News - Page 35

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese companies have offered pay hikes of 5.26 pct on a weighted average basis in this year’s “shunto” spring labor-management negotiations, the first tally by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, showed Monday. The result attested to

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s top government spokesperson on Monday denied that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had promised support from the Maritime Self-Defense Force to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The denial came after U.S. Ambassador to the United

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, started operating a freight-only Shinkansen bullet train Monday, transporting goods from Morioka, the capital of Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, to Tokyo. The seven-car train, converted from an E3 series passenger train

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. will invest 20 billion yen in artificial intelligence over the three years from fiscal 2026, aiming to lift productivity, President Yukinori Takada has said in a recent interview with Jiji Press. The initiative is

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo stocks dropped almost across the board on Monday, sending the benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average down over 3 pct for the second straight market day, amid concerns that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could be

Hiroshima, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Hiroshima Castle’s keep in the western Japan city of Hiroshima in the namesake prefecture has closed after 68 years as a museum due to structural aging. The facility, which ended its run on Sunday, is located within Hiroshima

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s parliament Monday approved the government’s appointments of 22 people for key posts at 11 organizations, including two academics deemed reflationists nominated to the Bank of Japan Policy Board. The BOJ picks were Toichiro Asada, emeritus professor at

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese Environment Ministry will mandate water utilities, primarily those run by municipalities, to conduct regular inspections for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are potentially carcinogenic chemicals, starting in April as part of new tap water quality

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government will consider compiling a provisional budget in the event that the fiscal 2026 regular budget is not passed by the April 1 start of the year, an official said Monday. “We will consider a provisional

Hiroshima, March 23 (Jiji Press)–The western Japan city of Hiroshima returned on Sunday the remains of an atomic bomb victim to bereaved family members, marking the first such handover since May 2023. The city, which suffered a U.S. atomic bombing on Aug.