Brussels, May 31 (Jiji Press)–Yo Kitamura of Japan won the fifth prize in the cello division of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels on Sunday. In the final selection process joined by 12 cellists, Kitamura, 22, who is from the city

Tokyo, May 31 (Jiji Press)–With Sunday marking World No Tobacco Day designated by the World Health Organization, experts urge Japan to introduce pictorial warnings about the dangers of smoking on tobacco packages. Many countries require cigarette packages to display images warning of

Tokyo, May 31 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling and opposition parties are divided over the government’s draft fiscal 2026 supplementary budget, for which parliamentary debates are set to start Wednesday. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hopes to have the extra budget enacted quickly. While a

Brussels, May 31 (Jiji Press)–Yo Kitamura of Japan won the fifth prize in the cello division of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium on Sunday. In the final selection process among 12 cellists, Kitamura, 22, who is from the city of

Kyoto, May 31 (Jiji Press)–Nidec Corp. President Mitsuya Kishida has said the major Japanese motor maker will suspend business acquisitions for the time being to focus its efforts on reconstructing the firm rocked by accounting and product quality fraud. Business acquisitions have

Tokyo, May 30 (Jiji Press)–A total of 10 countries, including Japan, the United States, South Korea and Britain, have issued a joint statement demanding the implementation of sanctions against North Korea, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday. The statement called on a committee

Singapore, May 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth agreed Saturday to further deepen the two countries’ cooperation over China, which is stepping up military coercion. At a meeting in Singapore, they also affirmed a policy

Tokyo, May 30 (Jiji Press)–A large-scale rally was held in Tokyo on Saturday to seek the immediate return home of all Japanese abductees in North Korea. Relatives of those abducted to North Korea decades ago said they wish all victims will come

Singapore, May 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth agreed Saturday to further deepen the two countries’ cooperation over China, which is stepping up military coercion. At a meeting in Singapore, they also affirmed a policy

Tokyo, May 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to hold summit talks with her, at a national rally held in Tokyo on Saturday to demand the immediate return home of Japanese nationals abducted

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 30 (Jiji Press)–An 18-year-old male high school student was arrested on Saturday for allegedly introducing a boy, 16, who later served as a perpetrator in a high-profile robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan. In the case, Eiko

Hiroshima, May 30 (Jiji Press)–The Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organization on Saturday decided the resignation of its head, Toshiyuki Mimaki, 84, at a general meeting to mark the 70th anniversary of its founding. Hiroshi Harada, 86, deputy leader of the

Nagasaki, May 30 (Jiji Press)–Taiwan is set to attend this year’s Aug. 9 peace memorial ceremony in the southwestern Japan city of Nagasaki, it was learned Saturday. It will be the second straight year for the self-ruled island to participate in the

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 30 (Jiji Press)–An 18-year-old male high school student was arrested on Saturday for allegedly introducing a boy who later served as a perpetrator in a high-profile robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan. In the case, Eiko Tomiyama,

Singapore, May 30 (Jiji Press)–The defense ministers of Japan, Australia and New Zealand at a meeting in Singapore on Saturday discussed New Zealand’s possible introduction of an upgraded model of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Mogami-class frigate. It was the first time

Tokyo, May 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s internal affairs ministry plans to set a special category under its existing support program for community-based startups, in order to back up projects using artificial intelligence. The ministry aims to promote so-called AI transformation, in which companies

Paris, May 29 (Jiji Press)–The Group of Seven major industrialized countries agreed on common principles to protect underage internet users from harmful content, at a meeting of their digital and technology ministers held in Paris on Friday. The meeting, hosted by France,

Singapore, May 30 (Jiji Press)–The defense ministers of Japan, Australia and New Zealand at their meeting in Singapore on Saturday agreed to strengthen the three nations’ cooperation regarding defense equipment, having China, which is expanding maritime activities, in mind. It was the

Tokyo, May 30 (Jiji Press)–The parliamentary affairs chiefs of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Centrist Reform Alliance have agreed on a deliberation schedule for the government’s draft fiscal 2026 supplementary budget. At a meeting Friday, Hiroshi Kajiyama of

(Adnkronos) – The United Nations has blacklisted Israeli security forces as responsible for sexual violence in armed conflicts, alongside Hamas militants, already accused of abuses in connection with the October 7 massacre. Ynet reports this, citing a UN report anticipated in recent

(Adnkronos) – The British government intends to introduce from next year an artificial intelligence-based facial recognition system to estimate the age of asylum seekers, with the aim of identifying adult migrants who claim to be minors. This was reported by the BBC,

(Adnkronos) – A proposal for an alleged “investment fund” for Iran’s post-conflict reconstruction would also be included in the draft memorandum of understanding on which the United States and Iran have reportedly reached a preliminary agreement, pending the respective approvals of Donald

(Adnkronos) – Romania expels the Russian consul general in Constanta, on the Black Sea, and closes the representation after a drone landed on an apartment building in the city of Galati, injuring two people. This was announced by Romanian President Nicusor Dan

(Adnkronos) – A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion fund linked to the so-called ‘anti-weaponization’. Nbc News reports that the order was issued by Alexandria federal judge Leonie M. Brinkema, following an appeal filed by a former prosecutor

(Adnkronos) – Large seizures of cannabis in France this week. Almost 2.7 tons of narcotics, mainly cannabis resin, were seized in the port of Sète, in the south of the country, and over one ton of cannabis was found in a container

(Adnkronos) – Nigerian public health authorities have identified 21 of the country’s 36 states as being at “high” or “moderate” risk of Ebola importation, amid growing concern over cross-border transmission. In a statement, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC)

(Adnkronos) – A Walt Disney Company manager, Jugal Daterao, has been sentenced by a Moscow region court to two years and six months in prison for drug-related offenses. The Russian news agency Tass reported this, explaining that in January, Daterao, 46, was

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Nagoya, May 29 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday that it will cancel the development of a next-generation electric vehicle amid the stagnant global EV market. Toyota will, instead, allocate its management resources to the development of SUVs, which

Okuma, Fukushima Pref., May 29 (Jiji Press)–A ceremony was held Friday to mark the completion of a diamond semiconductor factory in the town of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. The new facility is the world’s first to mass-produce diamond semiconductors, according to