Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Mizuho Bank and Rakuten Bank will form a capital and business alliance, with the former set to acquire shares in the latter on Oct. 1, the parent companies of the two Japanese banks said Wednesday. Mizuho Bank, one

Beijing, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Two employees of Japanese real estate developer Mori Building Co. were injured in Tuesday’s knife attack in Shanghai, the company’s president, Shingo Tsuji, said Wednesday. In the incident, two Japanese nationals and a Chinese citizen were attacked around

(Adnkronos) – Italy on Wednesday “immediately” summoned Israel’s ambassador after Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video on social media in which he is seen mocking blindfolded detained activists from the Global Sumud Gaza aid flotilla, who have been

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s industry ministry plans not to make a power-saving request this summer, it was learned Wednesday. The plan was presented to the day’s meeting of a subgroup of the ministry’s natural resources and energy panel. The ministry will

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–The Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan, or NUMO, said Wednesday that it has started a literature survey on the feasibility of constructing a final disposal facility for highly radioactive waste on Minamitorishima, a remote Tokyo island in

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday that the country will not need to issue a large amount of Japanese government bonds to finance an envisaged supplementary budget for fiscal 2026. In a debate of party leaders held

Los Angeles, May 20 (Jiji Press)–The U.S. National Football League is exploring the possibility of holding regular season games in Japan, according to several U.S. media reports. The reports cited remarks made by Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–A strong earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Wednesday, measuring upper 5, the fourth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, on an island in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The temblor with an

(Adnkronos) – Twenty-nine Italians detained aboard the Global Sumud Gaza aid flotilla and taken to the port of Ashdod must be freed and “the safety and rights of every single activist be safeguarded”, foreign minister Antonio Tajani told his Israeli counterpart Gideon

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese fishery company Yamada Suisan Co. said Wednesday that it will start the world’s first trial sales of “kabayaki” grilled eels from complete aquaculture on May 29. The two-eel kabayaki product, priced at 9,720 yen, will be sold

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in April fell 5.5 pct from a year before to 3,692,200, down for the first time in three months, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. Visitors from eight Middle

(Adnkronos) – The Russian armed forces have conducted training on the use of nuclear weapons that have reached “the highest levels of combat readiness.” This was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Telegram, explaining that nuclear ammunition was delivered to

(Adnkronos) – A couple, husband and wife, has been arrested in Germany on charges of espionage on behalf of China. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced this, explaining that the two were specifically spying on professors in German universities. According to information obtained

(Adnkronos) – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has expressed his “support” in Parliament for former socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who is on trial for influence peddling as part of an investigation into the bailout of a small airline in

Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Pref., May 20 (Jiji Press)–A hall linked to Buddhist saint Kukai (774-835) on Miyajima Island in the city of Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, burned to the ground Wednesday, local police and firefighters said. Firefighters received around 8:30 a.m. an

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Police arrested a 37-year-old former employee of Japan Post Co. on Wednesday over aggravated bribery in connection with a contract for collection services. Nobuyuki Yoneda, who worked at a branch office of the company in Tokyo’s Koto Ward,

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 20 (Jiji Press)–Teenage suspects in last week’s high-profile robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, have told police investigators that they had been threatened with the killing of their families and friends if they did not take

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese public-private working group is considering actively shutting down financial systems as an option to deal with possible cyberattacks that utilize Claude Mythos, an artificial intelligence model developed by U.S. startup Anthropic, it was learned Wednesday. The

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks fell in Tokyo trading Wednesday, driven lower by rising interest rates globally, sending the benchmark Nikkei 225 average below 60,000 for the first time in about three weeks. The Nikkei index closed at 59,804.41, down 746.18

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese machinery maker Hitachi Ltd. and auto parts maker Astemo Ltd. said Wednesday that they have teamed up to develop artificial intelligence for autonomous vehicles. Hitachi and Astemo, an affiliate of Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co., aim to

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–The liquidator of the Unification Church, a controversial religious group ordered to disband, on Wednesday began accepting claims from victims who were forced to make large donations to the group. Loss claims will be accepted online or by

Naha, Okinawa Pref., May 20 (Jiji Press)–The Naha branch of Fukuoka High Court ruled Wednesday that the Feb. 8 election for Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the country’s parliament, was constitutional in terms of vote-value disparities. Presiding Judge Hiroaki

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday that the country would not need to issue a large amount of Japanese government bonds to finance an envisaged supplementary budget for fiscal 2026. Speaking in a debate of party leaders

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in April fell 5.5 pct from a year before to 3,692,200, down for the first time in three months, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. Visitors from eight Middle

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Environment Ministry has said it will start surveys in late June on bear habitats and populations in the Tohoku northeastern region and some areas in nearby Niigata Prefecture. The government surveys, announced Tuesday, will cover the six

Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Pref., May 20 (Jiji Press)–A hall linked to Buddhist saint Kukai on Miyajima Island burned to the ground on Wednesday, local police and firefighters in the city of Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, said the same day. According to the authorities, firefighters

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks fell in Tokyo trading Wednesday, driven lower by rising interest rates globally, with the benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average ending below 60,000 for the first time since May 1. The Nikkei index closed at 59,804.41, down

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–A strong earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Wednesday, measuring upper 5, the fourth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, on an island in Kagoshima Prefecture, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The temblor with an estimated magnitude

London, May 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese garden designer Kazuyuki Ishihara won a silver-gilt medal at the Chelsea Flower Show starting in London on Tuesday. “Tokonoma Garden,” by Ishihara, a native of Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, was awarded the second-highest honor in the main

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has called on China to strictly punish the suspect after two Japanese nationals were injured in an attack at a restaurant in Shanghai on Tuesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Wednesday. Japan also urged