Ueno, Gunma Pref., Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–A bereaved family member of one of the 520 victims of the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet held a picture book event last month at an elementary school near the crash site in

Tokyo, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–Chikara Sakaguchi, who served as the country’s first health, labor and welfare minister, died of natural causes on Friday. He was 92. Sakaguchi, a former Komeito lawmaker, died at a hospital in the western Japan city of Takamatsu,

Nagoya, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–Hiroshi Okuda, who served as president and chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. and chairman of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, died at 93, it was learned Wednesday. Born in the city of Tsu, Mie Prefecture, central Japan,

(Adnkronos) – The countries that consume the most coal (infographic) 

Tokyo, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police have arrested a Mexican national on suspicion of attempting to smuggle nine lizards into Japan by hiding them in socks in his luggage. Daniel Isaac Velasco Baltazar, 23, is suspected of attempting to import the lizards

Ueno, Gunma Pref., Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–Victims of the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet were remembered at the mountainous accident site in eastern Japan on Wednesday, the 41st anniversary of the tragedy. From early in the morning, bereaved family

Tokyo, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–Women accounted for 46.9 pct of those who passed the Japanese government’s hiring examination for noncareer positions in fiscal 2026, the National Personnel Authority said Wednesday. The figure stood at the second-highest on record, following a record high

Tokyo, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–Typhoon Chan-hom turned into a tropical cyclone in the Sea of Japan off Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, at 9 a.m. Wednesday after it crossed eastern Japan overnight, bringing heavy rain to broad areas from northeastern to western regions.

Washington, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Countries including the United States and Japan on Tuesday called on all relevant nations to notify affected states of launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles “no less than 24 hours in advance.”

Seoul, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan from Wonsan in the eastern province of Kangwon at around 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to the South Korean military. Japan’s Defense Ministry said that the projectile is

Tokyo, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways are expected to lower their fuel surcharges on flights from Japan to North America and Europe to 50,000-55,000 yen for tickets issued in September and October, Jiji Press learned Wednesday. The plan

Seoul, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan from Wonsan in the eastern province of Kangwon at around 6 a.m. Wednesday, the South Korean military said. Japan’s Defense Ministry also said that the projectile may

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Sony Group Corp. said Tuesday that it and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. will invest a total of 747 billion yen to establish a joint venture to make next-generation image sensors for smartphones. The new company, Advanced Vision

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Typhoon Chan-hom made landfall in the eastern Japan prefecture of Ibaraki, near Tokyo, around 8 p.m. Tuesday, traveling in an unusual direction from east to west. The Japan Meteorological Agency said this was the first typhoon landfall in

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese research team has said it found traces of genetic mutations caused by a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains in the intestines in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases in Japan. Announcing the findings Monday,

Kumamoto, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan had 3,714 evacuees from the July 28 massive earthquake as of Tuesday, the prefectural government said. The number changed drastically from Monday as the hard-hit city of Uki did a fresh count and

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s central government debt totaled a record 1,346,683.3 billion yen at the end of June, up 2,840.7 billion yen from three months before, according to the Ministry of Finance. The increase reflects the government’s continued reliance on borrowing

(Adnkronos) – The head of the Libyan National Army’s military intelligence, Brigadier General Fawzi Mansouri, was killed by an explosive device placed in his car outside his home in the Al-Hawari district of Benghazi. This was reported by the Israeli website Ynet

(Adnkronos) – The death toll from this night’s Russian missile attacks against Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv is worsening. As reported by the Kyiv Independent newspaper, “at least five people have been killed and 21 injured. Five people died and 20 were injured in

(Adnkronos) – “10 people were injured due to explosions that shook Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, following Russian ballistic missile attacks in Ukraine.” The English-language Ukrainian newspaper The Kyiv Independent reports this. “One person was injured in Kyiv, while nine others were injured in

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japanese retailer Aeon Co. said Tuesday that it permitted some workers at shops in Aeon Mall Kumamoto to re-enter the earthquake-hit commercial facility just before a fatal explosion occurred there July 28. Workers at shops in Aeon Mall

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Typhoon Chan-hom is expected to make a landfall around the eastern Japan prefecture of Ibaraki, near Tokyo, on Tuesday night. The Japan Meteorological Agency called for caution against violent winds, high waves and heavy rain mainly in the

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japanese retailer Aeon Co. said Tuesday that it permitted some workers at shops in Aeon Mall Kumamoto to re-enter the earthquake-hit commercial facility just before a fatal explosion occurred there July 28. Workers at shops in Aeon Mall

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, successfully launched an H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki No. 7 positioning satellite from its Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at 4:23 a.m. Tuesday. The satellite reached its planned

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Questions surrounding the salaries of publicly funded secretaries to members of parliament, Japan’s Diet, continue to surface, underscoring persistent concerns about oversight within the country’s political system. Recent cases have renewed scrutiny of allegations that some lawmakers improperly

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan may consider an additional interest rate increase at its next policy meeting Sept. 17-18, following a hike in June, in response to rising risks of higher inflation, informed sources said. Prices in Japan may

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s seasonally adjusted gross domestic product in April-June is projected to have grown a real 2.1 pct from the previous quarter on an annualized basis. The figure represents the average forecast among 10 private-sector think tanks. The Japanese

Tokyo, Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Immigration Services Agency has started sharing personal information on foreign nationals subject to deportation proceedings with local governments, as part of a review of policies concerning foreigners pursued by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Previously, such information was

Kumamoto, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)–Over 6,000 people are still living at evacuation centers following a massive earthquake that struck the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto two weeks ago. As of 6 p.m. Monday, a total of 39 deaths had been confirmed from

(Adnkronos) – A new passenger rail service connects Finland to Sweden, creating for the first time since the 1990s a land rail link running between northern Finland and southern Europe.  The resumption of Finnish cross-border trains, interrupted in 1988, will allow connection