Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Nippon Paint Holdings Co. said Monday it will acquire Dutch rival Akzo Nobel NV’s decorative paints business in Southeast Asia and Oceania for about 1.35 billion dollars. The acquisition, covering Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia and

Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–An extraordinary session of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, convened on Monday, setting the stage for the first parliamentary debate since the cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last month. In the 222nd Diet session, scheduled to run

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–Okinawa Governor Genta Koja said Monday he will travel to Tokyo this week to directly lodge a protest to the Japanese government following the arrest of a U.S. Marine in Okinawa on suspicion of murder and

Anamizu, Ishikawa Pref., Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Kazuo Yana stressed his resolve to promote restoration in disaster-hit Ishikawa and Kumamoto prefectures during his visits to afflicted areas over the weekend. He inspected progress in the work to

Yokohama, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–Seven people have filed their candidacies in the mayoral election of Yokohama, near Tokyo, including scandal-hit former Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka, kicking off the two-week official campaign period from Sunday. The key is whether Yamanaka will be re-elected in

Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average surged over 1,700 points Monday morning to retake 70,000 briefly for the first time on an intraday basis since July 6. The index of 225 major issues listed on the Tokyo Stock

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–About 100 people gathered near the Okinawa prefectural government building Sunday, in protest after a U.S. Marine was arrested in a murder-robbery case in the southernmost Japan prefecture. Many participants voiced anger at the case and

Bangkok, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–Thai police have taken two Japanese men in their 20s into protective custody in the western province of Kanchanaburi, which borders Myanmar. The Japanese nationals, who are believed to have been forced to join fraud at a base

Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–The mother of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese woman abducted to North Korea at age 13 in 1977, continues praying for a reunion with her daughter, with her loved one turning 62 on Monday. “There has been no information

Kaminoseki, Yamaguchi Pref., Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–Kaminoseki Mayor Tetsuo Nishi, who is in favor of the town in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, hosting an interim storage facility for spent fuel from nuclear power plants, won re-election on Sunday. The election was the

Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force has introduced the V-BAT unmanned reconnaissance aircraft as part of a broader effort to strengthen surveillance capabilities while easing personnel requirements. The MSDF operates six V-BATs developed by U.S. defense technology company Shield AI,

Tokyo, Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday described as “deeply regrettable” the occurrence of a murder-robbery case in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, that led to the arrest of a U.S. Marine stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air

Kumamoto, Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)–As Japan saw the second-earliest start of a nationwide influenza outbreak, the flu is also spreading in Kumamoto Prefecture, which was hit by a powerful earthquake in July. With more than 1,300 people still staying at evacuation centers

Nagoya, Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)–The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games came to a close Sunday night with a closing ceremony held at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. More than 15,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions took part in the 20th edition

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)–Okinawa Prefectural Police on Sunday arrested a U.S. Marine for allegedly killing a 39-year-old woman in a hotel room in Naha, the capital of the southernmost Japan prefecture, and stealing her belongings. The 20-year-old serviceman, Devin

Tokyo, Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to bolster efforts in cooperation with the private sector in fiscal 2027 to probe whether attackers have infiltrated and remained hidden in systems of critical infrastructure operators such as power utilities and telecommunications companies.

Tokyo, Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday described as “deeply regrettable” the occurrence of a murder-robbery case in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, that led to the arrest of a U.S. Marine stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air

Tokyo, Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)–Major convenience store chains in Japan are expanding their apparel offerings, including clothing and fashion accessories, to attract more young consumers. While convenience store apparel has traditionally been purchased mainly to meet urgent needs, such as during business

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)–Okinawa Prefectural Police on Sunday arrested a U.S. Marine for allegedly killing a 39-year-old woman in a hotel room in Naha, the capital of the southernmost Japan prefecture, and stealing her belongings. The 20-year-old serviceman, Devin

Tokyo, Oct. 4 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese health ministry plans to support medical institutions that introduce cloud-based electronic medical record systems, which manage medical records and other information online using external servers. The ministry will establish a program in the ongoing fiscal year

Nagoya, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese athletes continued their strong showing across multiple sports on the 15th day of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, helping the host nation set a record of 83 gold medals at a single edition of the Games.

Seoul, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)–North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan from around Wonsan, Kangwon Province, at around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the South Korean military. The Japanese Defense Ministry also announced that Pyongyang had conducted the

New Delhi, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)–A two-day exhibition event promoting Japanese anime, featuring live performances of anime songs, talk shows and other attractions, kicked off in New Delhi on Saturday. The event, titled “Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!!,” is being held in the

Tokyo, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition party Komeito launched a new leadership team under Mitsunari Okamoto, who was elected party leader at a convention in Tokyo on Saturday. Following the collapse of the three-way merger with the Centrist Reform Alliance and the

Nagoya, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Olympic Committee President Seiko Hashimoto said Saturday that the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which are set to end on Sunday, raised the value of hosting international competitions. “There have been many problems and criticisms, but the Games

Kumamoto, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese Defense Ministry’s Kyushu Defense Bureau on Saturday displayed to local residents for the first time the long-range Type-25 surface-to-ship guided missile system at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in the southwestern Japan city of Kumamoto.

Kumamoto, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese Defense Ministry’s Kyushu Defense Bureau on Saturday displayed to local residents for the first time the long-range Type-25 surface-to-ship guided missile system at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in the southwestern Japan city of Kumamoto.

Paris/Brussels, Oct. 2 (Jiji Press)–The leaders of the Group of Seven major democracies on Friday agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves through the International Energy Agency over the next four months, in an effort to ease

Washington, Oct. 2 (Jiji Press)–Several economies opposed efforts to tackle the issue of overproduction at a meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, of trade ministers from the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies, according to the chair’s statement released by the Office of

Toyama, Oct. 3 (Jiji Press)–Police searched the Toyama city office Saturday over suspected violations of the statistics law related to allegations that its staff inflated the central Japan city’s population figure in the 2025 census. About 10 Toyama prefectural police investigators in