Tokyo, May 26 (Jiji Press)–Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has expressed her eagerness to strengthen Japan-Africa relations during the Africa Day celebration dinner hosted by the diplomatic corps of African countries in Tokyo. “Japan continues to have faith in Africa’s potential,” she said

Tokyo, May 26 (Jiji Press)–Bear sightings have led to temporary closures and restricted outdoor activities at schools in Japan, with local education boards struggling over how to continue offering classes while ensuring safety of students. In Saeki Ward of the western city

Manila, May 26 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to help Southeast Asian countries diversify their crude oil procurement sources, in order to stabilize petrochemical supply chains amid the ongoing Middle East tensions. Faced with recent energy shocks following the effective closure of

Tokyo, May 26 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police arrested Shinnosuke Abe, manager of the Yomiuri Giants, a Japanese professional baseball team, on Monday for allegedly assaulting his 18-year-old daughter at their home in Shibuya Ward of the Japanese capital. Abe, 47, who was apprehended

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–A popular Japanese voice actor has filed a lawsuit against the operator of video-sharing app TikTok, demanding the deletion of videos using voice that he claims was created by imitating his voice with generative artificial intelligence without his

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police arrested Shinnosuke Abe, manager of the Yomiuri Giants, a Japanese professional baseball team, on Monday for allegedly assaulting his 18-year-old daughter at their home in Shibuya Ward of the Japanese capital. Abe, 47, who was apprehended

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police arrested Shinnosuke Abe, manager of the Yomiuri Giants, a Japanese professional baseball team, on Monday for allegedly assaulting his 18-year-old daughter at their home in Shibuya Ward of the Japanese capital. Abe, 47, who was apprehended

(Adnkronos) – An Israeli Defense Forces helicopter killed a woman and a 6-year-old girl in Gaza. According to local media reports, the IDF attack targeted some tents in the southern Strip, also injuring 17 people. Most of the injured are reportedly minors.

(Adnkronos) – The Israeli army has issued an evacuation order for 10 towns and villages in the Nabatieh region, in southern Lebanon, and in the Bekaa Valley, further east, all north of the Litani River. “In light of the violation of the

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday that the government will compile a draft fiscal 2026 supplementary budget to deal with high inflation reflecting Middle East tensions for submission to the Diet, or parliament, next week. The size

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp. said Monday that subsidiary Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. is considering spinning off its petrochemical business, possibly in fiscal 2027, for potential consolidation with industry peers. The move comes as Japanese makers of basic chemicals,

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo District Court on Monday found two former executives of Japanese artificial intelligence developer Alt Inc. guilty of window dressing in violation of the financial instruments and exchange law. Former executive officer Katsuya Asai, 46, and former treasury

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese miscellaneous goods retailer Hands Inc. said Monday that it will close down the Shibuya Store in Tokyo in November, ending the outlet’s 48-year history as one of the landmarks in the Shibuya district, an entertainment and shopping

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday that the government will submit a draft fiscal 2026 supplementary budget to cope with high inflation reflecting Middle East tensions to the Diet, or parliament, next week. Spending under the extra

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)– Seven & i Holdings Co. Honorary Adviser Toshifumi Suzuki, who pioneered Japanese convenience stores known as “konbini,” died of heart failure on May 18. He was 93. A native of Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, Suzuki graduated from

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Twenty-six people reported throat pain and other symptoms after a pungent odor spread in the Ginza Six shopping complex in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on Monday, according to the Metropolitan Police Department and the Tokyo Fire Department. Of them,

(Adnkronos) – Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s chief negotiator with the United States, has been re-elected Parliament Speaker for the seventh consecutive year, the Fars agency reports.    

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Seina Imamura has become the first-ever female Japan Racing Association jockey to win a Grade 1 race of the prestigious national horse race organization. Ridden by 22-year-old Imamura, fifth-favorite Juryoku Pierrot won Sunday’s Yushun Hinba, known as the

Hiroshima, May 25 (Jiji Press)–The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which documents the world’s first atomic bombing in August 1945, will go reservation-only during the “bon” holiday period from Aug. 8 to 16, it was learned Monday. During the period, the museum will

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Sales at department stores in Japan in April increased 5.2 pct from a year before on a same-store basis, up for the fourth straight month, thanks to a large increase in spending by foreign visitors, industry data showed

(A typo in the fifth paragraph has been corrected.) Remains of 193 Japanese War Dead Added to National Cemetery Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s welfare ministry held a ceremony on Monday to add the remains of 193 Japanese war dead to a

Asahikawa, Hokkaido, May 25 (Jiji Press)–A woman suspected of killing a then 17-year-old high school girl, who died in 2024 after falling from a suspension bridge in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, pleaded not guilty to murder in the first hearing

(Adnkronos) – Over 1.5 million Muslims have arrived in the holy city of Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which this year takes place in a climate of hope for an end to the war in the Middle East. To protect them,

(Adnkronos) – Around 20 people were injured in a luxury shopping mall in central Tokyo after a man sprayed a caustic substance inside. Police and fire department officials reported this. Tokyo police spokesman Yusuke Koide told AFP that a man sprayed a

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition party Team Mirai has drafted a “stopgap” benefits program that would be effective until the planned introduction of a refundable tax credit system. The draft, announced on Monday, calls for providing up to around 60,000 yen

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average surged to close above 65,000 for the first time ever on Monday, backed by expectations for an end to the fighting between the United States and Iran. The index of 225 selected

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Fifteen people reported throat pain and other symptoms after a pungent odor spread near the Ginza Six shopping complex in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on Monday, according to the Metropolitan Police Department and the Tokyo Fire Department. At around

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government expressed disappointment on Monday after the latest U.N. conference reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty failed to adopt an outcome document. The failure is “extremely regrettable,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference.

Japan Department Stores Association May 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 442,155 M. Yen Up 5.2 pct Clothing 123,062 Up 2.9 Personal Articles 78,511 Up 9.5 Sundry Goods 104,091 Up 10.3 Household Goods 14,282 Up 0.4 Foodstuffs 96,329 Up 0.9 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Japan Department Stores Association May 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 136,099 M. Yen Up 7.4 pct Clothing 37,745 Up 6.0 Personal Articles 25,285 Up 8.6 Sundry Goods 36,241 Up 14.2 Household Goods 5,414 Up 4.8 Foodstuffs 24,774 Up 1.5 Note: Year-on-year changes are