Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to establish a national intelligence bureau on July 31, which will serve as the secretariat for a planned national intelligence council, officials said Wednesday. The cabinet is expected to approve the plan as early

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Retired Japanese Nordic combined great Akito Watabe has been certified by Guinness World Records for the most individual World Cup starts in the sport, having made 303 appearances, it was learned Wednesday. Watabe, 38, a medalist at three

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–An expert panel of Japan’s health ministry on Wednesday broadly agreed on a plan to make it mandatory for businesses handling dietary supplements to report health issues associated with such products. The move comes on the heels of

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp., a unit of Sony Group Corp., on Wednesday announced plans to establish a joint venture to promote labor-saving and unmanned operations in manufacturing using artificial intelligence. Through the new firm,

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–The dollar traded at around 163 yen in Tokyo Wednesday, remaining at its highest levels in about 39 years against the Japanese currency. Traders bought dollars as a safe-haven asset amid concerns over the escalation in the conflict

(In an earlier version of this article, the name of the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance was misspelled as “Central Reform Alliance.”) Japan Opposition Parties Reject Tax Cut Proposal Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition parties opposed the ruling bloc’s proposal that the

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara on Wednesday rejected China’s claim that Okinotorishima, a remote island under Tokyo’s jurisdiction, is a rock. China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy conducted firing drills within Japan’s exclusive economic zone off the island

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, or parliament, began deliberations Wednesday on a bill to establish a secondary capital of the nation that would assume core government functions during major disasters. An outline of

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese Central Social Insurance Medical Council, which advises the health minister, on Wednesday approved the application of public health insurance to RiHeart, a cardiac muscle cell sheet that uses induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells, effective on

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese research team has found that some cicada species in urban areas called at night, while few such calls were recorded in greener areas without street lights. This suggests that some cicada species may be changing their

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese House of Councillors committee approved Wednesday a bill to ease requirements for appointing poll watchers under the law on national referendums for amending the Constitution. The bill to revise the law was backed by the ruling

Japan Chain Stores Association July 22 Yr/Yr Change Total 6,318,862 M. Yen Up 0.7 pct Foodstuffs 4,508,043 Up 1.5 Clothing 279,005 Down 5.5 Sundries 598,410 Up 4.9 Furniture and Interior Goods 340,312 Down 5.7 Home Electric Appliances 17,105 Up 11.0 Note: Year-on-year

Japan Chain Stores Association July 22 Yr/Yr Change Total 1,034,769 M. Yen Down 1.7 pct Foodstuffs 758,651 Down 0.4 Clothing 45,045 Down 11.5 Sundries 97,974 Down 0.1 Furniture and Interior Goods 50,083 Down 15.7 Home Electric Appliances 2,874 Up 3.7 Note: Year-on-year

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s customs-cleared trade deficit more than halved in the first half of this year as the country’s oil imports from the Middle East decreased because of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Finance Ministry said

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–A hacker group calling itself “RansomHouse” has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that disrupted the operations of Japanese frozen food maker Nichirei Corp., it was learned Wednesday. Nobuo Miwa, president of information security service provider S&J Corp., said

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen on Tuesday praised Japan’s response to Hamas’ surprise attack on his country in October 2023. “Japan stood by Israel, said that Israel has the right to defend itself on the international law,

London, July 21 (Jiji Press)–Canada will participate as an observer in a joint project among Japan, Britain and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet, it was agreed Tuesday. Ottawa’s participation in the Global Combat Air Program was confirmed at the day’s

(The second paragraph should have read, “… British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, who took office Monday…” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) Canada to Join Japan-Britain-Italy Fighter Development Project London, July 21 (Jiji Press)–Canada will participate as an observer in

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Four major Japanese life insurers, including Nippon Life Insurance Co., reported higher revenues in fiscal 2025, driven mainly by stronger sales of yen-denominated single-premium whole life insurance policies. The products have become increasingly attractive to consumers after insurers

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Russia’s Defense Ministry has said that Tu-95 strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces flew over international waters in the Sea of Japan for more than 11 hours. The ministry said Tuesday that the flight was a planned

Manila, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have agreed to maintain close communication over the situation in Iran. At a meeting with his U.S. counterpart on Tuesday night, Motegi, who is visiting the

London, July 21 (Jiji Press)–Canada will participate as an observer in a joint project among Japan, Britain and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet, it was agreed Tuesday. Ottawa’s participation in the Global Combat Air Program was confirmed at the day’s

(Adnkronos) – Italy has underlined its solidarity with Saudi Arabia after Iran-aligned Houthis fired missiles at the kingdom last week, accusing it of having bombed an airport under their control and declared an immediate blockade on Monday – a new phase in

New York, July 21 (Jiji Press)–The dollar rose above 163 yen to hit the highest levels in about 39 years and six months in New York on Tuesday, attracting safe-haven buying amid growing tensions in the Middle East. The U.S. unit traded

(Adnkronos) – Fourteen Tunisian rail workers have arrived in Italy for work experience at state-owned Trenitalia after receiving training in their home country under the multi-billion euro Mattei Plan to accelerate Africa’s economic development.  The Tunisians were welcomed at a ceremony held

(Adnkronos) – A search is underway at the data center hosting the servers of Fidesz, the party of former Hungarian nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán. The party itself announced this in a note published via social media.  “Magistrates appeared without warning at

(Adnkronos) – Russian authorities have begun to freeze the bank accounts of prominent figures who have left the country in recent years, in implementation of a law passed last July to “strengthen the security of Russia’s infrastructure,” operating solely on the basis

(Adnkronos) – The man suspected of having shot dead six social workers at a mother and child care center in Stade, northern Germany, last month, has committed suicide in prison. This was stated in a press release by the Ministry of Justice

(Adnkronos) – The expansion of offshore wind energy continues to advance in Germany, with an installed capacity of 1,077 megawatts as of June 30. Germany has thus exceeded the ten gigawatt (Gw) threshold for the first time, according to the Federal Association

(Adnkronos) – Yemen’s Houthis have warned international shipping companies that ships trading with Saudi ports could face military action, in what appears to be an escalation, following the group’s announcement of a maritime blockade imposed on Saudi Arabia.   An email notice,