Tokyo, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Bears continue to be spotted near people in Japan after the turn of the year, even though they are usually in hibernation at this time of the winter season. A slew of sightings, mainly in the Tohoku northeastern

Tokyo, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s key Nikkei 225 stock average hit a fresh closing high of more than 54,000 on Wednesday, as hopes persisted of a snap general election boosting prospects for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s aggressive spending policy. The key index

Tokyo, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Prince Hisahito attended Wednesday for the first time Japan’s Imperial New Year poetry ceremony, known as “utakai hajime,” at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, reciting a poem alongside other Imperial Family members. The ceremony took place in the

Tokyo, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japan and South Korea are working to arrange a dialogue session between their finance ministers for March 14 in Tokyo, Japan’s Finance Ministry said Wednesday. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and Koo Yun-cheol, South Korea’s deputy prime minister

Ikaruga, Nara Pref., Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung visited the Horyuji temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Takaichi’s home prefecture of Nara, on Wednesday, a day after their summit meeting. The hourlong

Tokyo, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority decided Wednesday that its secretariat will conduct an on-site inspection of Chubu Electric Power Co. over the company’s data fraud regarding earthquake risks at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant. The inspection is expected to

Tokyo, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Dai Nippon Printing Co. and payment machine developer Usen-Almex Inc. said Wednesday they have formed a business partnership to commercialize a contactless hotel check-in system compatible with digital passports. The major printing firm and the Usen Holdings Co.

Washington, Jan. 13 (Jiji Press)–The World Bank on Tuesday raised its global economic growth forecast for 2026 to 2.6 pct from 2.4 pct projected in June last year, citing contributions from the U.S. economy’s steady performance. In its latest Global Economic Prospects

Tokyo, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering informing senior officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday afternoon of her intention to dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap general election, informed sources said. The all-important

Tokyo, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering informing senior officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday afternoon of her intention to dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap general election, informed sources said. The all-important

Tokyo, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average continued rising to exceed 54,000 for the first time on Wednesday morning. The index of 225 select issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Prime section hit 54,396.97 at 10:08 a.m., up

Tokyo, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s trade minister Ryosei Akazawa has asked the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to cooperate in ensuring stable crude oil supplies and stabilizing the global crude oil market in order to enhance energy security. Japan and the

Nara, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung demonstrated their close relationship through a bilateral summit and a banquet in the city of Nara, the capital of the namesake prefecture in western Japan, on Tuesday.

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani has ordered Iran’s ambassador to the foreign ministry over the “unacceptable” crackdown on anti-government protests which has killed some 2,000 people since late December, an Iranian official said on Tuesday  “I summoned the Iranian ambassador

(Adnkronos) – The deposal of leftist president Nicolas Maduro during a US attack on 3 January and his deputy Delsy Rodriguez’s appointment as interim leader offers the country and the whole of Latin America “an historic opportunity”, according to Italy’s top diplomat.

(Adnkronos) – Talks are also scheduled for tomorrow between representatives of Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Denmark. The Danish government has convened the biennial talks of the contact committees for foreign affairs, security, and defense with the governments of the Faroe Islands

(Adnkronos) – The special prosecutor has requested the death penalty for former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, accused of being the alleged “leader of the insurrection” for attempting to subvert the Constitution by imposing martial law on December 3, 2024. This

(Adnkronos) – The appeal trial for Marine Le Pen and ten other defendants began as scheduled at 1:30 PM in Paris. Le Pen, present in the courtroom, made no statements upon her arrival at the Palace of Justice.  

(Adnkronos) – Minnesota and Illinois are suing the Trump administration over the deployment of federal anti-immigrant agents in the Minneapolis and Chicago regions, calling it a violation of the Constitution and states’ rights. In its appeal, Illinois asked a federal judge to

Tokyo, Jan. 13 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi will visit Washington for three days from Thursday to hold talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. The visit is seen as paving the way

Tokyo, Jan. 13 (Jiji Press)–The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is considering a plan to establish a new political group with other opposition parties and contest the proportional representation blocs in the next House of Representatives election under a unified

Tokyo, Jan. 13 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton Federation said Tuesday that Japan’s two-man bobsleigh team will not be able to participate in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics next month due to the federation’s misunderstanding of the qualification system. In 2024,

Osaka, Jan. 13 (Jiji Press)–Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama plan to step down and run in subsequent elections, in a bid to push again for the so-called Osaka metropolis plan for local government realignment, it was learned Tuesday.

(Adnkronos) – The promotion to ambassador of former charge d’affaires to Venezuela, Giovanni Umberto De Vito, will help Italy improve relations with the interim leadership and the release of over 40 Italian-Venezuelans currently imprisoned in the South American country, foreign minister Antonio

Tokyo, Jan. 13 (Jiji Press)–Japanese political parties are speeding up preparations for a possible general election that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is reportedly considering. On Tuesday, senior officials of Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, including Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki and Election Strategy Committee

Nara, Jan. 13 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung affirmed cooperation Tuesday in a wide range of areas, including the economy and economic security. In their talks in the western Japan city of Nara, part of

(Adnkronos) – Italy wants to bolster cooperation with Iraq in key sectors including infrastructure, health, agriculture and energy, the embassy wrote Tuesday on X as ambassador Niccolo Fontana made a landmark visit to Ramadi.  “First time for an Italian Ambassador in #Ramadi,”

(Adnkronos) – Italy “is certain” that it will have “more fruitful” ties with Venezuela following the release of four Italian prisoners after a declaration of goodwill last week by the interim government which replaced deposed leftist president Nicolas Maduro.  “We continue our

Tokyo, Jan. 13 (Jiji Press)–Japanese green tea beverage maker Ito En Ltd. is seeking to boost sales of its “Oi Ocha” products in Europe after launching a local unit in Germany. Ito En Europe GmbH was established in Dusseldorf in April 2024

Tokyo, Jan. 13 (Jiji Press)–The Social Democratic Party is considering postponing its leadership election scheduled for February due to the possibility of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolving the House of Representatives for a snap general election, informed sources told Jiji Press on