Tokyo, Sept. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan logged a current account surplus of 2,988.9 billion yen for July, the first black figure in two months, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday. The July surplus expanded from 2,586.3 billion yen a year earlier, mainly thanks to

Seoul, Sept. 8 (Jiji Press)–North Korean defense minister Kim Song Gi has released a statement criticizing the Freedom Edge joint military exercise, which Japan, the United States and South Korea started on Monday. North Korea will take strong countermeasures if the United

Tokyo, Sept. 8 (Jiji Press)–The yen has been sharply rallying since the beginning of September amid speculation that the Bank of Japan could accelerate interest rate hikes. The dollar, which traded above 160 yen last Wednesday, temporarily slipped below 153 yen in

Tokyo, Sept. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko left for the Norwegian capital of Oslo on Tuesday morning to attend the funeral of the late King Harald V. The couple departed from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport aboard a government

Tokyo, Sept. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s inflation-adjusted real wage index rose 2.4 pct in July from a year earlier, up for the seventh consecutive month, as wage growth outpaced slowing inflation, labor ministry data showed Tuesday. Nominal wages per worker, including basic salary

Tokyo, Sept. 8 (Jiji Press)–The yen has been strengthening against the dollar since the beginning of September amid speculation that the Bank of Japan will accelerate interest rate hikes. The dollar, which traded above 160 yen last Wednesday, slipped below 154 yen

By Nobutoshi Kobayashi Commentary Writer Tokyo, Sept. 8 (Jiji Press)–After years of decline, applications for Japan’s national civil service examination for career-track positions are showing signs of recovery, with the spring 2026 exam attracting more hopefuls than a year earlier, marking the

Tokyo, Sept. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s gross domestic product in April-June grew an annualized 1.4 pct from the previous quarter after price and seasonal adjustments, the Cabinet Office said in a revised report Tuesday. The growth rate was higher than the 1.1 pct

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is exploring opportunities to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump during her visit to the United States later this month, hoping to exchange views on China and demonstrate their close relationship ahead of

Yokohama, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–The Yokohama city assembly on Monday unanimously approved the resignation of Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka, effective the same day, after he was found to have engaged in workplace harassment. Yamanaka, 53, had submitted his resignation on Aug. 28. A

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan, the United States and South Korea kicked off their Freedom Edge 2026 joint military exercise on Monday with an opening ceremony at the U.S. Air Force’s Yokota Air Base in Tokyo. This year’s exercise, the fourth of

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering keeping Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of her ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in a key post in planned reshuffles of her cabinet and the executive lineup of the LDP, informed sources said

(Adnkronos) – Yemen’s Iran-backed armed group, the Houthis, accuse Saudi Arabia of having carried out attacks in various areas of Yemen. “The Saudi enemy has struck the provinces of Jawf (north), al-Bayda and Marib (center), and Taiz (south-west) with several air raids

Beijing, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–The Chinese Commerce Ministry said Monday that it would require importers of a semiconductor material produced in Japan, including by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., to pay deposits of up to 99.2 pct as part of antidumping measures. The ministry

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Takeshi Niinami, former chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, or Keizai Doyukai, has criticized Japan’s social trend of labeling people suspected of wrongdoing as guilty before the facts are known. In September last year, the 67-year-old

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–NEC Corp. discontinued developing quantum computer hardware at the end of March, people familiar with the matter said. The Japanese electronics maker apparently judged that continuing to develop quantum computer hardware will not produce the profits expected, given

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Many financial institutions in Japan are set to end the issuance of paper promissory notes and checks on Sept. 30, ahead of the abolition of their use in March next year, to ensure a transition to internet banking

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s current economic expansion appears to have exceeded in length the postwar record of 73 months from February 2002 to February 2008, known as the “Izanami” boom, government data signaled on Monday. The index of coincident economic indicators

Motosu, Gifu Pref., Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Gifu prefectural police have found multiple knives at a cake shop in the central Japan prefecture where two people were found dead after a fire on Saturday, investigative sources said Monday. The police believe the knives

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Yoshihiko Noda, former co-head of the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, on Monday apologized over a botched merger plan among the CRA, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito. “It’s truly disappointing and regrettable. I offer my deep

Sydney, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Far more Australians and Indians felt that the United States is a harmful presence in Asia than Japanese people, a recent survey has shown. According to the survey conducted by the University of Sydney’s United States Studies Center

Nagoya, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–A victim of attempted murder in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, in 2002 and his wife are advocating for the removal of the statute of limitations on such crimes. The country abolished the statute of limitations for heinous

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward plans to basically ban “minpaku” private lodging operations in residential areas and near schools, in response to an increase in complaints, it was learned Monday. The ward plans to solicit public comments as early as

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese major banks and other private-sector financial institutions are struggling to meet the government’s calls for cooperation in providing investments and loans to the defense industry. The government-held Development Bank of Japan has changed its operational rules on

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued Level 5 emergency landslide warnings for the village of Niijima, the town of Oshima and the village of Toshima in the Izu Island chain south of Tokyo on Monday after heavy rain triggered by

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average jumped more than 1,300 points Monday, as technology issues associated with artificial intelligence tracked their U.S. peers’ gains late last week. The index of 225 major issues listed on the Tokyo Stock

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s foreign exchange reserves at the end of August fell by 79,575 million dollars from a month before to 1,207,524 million dollars, marking the fourth straight month of decline, the Finance Ministry said Monday. The reserves went down

Los Angeles, Sept. 6 (Jiji Press)–Two-way Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani is unlikely to return to the mound this season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts suggested Sunday. “If you’re looking at the calendar, how much he’s thrown in the

Tokyo, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–A total of 162 certified coordinators who help foreign residents consult with local governments and others have been deployed in 38 of Japan’s 47 prefectures since the certification system was launched by the Immigration Services Agency in fiscal

Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Pref., Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)–A major earthquake that hit Kumamoto Prefecture in July has caused the cancellation of the highlight of a festival in Yatsushiro, a city in the southwestern Japan prefecture, that dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868).