Otaki, Nagano Pref., Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–A memorial ceremony was held Sunday in the village of Otaki, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, for the victims of the eruption of Mount Ontake that occurred 12 years ago, leaving 58 people dead and five missing.

Paris, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–Japanese novelist Maha Harada’s “Muyou no Hito” (In My Father’s Room) has received the International Federation of Film Critics Award during a film festival in northern Spain. The first film directed by Harada missed the top prize at

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–Fins may be the best-known part of a shark to food lovers, but Japanese companies are trying to make the widely consumed, little-known meat more visible and put its skin to new uses. In Japan, sharks have been

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–A project to raise honeybees in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district has marked the 20th anniversary this year, with the annual honey harvest soaring to 2.8 tons from the initial 150 kilograms. Designed to foster harmony between cities and

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party is worried that fresh attention may be directed to the issue of money and politics in the extraordinary parliamentary session beginning on Oct. 5. Behind the worry are Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s controversial appointments

Washington, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–The U.S. White House has released a fact sheet on the results of Thursday’s summit with China, calling the Asian country a World War II ally in line with a recent remark by President Donald Trump. “The two

Tokyo, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday confirmed that their countries will continue working together to address China-related issues including economic security and defense. In a 20-minute telephone conversation, Takaichi received a direct

Nagoya, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japanese runner Ichitaka Yamashita won the men’s marathon gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, while 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara, Japan’s youngest delegation member, topped an esports event. Yamashita clocked 2 hours, 10 minutes, 49 seconds to claim

Narita, Chiba Pref., Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Heavy rain from Typhoon Dujuan, the 25th typhoon of the year, has caused breaches of embankments at Inbanuma, a major lake in Chiba Prefecture, which neighbors Tokyo, severely damaging fish farms and warehouses for agricultural produce.

Tokyo, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Defense Ministry plans to introduce a new contract system to support startups in developing unmanned aerial vehicles and other products to tap their advanced technologies. Under the system, the ministry will examine participating companies at each stage,

Tokyo, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan will provide Mongolia with about 150 billion yen in soft loans to expand Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar, Jiji Press learned Saturday. The loans are expected to be agreed on between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and

Tokyo, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japanese mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo Inc. will increase monthly fees for over 50 rate plans by 110 to 550 yen starting Dec. 1, affecting over 30 million subscribers, or about 75 pct of its total. Higher electricity

Nagoya, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japanese runner Ichitaka Yamashita won the gold medal in the men’s marathon event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, finishing with a time of 2 hours, 10 minutes, 49 seconds. Mikuni Yada, also representing Japan, earned the

Washington, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Friday that it has asked the Mexican government to investigate alleged labor rights violations at a Yokohama Rubber Co. tire plant in Coahuila. The USTR’s office said a Mexican labor

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–The parent company of the operator of the Junglia Okinawa theme park in Okinawa Prefecture has reported a net loss of 17.3 billion yen for its first business year since the park opened in July 2025.

Washington, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that he and Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama discussed the desirability of a strong yen in online talks. “We discussed the desirability of a strong yen that reflects Japan’s strong economic

Tokyo, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osor Uchral will make a four-day visit to Japan from Sunday and meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday, the Japanese government has said. The two leaders will exchange views on the situation surrounding

Tokyo, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is seeking clarity on Thursday’s U.S.-China summit after U.S. President Donald Trump referred to China as an ally during World War II. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering calling Trump for a direct briefing

New York, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–The dollar briefly tumbled below 157 yen in New York on Friday morning, pushed down by concerns over the possibility of Japan and the United States conducting a joint yen-buying intervention again. At 9:40 a.m., the greenback

Nagoya, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese skateboarders Mizuho Hasegawa and Izuru Nagahara, both 15, won gold in the women’s and men’s park events, respectively, at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday. In swimming, Kodai Nishiono, 23, won the gold medal in the men’s

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Friday she and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reaffirmed at their online meeting the same day that “the undervaluation of the yen is problematic.” Katayama revealed this in talks with reporters after

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Friday she and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reaffirmed at their online meeting the same day that “the undervaluation of the yen is a problem.” Katayama revealed this in talks with reporters

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Friday U.S. President Donald Trump told her at their meeting in New York on Tuesday that U.S. trade has been tough due to the yen’s depreciation. In response, the prime minister said

Nagoya, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese skateboarders Mizuho Hasegawa and Izuru Nagahara, both 15, won gold in the women’s and men’s park events, respectively, at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday. In swimming, Kodai Nishiono won the gold medal in the men’s 200-meter

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Friday that she affirmed Tokyo’s support for the International Criminal Court during her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday. In talks with reporters at the prime minister’s

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo District Court ruled Friday that a public offices election law provision that prohibits minors from conducting campaigning activities on their own and imposes penalties on violators is unconstitutional. Presiding Judge Mizuho Ebi said that the provision “violates

Fukuoka, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, said Friday that it will launch financial services in earnest in partnership with SBI Holdings Inc. The railway operator will develop an app, tentatively called JQ Bank, to centrally manage services

London, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan retook the top spot among 110 economies in the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index rankings, released on Friday. Japan was followed by the United States in second place, Spain in third, Australia in

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–About half of 120 civic groups working in Japan to save and rehome dogs and cats received more requests to take in such animals for protection in the past year than in the preceding year, a private-sector survey

Osaka, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese credit card payment processing service firm Zentoshin’s bankruptcy trustee said Friday that seven credit card companies will pay in full the 5.4 billion yen in sales proceeds that Zentoshin’s member stores had been unable to collect following