Tokyo, May 3 (Jiji Press)–While COVID-19 infections have decreased significantly since Japan downgraded the disease to the same category as seasonal influenza almost three years ago, elderly people and others are still cautioned against the risk of contracting the virus during the

Tokyo, May 3 (Jiji Press)–The first tanker carrying Russian crude oil since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East is seen arriving in Japan as early as Monday, according to Japanese industry ministry and other sources. The tanker

Tokyo, May 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is preparing to launch trade talks with the Mercosur trade bloc in South America to conclude an economic partnership agreement, Jiji Press learned Sunday. The move comes as the government believes that it is necessary

Tokyo, May 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has told his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, that Japan strongly hopes that Iran and the United States will soon resume talks and reach a final deal to end their conflict. Motegi spoke with

Tokyo, May 3 (Jiji Press)–During the ongoing Golden Week holiday period in Japan, tourist spots across the country have been affected by water shortages, partly due to low rainfall since last summer. Sightseeing boat and hot spring facility operators and other businesses

Hanoi, May 2 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Vietnamese counterpart, Le Minh Hung, agreed Saturday to position economic security cooperation as a pillar of their countries’ bilateral relations, including Japan’s public-private support for Vietnam’s crude oil procurement. Japan will

Hanoi, May 2 (Jiji Press)–Visiting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Saturday expressed her intention to deepen cooperation for the free and open Indo-Pacific, or FOIP, vision by focusing on three pillars–strengthening supply chains, sharing rules to maintain an economic order, and

Hanoi, May 2 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Vietnamese counterpart, Le Minh Hung, agreed Saturday to position economic security cooperation as a pillar of their countries’ bilateral relations, including Japan’s public-private support for Vietnam’s crude oil procurement. At their

Otsuchi, Iwate Pref., May 2 (Jiji Press)–The northeastern Japan town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, declared Saturday that the forest fire that broke out on April 22 has come under control. According to the prefectural government, the fire burned about 1,633 hectares, making

Tokyo, May 2 (Jiji Press)–Eighteen of Japan’s 47 prefectural governors recognize the need to revise the country’s Constitution, a Jiji Press survey has shown. Nine of the 18 governors, including those of Aomori and Osaka, agreed that constitutional revision is necessary. The

Fukushima, May 2 (Jiji Press)–A memorial park dedicated to mourning the victims of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster opened in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Saturday. The Fukushima March 11 Memorial Park was jointly established by the Japanese government

New York, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Jiro Hamasumi, secretary-general of the Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, delivered a speech at the 2026 review conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in New York on Friday, saying that atomic bombs

Tokyo, May 2 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and 10 members of her cabinet are visiting overseas during the ongoing Golden Week holiday period through next week. During their trips, the ministers are expected to focus on promoting Japan’s economic security,

Tokyo, May 2 (Jiji Press)–Psychological and financial hurdles remain high for junior and senior high school girls in buying emergency contraception three months after it became available over the counter in Japan. Emergency contraception can prevent unwanted pregnancy with a high probability

Tokyo, May 2 (Jiji Press)–Desperately hoping to stop the yen’s rapid depreciation, the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan apparently implemented their first currency market intervention in about two years on Thursday afternoon. Earlier that day, the dollar was trading above

Osaka, May 1 (Jiji Press)–West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, announced Friday a capital and business tie-up with the Resona Holdings Inc. group to make its first foray into the banking business as early as fiscal 2027, starting next April. The

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–The government-backed Japan Bank for International Cooperation said Friday it has signed contracts to provide about 2,221 million dollars in joint loans with commercial banks for the first round of investment projects in the United States that were

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police arrested a 44-year-old man on Friday on suspicion of attempted murder after he allegedly attacked a high school student with a hammer and fled the scene on Wednesday. By analyzing security camera footage and other information,

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan started releasing on Friday additional state oil reserves equivalent to about 20 days of domestic consumption, amid crude oil procurement concerns brought on by the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The reserves will be

Minamata, Kumamoto Pref., May 1 (Jiji Press)–A ceremony to remember Minamata disease victims was held in the southwestern Japan city of Minamata on Friday, the 70th anniversary of the official recognition of the neurological disorder caused by polluted industrial wastewater. The event,

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan are believed to have conducted a yen-buying, dollar-selling market intervention on Thursday night, it was learned Friday. The amount of the intervention has been estimated at around 5-6 trillion yen.

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan are believed to have conducted a yen-buying, dollar-selling market intervention on Thursday night, it was learned Friday. The amount of the intervention has been estimated at around 5-6 trillion yen.

Osaka, May 1 (Jiji Press)–West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, announced Friday a capital and business tie-up with the Resona Holdings Inc. group to make its first foray into the banking business as early as fiscal 2027 starting next April. The

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Film commissions, set up by local governments to attract production crews for location shooting of films, dramas and other works, are contributing to local communities, about a quarter century after the first such commission was launched in Japan.

(Typo in 4th para corrected) Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan ranked 62nd among 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, released on Thursday by Reporters Without Borders, or RSF. The ranking was four notches higher than the previous year. But

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi left Japan on Friday afternoon to visit Vietnam and Australia to affirm cooperation in the field of economic security with the two countries’ leaders. During her visit to Vietnam, Takaichi is slated to

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health ministry will establish a secretariat for the disaster medical assistance team, or DMAT, program in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and another in the Kyushu southwestern region within fiscal 2026, which started last month. By creating

Sydney, May 1 (Jiji Press)–A 29-year-old Australian flight instructor and a 24-year-old Japanese student died in a plane crash at an Australian airport on Wednesday, police and others said. A Diamond DA42 twin-engine aircraft carrying the two crashed into a hangar at

Osaka, May 1 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese female prosecutor who was allegedly sexually assaulted by her male boss in 2018 submitted a resignation letter to her office in Osaka on Thursday. The prosecution did not give any concrete response to her request for

New York, April 30 (Jiji Press)–Hiroshima Governor Mika Yokota has highlighted the significance of abolishing nuclear weapons, at an event held on the sidelines of a review conference for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. “The only sure way to prevent the use of