Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Environment Minister Keiichiro Asao said Friday that a liaison committee of related government ministries and agencies will be established to discuss mega solar power plants amid growing concerns about their impact on the local environment and the

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday announced her candidacy for the leadership race of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Announcing her bid for the Oct. 4 election at a press conference, Takaichi, 64, emphasized her plan

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Friday that the country’s underlying inflation is approaching the central bank’s target of 2 pct. “Underlying inflation is still slightly below (the target) and in the process of approaching 2 pct,”

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–The leaders of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner, Komeito, and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan agreed Friday to begin discussions on a refundable tax credit program next week. At the meeting, Prime

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Croatian counterpart, Andrej Plenkovic, effectively reached an agreement Friday to introduce a working holiday program between their countries that allows young people to experience life abroad while working. “I hope that

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) leader Hirofumi Yoshimura on Friday left open the possibility of the Japanese opposition party joining the ruling bloc of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito. “We do not exclude the option

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–The average price of rice sold at some 1,000 supermarkets across Japan in the week through Sunday rose by 120 yen from the previous week to 4,275 yen per 5 kilograms, nearing the record high of 4,285 yen

(Adnkronos) – Indonesia will ban the construction of new hotels and restaurants on rice paddies and deforested agricultural land in Bali, after recent floods caused the deaths of at least 18 people. A state of emergency was declared on September 10, after

(Adnkronos) – A new poll confirms the strengthening of the far-right Afd party in Germany: for the first time in the Political Barometer of the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen for the public broadcaster Zdf, the Afd is on par with the conservatives of the

(Adnkronos) – At least 75 people were killed in a drone attack carried out by paramilitaries on the Abu Chok refugee camp, near el-Fasher, in Darfur, northern Sudan. This was reported by a humanitarian group operating on the spot, according to which

(Adnkronos) – US and other Western intelligence agencies have not yet confirmed whether the drone incursion into Poland on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday last week was deliberate or whether it was just an accident, CNN writes, citing sources according to

(Adnkronos) – Engaged in trying to negotiate a trade deal and a potential summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whom he will speak to today, US President Donald Trump did not approve, last summer, the allocation of 400 million dollars in military

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–An expert panel recommended Friday that Japan’s Defense Ministry introduce submarines armed with long-range missiles and equipped with next-generation power systems. In a report submitted to Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, the panel proposed that the ministry give priority

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will visit New York for three days from Tuesday to attend the ongoing U.N. General Assembly session, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Friday. During the general debate in the session, Ishiba is

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–The amount of funds illegally transferred from internet banking accounts in Japan in January-June rose about 70 pct from a year earlier to some 4,224 million yen, according to a National Police Agency report. The figure represents the

Niigata, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft strayed off a runway and came to a halt at Niigata Airport in the central Japan city of Niigata at around 11:50 a.m. Friday. None of the five crew members aboard the

Saitama, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–A Chinese man was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison for driving in the wrong direction under the influence of alcohol, which led to a fatal collision with another vehicle in eastern Japan last year. In the

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Croatian counterpart, Andrej Plenkovic, effectively reached an agreement Friday to introduce a working holiday program between their countries that allows young people to experience life abroad while working. “I hope that

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Friday that the country’s underlying inflation is approaching the central bank’s target of 2 pct. “Underlying inflation is still slightly below (the target) and in the process of approaching 2 pct,”

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Masahiko Metoki of Japan has been re-elected director-general of the Universal Postal Union, a U.N. specialized agency that sets rules for international mail, the Japanese internal affairs ministry said Friday. Metoki, 66, who took office in January 2022,

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Apple Inc. launched its iPhone 17 smartphone series in Japan and elsewhere Friday, adding a super-thin model, the iPhone Air, to its lineup. About 30 people queued at an Apple store in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward to get their

Osaka, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–The 2025 World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka had drawn 20,037,000 visitors as of Thursday, preliminary data released by the organizer showed Friday. The cumulative number of visitors topped 20 million on Thursday, the Expo’s

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average fell from its all-time high on Friday, following the Bank of Japan’s decision to offload its holdings of exchange-traded funds. The Nikkei average hit a new intraday record high of 45,852.75 in

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday announced her candidacy for the leadership race at Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Announcing her bid for the Oct. 4 LDP presidential election at a press conference, Takaichi, 64, emphasized

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Imperial Household Agency said Friday that it has completed full official records of Empress Kojun, the wife of former Emperor Hirohito, posthumously called Emperor Showa. The agency plans to release all the content of the records Oct.

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–The leaders of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner Komeito and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on Friday confirmed a plan to set up a panel to discuss a refundable tax credit program.

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Junichi Kawai, a gold medalist in Paralympic swimming and chairman of the Japanese Paralympic Committee, will become the next commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency on Oct. 1, the government said Friday. According to the Ministry of Education,

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan on Friday decided to sell to the market exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and Japanese real estate investment trusts (J-REITs) that the central bank had purchased as part of its large-scale monetary easing program. The BOJ

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan decided to maintain the policy of guiding the unsecured overnight call rate, Japan’s benchmark short-term interbank lending rate, to around 0.5 pct, at a two-day Policy Board meeting that ended Friday. The decision was

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Demand for staple rice in Japan is likely to total 6.97 million to 7.11 million tons in the year through June 2026, down slightly or unchanged from the previous year’s real demand, the agriculture ministry said Friday. The