Yokohama, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)–Lawyer Atsumi Harasawa is certain to win her first term as Yokohama mayor, defeating six rivals, including scandal-hit former Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka, in Sunday’s election. The mayoral election in the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture, which neighbors Tokyo, was

Nagoya, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)–The opening ceremony of the first Japan-hosted Asian Para Games took place at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on Sunday, officially marking the start of the 2026 Games. About 3,000 athletes

Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)–The first de facto replacement of a cabinet minister since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office a year ago has exposed the weaknesses of her grip on power. Information crucial to Takaichi’s decision on whether to replace

Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Immigration Services Agency plans to raise the minimum annual salary requirement for foreign nationals seeking residence status as highly skilled professionals from the current 3 million yen, agency sources said Sunday. The move comes amid rising wages

Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)–An executive of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Sunday denied that scandal-hit former agriculture minister Kazuo Yana had influenced budget cuts for municipalities whose mayors did not support him in a general election. Commenting on Yana’s remark

Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health ministry has drawn up guidelines outlining points to consider when creating advertisements in collaboration with movies and television dramas to raise awareness of government policies. The move came after a poster promoting support for cancer patients

Bangkok, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s nominal gross domestic product is projected to drop to sixth place globally in 2027, with India and Britain overtaking it, according to the latest International Monetary Fund World Economic Outlook report. The main reason for the decline

Kurayoshi, Tottori Pref., Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Princess Aiko attended a national conference on disaster management in Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture, western Japan, on Saturday. The princess, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, listened intently to presentations by five speakers,

Tokyo, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made a ritual “masakaki” tree stand offering to war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Saturday, the start of its autumn festival. She offered the masakaki in her capacity as prime minister. Takaichi is

Kyoto, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–Nidec Corp. has said it is considering legal measures, such as seeking damages, against former and current executives including its founder, Shigenobu Nagamori, in connection with accounting irregularities that came to light last year. The Japanese motor manufacturer

Bangkok, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Friday that he cannot tolerate underlying inflation rising further above 2 pct. Excluding temporary factors, the underlying inflation rate is quite close to the BOJ’s 2 pct target, Ueda reiterated after

Nagoya, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–Toyota Motor Corp. plans to make all of its roughly 50 vehicle models software-defined vehicles, whose functionality can be enhanced through software updates, by 2030, company officials have said. The move is aimed at establishing a business model

Tokyo, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–Officials of the Japanese Embassy in Russia have been unable to meet with a Japanese newspaper reporter detained by Russian authorities on suspicion of espionage. An embassy official did not disclose why the meeting did not take place

Tokyo, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made a ritual “masakaki” tree stand offering to war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Saturday, the start of its autumn festival. She offered the masakaki in her capacity as prime minister. Takaichi is

Bangkok, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–A senior International Monetary Fund official has expressed his support for Japan’s plan to lower the consumption tax on food as a temporary measure to address soaring prices. With Japan also planning to introduce a benefit program linked

Tokyo, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made a ritual “masakaki” tree stand offering to war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Saturday, the start of its autumn festival. She offered the masakaki in her capacity as prime minister. Takaichi is

Tokyo, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–Speculation is growing that Russia will seek a prisoner exchange following the recent detention of a Japanese journalist for alleged spying in Sakhalin in the Russian Far East. Some believe that the detention of the Hokkaido Shimbun reporter

Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government will focus on efforts to raise young people’s awareness about a territorial issue involving the four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan, the new minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs has said. Such efforts will

Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–Sony Corp. said Friday that it will release a flagship model of its Walkman portable digital music player on Nov. 27, with the price expected to be around 655,000 yen. The new gold-colored model incorporates various measures to

Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–More Japanese companies on Friday made announcements regarding customer data breaches due to cyberattacks. Yamato Transport Co. said that 5.31 million sets of personal information belonging to some users of its deferred payment service were compromised in a

(Adnkronos) – American journalist Heidi Levine of the Washington Post and two Palestinians were injured in a settler attack against farmers during the olive harvest in the village of Abu Falah, east of Ramallah, in the West Bank. This was reported by

(Adnkronos) – Great mobilization tomorrow in France against the high cost of living, with 250 gatherings and 80 processions planned throughout the day: “This morning we have just over forty notifications,” announced Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who spoke of “a rather substantial

(Adnkronos) – High fuel prices linked to the war in Iran – but especially to the one in Ukraine according to President Trump – weigh on American family budgets and threaten to become one of the key issues in the midterm elections.

Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. can strengthen “strategic energy partnerships” with Japan and other customers “with greater flexibility” after the United Arab Emirates’ exit from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, according to a senior ADNOC official.

Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Tokai, said Friday that it will introduce a new Shinkansen bullet train model equipped with an autonomous operation system for the first time. JR Tokai aims to put the new S0 Series

(Adnkronos) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree transferring control of other foreign assets in Russia to the Russian holding company Management Company Center Capital LLC. These include French flooring manufacturer Tarkett, Belgian personal care and baby products company Ontex,

Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–The average price of rice sold from collectors to wholesalers in Japan plunged 42 pct from a year earlier to 21,293 yen per 60 kilograms of brown rice in September, the agriculture ministry said Friday. The September figure,

Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Meteorological Agency on Friday canceled an emergency earthquake warning after erroneously estimating that a magnitude-9.9 earthquake had occurred in the Chishima Islands off the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido the same day. The agency issued the

Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi apologized on Friday over the resignation of scandal-hit former agriculture minister Kazuo Yana and vowed to restore public trust in her government. “I feel remorseful, and I take my responsibility seriously for appointing”

Kyoto, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–Kyoto District Court on Friday found a 59-year-old gang member not guilty of the 2013 murder of the president of “gyoza” dumpling restaurant chain Ohsho Food Service Corp. Presiding Judge Atsushi Nishikawa said that there was “room for