Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in May dropped 3.6 pct from a year earlier to 3,559,900, marking its second consecutive month of decline, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. The number of Chinese visitors

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–The Kanazawa branch of Nagoya High Court ruled Wednesday that February’s election for Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, was constitutional in terms of vote-value disparities. With the ruling, 14 high courts and branches throughout

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Opposition Sanseito on Wednesday submitted a bill to establish a Japanese government agency to coordinate policies related to foreigners across ministries and agencies. The bill, introduced in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, calls

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–About 10 cargo vessels of Nippon Yusen K.K. remain stranded in the Persian Gulf due to the virtual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Takaya Soga, president of the major Japanese shipping firm, said Wednesday. “The situation is

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police have arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly using smartphone payment app PayPay to defraud electronic money from an individual, people familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. The suspect, Masanobu Kimura, a resident of Sapporo, a city

Nago, Okinawa Pref., June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Defense Ministry notified Okinawa Prefecture on Wednesday that it has started pouring earth and sand in a new area east of Cape Henoko in the southernmost prefecture for the planned relocation of a U.S. military

(The third paragraph should have read, “…its Audit Committee…” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) CDP Lawmaker under Fire over Remarks on Japan SDF Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Chikage Koga, a lawmaker of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan,

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average and the broader TOPIX index both hit record closing highs on Wednesday, backed by a fall in crude oil prices following the U.S.-Iran agreement to end their conflict. The Nikkei average closed

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–More than half of national government employees in Japan do not want to relocate for work, the National Personnel Authority said on Wednesday, underscoring growing resistance to the long-standing personnel practice in the country. A survey conducted by

Toyota, Aichi Pref., June 17 (Jiji Press)–Toyota Motor Corp.’s new president, Kenta Kon, vowed on Wednesday to maintain the company’s policy of creating “ever-better cars,” established by Chairman Akio Toyoda. “Together with my colleagues, I want to continue to pursue, think about

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s three megabanks have said they will raise their annual interest rates on ordinary deposits to 0.4 pct from the current 0.3 pct, effective Aug. 3, following the Bank of Japan’s recent decision to raise interest rates. MUFG

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Retail prices of chicken and eggs in Japan in June rose to their highest levels since the agriculture ministry started collecting data in August 2003, the ministry said on Tuesday. The national average price of chicken rose 1

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan logged a customs-cleared trade deficit of 378.6 billion yen in May, slipping back into the red as costly replacement purchases of crude oil and naphtha boosted the value of imports amid Middle East tensions, the Finance Ministry

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s core machinery orders rose 8.7 pct in April from the previous month after seasonal adjustment thanks to robust orders related to semiconductors, the Cabinet Office said Wednesday. Private-sector orders excluding those for ships and power equipment, closely

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–The Diet, Japan’s parliament, enacted a bill Wednesday to revise the Civil Code to overhaul the country’s adult guardianship system for people with dementia and others. The House of Councillors, the upper chamber, approved the bill at a

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan plans to support reconstruction in areas battered by the Middle East conflict following a final agreement between the United States and Iran to end fighting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Wednesday. “After a final agreement is

Evian, France, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas including economic security and advanced technology development. The two leaders also discussed issues in Asia, including North Korea’s

Amsterdam, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, currently on an official visit to the Netherlands, arrived at the Royal Palace Amsterdam on Tuesday afternoon. The Imperial couple were greeted by Dutch royal officials upon their arrival at the palace.

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese businesses are stepping up efforts to promote “human capital management,” responding to government calls to regard human resources as capital and maximize their value in order to enhance medium- to long-term corporate value. A key focus is

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi will visit Japan for four days starting Tuesday next week in connection with the release into the sea of treated water from the disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in

(Adnkronos) – The United States will allow Iran to immediately resume oil and fuel exports immediately after the signing of the memorandum of understanding scheduled for Friday in Switzerland to end the war, offering Tehran a first and significant economic incentive to

(Adnkronos) – Warning shots fired by the Russian frigate ‘Admiral Grigorovich’ reportedly exploded less than 500 meters from a British yacht sailing in the English Channel, about 30 kilometers south of the Isle of Wight. This was reported by the British Ministry

(Adnkronos) – The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has signed a decree calling for elections for the renewal of the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, on September 20. This was reported by the Ria Novosti

(Adnkronos) – Restoration work on the Dormition Cathedral – damaged by a Russian attack – and the famous Caves Monastery could take about two years. This was announced by Maksym Ostapenko, director of the architectural complex inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage

(Adnkronos) – The United States has rejected Israel’s request to view the text of the memorandum of understanding with Iran, which will be officially signed on Friday in Switzerland. This was reported by Israeli broadcaster Channel 12. Trump, engaged in G7 talks

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Chikage Koga, a lawmaker of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, has been under fire for her recent remarks citing financial circumstances as a reason for joining the country’s Self-Defense Forces. Although she immediately retracted the remarks

(Adnkronos) – The ballroom that Donald Trump wants at all costs in the White House, by having the East Wing demolished, will ultimately cost 600 million dollars, over half of which will come from the coffers of money paid by American taxpayers.

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–A strong earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.5 jolted the Kanto eastern Japan region on Tuesday night. The temblor, which struck around 7:46 p.m., measured lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. said Tuesday that it will launch a domestic cybersecurity service to help companies detect vulnerabilities and take countermeasures. The service uses advanced artificial intelligence technologies developed by OpenAI, the U.S. developer of ChatGPT. SoftBank

Evian, France, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday discussed the situation surrounding Iran during a brief conversation on the sidelines of the ongoing Group of Seven summit in France. The two leaders did