Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–Toyohiro Akiyama, who became the first Japanese citizen to travel to space in 1990, died Wednesday at his home in the central Japan town of Odai, Mie Prefecture. He was 84. Born in Tokyo, Akiyama joined Tokyo Broadcasting

Hikawa, Kumamoto Pref., Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–An evacuation shelter catering to the needs of pregnant women and families with children has been set up in Hikawa, a town in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, that was hit hard by a major earthquake in

New York, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese conveyor-belt sushi restaurant chain Sushiro will open its first U.S. outlet near Times Square in New York in October, its operator, Food & Life Companies Ltd., or F&LC, said Monday. F&LC President Masahiro Yamamoto made

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government will buy back 210,000 tons of rice after it released some of its stockpiles since last year, agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki told a press conference Tuesday. The purchase will cover rice from the 2025 crop,

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Supreme Court plans to examine in the next fiscal year whether generative artificial intelligence can be used in civil trials. On Monday, the top court announced its budget request for fiscal 2027, which included some 60 million

Paris, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese architect Kengo Kuma was named the winner of a lifetime achievement award on Monday by the Createurs Design Association, an international organization that honors extraordinary achievements in architecture and other creative fields. Kuma, 72, will receive the

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday established the Cyber Security Policy Division within its Foreign Policy Bureau in response to the growing risk of cyberattacks driven by advances in artificial intelligence. The division will be responsible for further strengthening

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency said Tuesday that it will step up its fight against investment and other fraud promising lucrative returns by using generative artificial intelligence technology to enhance information analysis. A group established within the agency the

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–The Asian Development Bank said Tuesday that President Masato Kanda has been reappointed unanimously for a second term by all 69 member economies. Kanda’s new term runs for five years beginning on Nov. 24. He was the only

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese nonfinancial companies’ combined ordinary profits in April-June rose 24.6 pct from a year earlier to a record 44,666.8 billion yen, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday. Their profits rose for the seventh consecutive quarter, with manufacturers’ ordinary profits

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government conducted a disaster drill Tuesday under the scenario that a major earthquake had struck along the Japan and Chishima trenches off the Pacific coast from the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido to the Tohoku northeastern region.

Asheville, North Carolina, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent affirmed the importance of orderly yen movements during a meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, on Monday, Katayama said. The two ministers confirmed that “orderly yen

Japan Automobile Dealers Association Sept. 1 Yr/Yr Change Total 203,664 units Up 9.1 pct Over-2,000-c.c. Cars 113,435 Up 7.0 Smaller Cars 59,404 Up 10.4 Trucks 29,591 Up 13.4 Buses 1,234 Up 92.5 -Brand- Daihatsu 2,170 Up 36.2 Honda 20,736 Down 1.4 Lexus

Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association Sept. 1 Yr/Yr Change Total 103,710 units Down 9.5 pct Passenger Cars 80,069 Down 10.5 Trucks 23,641 Down 6.0 -Brand- Suzuki 37,429 Down 5.6 Daihatsu 27,475 Down 19.9 Mitsubishi 4,487 Up 6.5 Subaru 787 Down

Asheville, North Carolina, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)–Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies began two-day talks in Asheville in the U.S. state of North Carolina on Monday. On the first day, participants mainly discussed

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the most recent 10-year Japanese government bond issue, a key long-term interest rate, rose to a 30-year high of 3.0 pct temporarily in Tokyo interdealer trading Tuesday. The yield on the 383rd 10-year JGB issue

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–Bereaved family members and others remembered victims of a fire in the busy Kabukicho district of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward that claimed 44 lives 25 years ago. Those bereaved were seen laying flowers Monday night at the site where

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has called on Nepal to do its utmost to locate and rescue five Japanese nationals who remain unaccounted for following flash floods that hit areas near the country’s border with China last week.

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the most recent 10-year Japanese government bond issue, a key long-term interest rate, rose to a 30-year high of 2.99 pct in Tokyo interdealer trading Tuesday. The yield on the 383rd 10-year JGB issue hit

Osaka, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–A hairstyle revolution appears to be brewing in high school judo clubs across Japan, with some athletes trading their traditional buzz cuts for longer styles trimmed at beauty salons. The initiative is part of the Extracurricular Club Activity

Asheville, North Carolina, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)–U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that he believes the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan will take measures to prop up the yen. “It’s my belief that the Japanese government and that the

Asheville, North Carolina, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met on the sidelines of a meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs in Asheville, North Carolina, informed sources said

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)–Easy Japanese is in the spotlight as a way to disseminate information to foreigners in Japan, especially at the time of disasters such as a recent powerful earthquake that hit the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto. According to a

Tokyo, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Belgian counterpart, Theo Francken, at a meeting in Tokyo on Monday agreed to deepen security cooperation between their countries. Koizumi welcomed Belgium’s first assignment of a defense attache to its embassy

Tokyo, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)–Japanese government agencies and ministries have submitted their tax system reform requests for fiscal 2027, including measures aimed at realizing a strong economy as advocated by the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, such as spurring companies’ growth

Tokyo, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)–General-account budget requests from Japanese government agencies and ministries for fiscal 2027 are expected to exceed 143 trillion yen, hitting a record high for the fourth consecutive year. The figure will be much higher than the 122,445.4 billion

(Adnkronos) – The Algerian government has confirmed the dispatch of four fighter jets to Niger for a “support mission” to the military after last weekend’s attempted coup. In a note, the Algerian Ministry of Defense announced that the dispatch of “two patrols

(Adnkronos) – North Korea has accused the United States of pursuing a “hostile” policy against it, vowing to respond with the “toughest” countermeasures. In a statement released by the official Kcna agency, a spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry attacked Washington

(Adnkronos) – The Trump administration has expelled over one hundred migrants from Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, and other countries in ten days, transferring them to eight African states of which they are not citizens. Cbs News reports this, citing internal US government documents,

(Adnkronos) – The Pentagon has reportedly hired several military veterans with a large social media following and conservative views for civilian roles, without making their positions public. These individuals have supported and defended the political and cultural battles of Defense Secretary Pete