Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)–As Monday marked the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration, which stipulates the return of two of the four disputed islands to Japan, Russia has further hardened its stance on the territorial dispute. The declaration includes

Maebashi, Gunma Pref., Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)–Fossils unearthed in Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, dating back about 15.5 million years, have been identified as a new species of sperm whale, offering clues to the evolution of the deep-diving marine mammals. The species, named

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday left open the possibility of issuing government bonds to fund the envisaged reduction in the consumption tax on food items, despite her previous claim that the necessary funds would be secured

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Monday warned against any move to deny preferential treatment being considered for European vehicles in the European Union to Japanese vehicles. The European Union “should treat products made in Japan on an equal footing

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Tatsunori Ibayashi on Monday became the second minister to visit war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo during its autumn festival this year, following growth strategy minister Minoru Kiuchi. Ibayashi visited the shrine

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)–Subaru Corp. plans to launch a software-defined vehicle, or SDV, which can improve performance through software updates, in the latter half of the 2020s, using a new electronic control unit to integrate vehicle controls and driver-assistance functions, according

Yokohama, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)–Lawyer Atsumi Harasawa won 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 held following Yamanaka’s

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan aims to strengthen its investigative capabilities using advanced technology, including artificial intelligence, to tackle cyberattacks and “tokuryu” loosely organized anonymous criminal groups, National Public Safety Commission Chairman Yasuhiro Hanashi has said. “We need to respond without delay

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s education ministry plans to expand Japanese-language education for foreign residents as their numbers reach a record high and many communities struggle to meet growing demand for classes. Japan had a record 4,281,026 foreign residents at the end

Yokohama, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)–Lawyer Atsumi Harasawa won 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 held following Yamanaka’s

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