News - Page 12

New York, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)–U.S. magazine Time has selected Shoko Kawata, the 36-year-old mayor of the city of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, who is believed to be the first sitting female local government chief in Japan to take maternity leave, for its

Tokyo, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average jumped on Thursday morning, surpassing 68,000 for the first time since Aug. 18 amid continued buying of major artificial intelligence-related issues. The index of 225 major issues listed on the Tokyo Stock

Tokyo, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Immigration Services Agency on Thursday tightened requirements for foreigners to obtain permanent residence by revising its guidelines, requiring applicants to maintain annual income above the average for Japanese households and possess a certain level of Japanese-language proficiency.

Tokyo, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Regional management organizations, which empower residents to take the lead in tackling local challenges, are becoming increasingly common across Japan. There were 8,587 such organizations nationwide in fiscal 2025, up 394 from the previous year. RMOs are expected

Tokyo, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Mongolian counterpart, Damba Batlut, agreed to advance defense cooperation between their countries in a meeting at the Japanese Defense Ministry in Tokyo. In Wednesday’s meeting, the two also confirmed their intention

Tokyo, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Business sentiment among large manufacturers in Japan improved for the sixth straight quarter, the Bank of Japan’s “tankan” survey for September showed Thursday. The headline diffusion index for large manufacturers’ current business conditions rose to plus 24 from

Nagoya, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Hayato Kondo won judo gold in the men’s 60-kilogram event, while his younger sister, Mitsuki, also secured gold in the women’s 48-kg event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday. “The fact that I was able to

Tokyo, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)–Sogo & Seibu Co.’s Seibu department store in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward closed its doors Wednesday, ending its 58-year history. Despite the rain, many customers visited to bid farewell to the department store that has long been one of

Tokyo, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)–A supervisor failed to give advance instructions on the positions of railway lookouts and evacuation locations, in violation of internal safety rules, in an August accident that killed four workers during weeding operations at a station in Kanuma,

Kumamoto, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Kumamoto Prefecture on Wednesday to comfort people affected by a powerful earthquake that struck the southwestern Japan prefecture in late July and to thank those engaged in relief and support activities,