Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–A plan to provide additional benefits for households with children under a proposed refundable tax credit system was presented at a meeting of a bipartisan group of Japanese lawmakers on Wednesday. At a working-level meeting of the National

Silicon Valley, May 27 (Jiji Press)–A chemical tank at a plant of a U.S. unit of Japan’s Nippon Paper Industries Co. ruptured Tuesday, leaving one dead and nine others injured, local fire authorities said. Nine other people are missing after the accident

(Adnkronos) – Italy on Wednesday underlined its support for the direct election of a joint European Union Commission and Council president in a reform aimed at “strengthening politics”, slashing bureacracy and making the 27-member bloc a faster, more authoritative and effective international

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Unrealized losses on the Bank of Japan’s holdings of Japanese government bonds hit a record high of 45,441.4 billion yen at the March 31 end of fiscal 2025, BOJ data showed Wednesday. Latent losses expanded sizably from the

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Wednesday informed the ruling and opposition parties of its plan to submit a draft fiscal 2026 supplementary budget to the Diet, the country’s parliament, on June 3. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama is expected to

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan will switch to a revamped weather warning system Thursday, ahead of the country’s rainy and typhoon seasons. The Japan Meteorological Agency and the land ministry will introduce the improved system featuring five alert levels for flooding, heavy

(Adnkronos) – Two Italians who are among around ten Global Sumud Gaza aid activists detained in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi will hopefully “soon return home”, Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday, after six freed activists arrived at Rome’s

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese companies agreed to raise monthly pay by 5.46 pct, or 19,964 yen, on a weighted average basis in this year’s “shunto” spring labor-management negotiations, a first tally by the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, showed Wednesday.

(Adnkronos) – Diplomacy is the only way to resolve the “tense” situation in the Middle East amid a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the continuing US-Israel war on Iran and the closure of the key Strait of Hormuz waterway,

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Justice Ministry showed reluctance Wednesday over the disclosure of lists of evidence deemed necessary for courts to decide whether to reopen convicted cases. In the just-started discussions on bills to revise the criminal procedure law at the

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Visiting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday expressed his country’s commitment to elevating relations with Japan to a comprehensive strategic partnership. “The Philippines and Japan are moving to elevate our relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said Wednesday it has completed operations of the first unit of its HTV-X series International Space Station resupply spacecraft, which re-entered the atmosphere late Tuesday Japan time. The vehicle, called HTV-X1,

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority decided Wednesday to consider a law revision aimed at making any falsification in documents for nuclear reactor safety screening applications subject to criminal penalties. The plan is being considered following earthquake risk data fraud

(Adnkronos) – US President Donald Trump has appointed former Attorney General Pam Bondi to a White House advisory committee focused on artificial intelligence policies and national infrastructure initiatives. Axios reports this. Bondi will serve on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science

(Adnkronos) – Rescuers are engaged in a “race against time” to extract seven people trapped for a week in a flooded cave in Laos. This was stated by a specialized diver involved in the operation. “If today it will be possible to

(Adnkronos) – The candidate backed by American President Donald Trump, Attorney General Ken Paxton, has defeated Republican Senator John Cornyn, who has been in office since 2003 for four terms, in the Texas primary runoff. In November, therefore, Paxton will face Democratic

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to start talks with Mercosur, the South American trade bloc, on concluding an economic partnership agreement, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday. Japan aims to diversify sources of resources supplies as the country

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–A welcoming ceremony for Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife was held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday morning, attended by Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko. The

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s key Nikkei 225 stock average ended nearly unchanged Wednesday after briefly rising above 66,000 for the first time. The index of 225 major issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s top-tier Prime section closed up 3.32 points

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s parliament on Wednesday enacted a bill to establish a national intelligence council aimed at strengthening the government’s intelligence capabilities. In a plenary meeting, the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, approved the bill by a

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 27 (Jiji Press)–Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a man in his 40s over his possible role in directing the recent robbery-murder case in the eastern Japan prefecture of Tochigi, investigative sources said Wednesday. The suspect, who

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government announced plans on Tuesday to replace top executives at three affiliated lenders–the Development Bank of Japan, Japan Finance Corp. and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The DBJ will promote Managing Executive Officer Hirofumi Maki,

Izumi, Kagoshima Pref., May 27 (Jiji Press)–A World War II fighter aircraft of the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Navy was recovered last month, 81 years after sinking into the ocean off Akune, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. A Kagoshima nonprofit organization in charge of

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–International cooperation is indispensable for defense against cyberattacks employing powerful artificial intelligence models such as U.S. startup Anthropic’s Claude Mythos, NEC Corp. President and CEO Takayuki Morita said in a recent interview. “In this network society, no single

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Ocean cargo shipping prices in Japan rose to another record in April as the war in Iran drove up fuel costs, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday. Crude tanker rates soared as the de facto closure of the

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s parliament Wednesday enacted legislation featuring a measure to allow local governments to issue debt securities in digital format. At a plenary meeting, the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, passed the legislation to revise

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–A welcoming ceremony for Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife was held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday morning, attended by Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko. The

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–The recent oil price shock was “broad and persistent,” Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Wednesday. The shock was “broad and persistent enough to help move Japan away from the old deflationary norm, though not into an

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average staged a rebound to briefly top 66,000 for the first time on Wednesday morning, buoyed by overnight gains in U.S. technology stocks. At 9:06 a.m., the index of 225 selected issues listed

Naha, Okinawa Pref., May 27 (Jiji Press)–Two Chinese coast guard ships that had entered Japanese waters off the Senkaku Islands in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa on Monday left the area on the following day. According to the Japan Coast Guard’s