Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has agreed with his Ecuadorian counterpart Roberto Kury to continue discussions on further deepening bilateral economic relations, with the early conclusion of an economic partnership agreement for free trade in mind. The accord

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will make an “appropriate” decision on whether to visit Tokyo’s war-related Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, the anniversary of the country’s surrender in World War II, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Friday.

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Kirin Holdings Co. said Friday it will make Canada’s leading dietary supplements maker Jamieson Wellness Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary. The major Japanese beverage maker will acquire all outstanding shares in Jamieson Wellness for 1,898 million Canadian dollars.

Hiroshima, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The family transmission of atomic bombing experiences in Hiroshima, a city in western Japan, is fading, as fewer children hear hibakusha survivors’ accounts from their grandparents, prompting second-generation descendants to carry the stories forward. A survey by the

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan bought 6,278.7 billion yen for dollars in a foreign exchange market intervention on April 30, the largest-ever yen-buying operation in a single day, Ministry of Finance data showed Friday. The

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese prosecutors have sought a six-year prison sentence and a fine of 2 million yen for a former operator of a Tokyo massage parlor accused of having a Thai girl, then 12, provide sexual services. The defense claimed

Kumamoto, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The prefectural government of Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, has said that monetary donations from at home and abroad, including through Japan’s “furusato nozei” tax incentive-backed program, have reached 4,321.3 million yen following the July 28 major earthquake that struck

Hiroshima, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Seven organizations of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima Prefecture have urged the Japanese government to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Officials of the groups handed a set of written requests, including the support

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan bought 6,278.7 billion yen for dollars in a foreign exchange market intervention on April 30, the largest-ever yen-buying operation in a single day, Ministry of Finance data showed Friday. The

Seoul, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The South Korean navy has said that it conducted a defense exercise for a group of Sea of Japan islets claimed by Tokyo but effectively controlled by Seoul. The drill, part of regular exercises held about twice a

Hiroshima, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at a press conference in the western city of Hiroshima on Thursday did not clearly rule out a possibility of reviewing the country’s three nonnuclear principles. She is thus believed to have indicated

Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–SoftBank Group Corp. said Thursday that its consolidated net profit fell 17.7 pct from a year earlier to 347.3 billion yen in April-June, weighed down by a weaker yen. The Japanese technology investor, which holds a large amount

(Adnkronos) – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they had struck a series of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon after a bomb killed two soldiers and wounded four others yesterday in Majdal Zoun. The IDF – reports the Times of Israel

Kyoto, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Nintendo Co. said Thursday that its group net profit grew 53.5 pct from a year before to 147,423 million yen in April-June, despite a slowdown in sales of the Nintendo Switch 2 video game console. The Japanese game

Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui called on policymakers around the world to show determination and implement policies for nuclear abolition, in an annual peace declaration Thursday, the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

(Adnkronos) – The CIA has secretly established a task force dedicated to Cuba, launching a plan for a more coordinated campaign aimed at exerting pressure on the Cuban government to implement the economic, political, and leadership changes demanded by United States President

Seoul/Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan from Wonsan in the eastern province of Kangwon at around 5 p.m. Thursday, the South Korean military said. The missile is believed to have fallen outside

Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Listed Japanese companies are believed to have enjoyed sharp profit growth in April-June, led by semiconductor- and export-related companies on the back of robust demand linked to artificial intelligence and semiconductors, as well as a weaker yen. Their

(Adnkronos) – In Kuwait, authorities have ordered the closure of an Iranian school. The Minister of Education, Jalal Al-Tabtabaei, has given “instructions for the revocation of permits granted to the Iranian private school in Kuwait and for the closure” of the institution,

Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–The average summer bonus among major Japanese companies increased 7.04 pct from the previous year to 1,042,537 yen in 2026, the highest level since comparable data became available in 1981, the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, said Thursday.

Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition party leaders attending an annual peace ceremony in Hiroshima on Thursday, the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city, voiced concerns about Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s address at the event. “Japan

Seoul, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan from Wonsan in the eastern province of Kangwon at around 5 p.m. Thursday, the South Korean military said. The missile is believed to have fallen outside

(Adnkronos) – North Korea has launched at least one “unidentified projectile” towards the Sea of Japan, according to the South Korean military. “North Korea launched an unidentified projectile towards the East Sea,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a

Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–After the death of Shigeaki Mori, a Japanese historian known for his research on U.S. prisoners of war who died in the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, his wife, Kayoko, 84, took over his research. “I

(Adnkronos) – Ukrainian drones hit one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in the Yaroslavl region overnight. Local monitoring channels report this. Some videos show a large fire at the Slavneft-Yanos oil refinery in Yaroslavl, over 700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. According

(Adnkronos) – Several people were injured in overnight Israeli airstrikes on the cities of Burj Shemali and al-Mansouri, in southern Lebanon. This was reported by the Lebanese National News Agency. Israeli artillery shelling continued until this morning, targeting Majdal Zoun, al-Mansouri, and

Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–A 34-year-old man was involved in a fatal traffic accident in Tokyo in April after being diagnosed with sleep apnea syndrome, police sources said Thursday. He was arrested on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in injury at the

Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Hibakusha atomic bomb survivors and bereaved families offered prayers at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Thursday, hoping for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons 81 years after the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city. Kinuko Hiura,

Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Police Agency said Thursday that it will consider introducing a new investigation method of remotely analyzing communications and information exchanged between members of “tokuryu” loosely organized anonymous criminal groups through highly confidential apps. The method is

(The fourth paragraph should have read, “…a record 121 countries and regions…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) Hiroshima Mayor Urges World Leaders to Work for Nuclear Abolition Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui called on policymakers around