrist Reform Alliance. A draft

Tokyo, March 29 (Jiji Press)–One in four children in Japan have used generative artificial intelligence in elementary or junior high school classes, according to a recent private survey. The survey also showed that one in five children think that AI will make

Tokyo, March 29 (Jiji Press)–The opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan adopted its fiscal 2026 campaign policy at a regular party convention on Sunday, stopping short of specifying when it will decide whether to merge into the Centrist Reform Alliance. A draft

Tokyo, March 29 (Jiji Press)–Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of the settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed by hemophilia patients in Japan who contracted HIV through the administration of untreated blood products. Tomomi Goto, 53, who currently leads a group of plaintiffs

Ebino, Miyazaki Pref., March 29 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department on Sunday searched locations related to a Ground Self-Defense Force member accused of trespassing into the the Chinese Embassy in the Japanese capital this month, according to informed sources. The locations included

Ebino, Miyazaki Pref., March 29 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department on Sunday searched locations related to a Ground Self-Defense Force member accused of trespassing into the the Chinese Embassy in the Japanese capital this month, according to informed sources. The locations included

Tokyo, March 29 (Jiji Press)–Now that the Japanese government’s fiscal 2026 budget bill will likely not be enacted by the end of fiscal 2025 on Tuesday, some in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are looking to pass the budget on April 7.

Tokyo, March 28 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan has revised its estimate of the so-called neutral interest rate, a key concept in monetary policy management, to 1.1 pct to 2.5 pct in nominal terms for the final quarter of 2025, compared with

Tokyo, March 28 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Digital Agency has formally selected Sakura Internet Inc. and four major U.S. companies as service providers for the “government cloud” common information system infrastructure for central and local governments for fiscal 2026. This decision, announced on Friday,

Tokyo, March 28 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Meteorological Agency said Saturday that its sample Somei-Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward has reached full bloom. The announcement came three days earlier than average and two days earlier than last year.

Tokyo, March 28 (Jiji Press)–One month after the United States and Israel began attacking Iran, concerns are growing in Japan that soaring crude oil prices could lead to even higher food and other prices, putting additional strain on businesses and households. Iran’s

Shizuoka, March 28 (Jiji Press)–Shizuoka Prefecture’s special committee has approved environmental conservation measures for a section in the central Japan prefecture of the planned Chuo Shinkansen high-speed magnetic levitation train line. The committee approved all 28 measures proposed by Central Japan Railway

Tokyo, March 28 (Jiji Press)–East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, on Saturday fully opened Takanawa Gateway City, a large-scale redevelopment district in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. Three new facilities, including a cultural facility and luxury rental housing, were opened in the district.

London, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The 12 member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the European Union said in a joint statement on Friday that they will lead efforts to reform the World Trade Organization. The joint statement

Cernay-la-Ville, France, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven major countries adopted a joint statement at their two-day meeting near Paris, France, through Friday, calling for safe ship navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. “We reiterated the absolute

New York, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The dollar climbed to top 160 yen for the first time in about 20 months in New York foreign exchange trading Friday. The U.S. currency rose to around 160.20 yen temporarily, attracting safe-haven buying amid growing concerns

New York, March 27 (Jiji Press)–The dollar climbed to top 160 yen for the first time in about 20 months in New York foreign exchange trading Friday. The U.S. currency attracted safe-haven buying amid growing uncertainty over the Middle East situation, market

Cernay-la-Ville, France, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven major countries agreed Friday to aim for an early resolution of the situation over Iran, which is in conflict with the United States and Israel, while maintaining close communication. On

Tokyo/Kyoto, 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)–Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group Corp. said Friday that it has concluded a bridge loan contract of up to 40 billion dollars with five banks to finance its additional investment in U.S. artificial intelligence developer OpenAI. The unsecured

Tokyo, March 27 (Jiji Press)–Prominent Japanese manga artist Yoshiharu Tsuge, best known for “Nejishiki,” which was published in 1968, died of aspiration pneumonia at a hospital in Tokyo on March 3. He was 88. Born in Tokyo’s Katsushika Ward, Tsuge worked at

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

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,”