By Nico Pandi Washington, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Japan needs to be part of an Indo-Pacific “balancing coalition” that can constrain China’s influence, says Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat of Canada who spent over 1,000 days in Chinese detainment on espionage charges from

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–A new company to be born out of a merger of Japanese insurers Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co. next April aims to earn an adjusted profit to 280 billion yen in fiscal 2030,

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday stressed the need for island nations to strengthen cooperation over maritime issues. In her address at the opening ceremony of the Island States Ocean Summit in Tokyo, Takaichi said that collaboration

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Parliamentary discussions on the Japanese government’s draft fiscal 2026 supplementary budget, aimed at addressing impacts from Middle East tensions, kicked off Wednesday. At a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Finance

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Japan will be able to continue supplying naphtha-derived petrochemical products beyond fiscal 2026, which ends in March next year, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has said at a ministerial meeting on the situation in the Middle East. In response

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Typhoon Jangmi made landfall on the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, leading to the issuance of a Level 5 emergency flooding warning for the Koza River in the western Japan prefecture. The warning was

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government at an extraordinary cabinet meeting Wednesday adopted a draft fiscal 2026 supplementary budget with general-account spending of 3,113.5 billion yen. The extra budget for the year that started in April is mainly intended to set

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average surged to top 68,000 for the first time ever Wednesday morning, thanks to buying of issues related to artificial intelligence and semiconductors. At 10:06 a.m., the index of 225 selected issues listed

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average surged to top 68,000 for the first time ever Wednesday morning. Issues related to artificial intelligence and semiconductors attracted buying. At 10:06 a.m., the index of 225 selected issues listed on the

Chiba, June 3 (Jiji Press)–An indoor option is set to be studied for a new home stadium of the Chiba Lotte Marines, a Japanese professional baseball team, in the city of Chiba, east of Tokyo. In an agreement announced Tuesday over the

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Typhoon Jangmi made landfall on the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, leading to the issuance of a Level 5 emergency flooding warning for the Koza River in the western Japan prefecture. The warning was

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Typhoon Jangmi made landfall on the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, leading to the issuance of a Level 5 emergency flooding warning for the Koza River in the western Japan prefecture. The warning was

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Judicial education, in which lawyers and others introduce young people to the beauty of the legal profession, is becoming more common in Japan. With support from the Justice Ministry and others, the Legal Education Support Association has organized

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Typhoon Jangmi made landfall on the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, leading to the issuance of a Level 5 emergency flood warning for the Koza River in the western Japan prefecture. The warning was

Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)–Typhoon Jangmi made landfall on the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, leading to the issuance of a Level 5 emergency flood warning for the Koza River in the western Japan prefecture. The warning was

Silicon Valley, June 2 (Jiji Press)–U.S. artificial intelligence company Anthropic said Tuesday that it has newly granted a total of about 150 companies and organizations in more than 15 countries access to its cutting-edge AI model, Claude Mythos. In Tokyo, Japanese Finance

Narita, Chiba Pref., June 2 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese men’s national soccer team, nicknamed Samurai Blue, departed on Tuesday for their pre-World Cup training camp in Monterrey, Mexico. A departure ceremony was held at Narita International Airport near Tokyo, with Yuto Nagatomo, who

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with leaders from island nations in Tokyo on Tuesday, calling for cooperation on climate change and maritime issues. During the meeting with Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., Tuvaluan Prime Minister Feleti Teo

Osaka, June 2 (Jiji Press)–Police in the western Japan prefecture of Osaka sent papers on three people to prosecutors Tuesday on suspicion of selling and storing Mounjaro, a diabetes medication also known as a weight-loss drug, without permission. All three suspects have

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–Typhoon Jangmi is expected to approach Japan’s Tokai central region Wednesday morning and the Kanto eastern region in the afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Tuesday. The sixth typhoon of the year approached the southern part of the

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–The administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering lowering the consumption tax rate on food to 1 pct for two years from next April, despite her campaign pledge of a zero pct tax rate in February’s

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s transport ministry will enhance efforts this fiscal year to prevent wild animals, such as deer and raccoon dogs, from being killed in traffic. Using a website that features data on locations and times of collisions between vehicles

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. on Tuesday began removing nuclear fuel from the spent fuel pool of the No. 2 reactor at its tsunami-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan. The work is considered

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Fair Trade Commission on Tuesday conducted on-site inspections of five major staffing companies in Tokyo, including Persol Tempstaff Co. and Recruit Staffing Co., for allegedly forming an illegal cartel to raise staffing service fees. According to

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–Kozo Saiki, Japan’s cabinet secretary for public affairs, officially launched an X account on Tuesday following a trial period that began on May 1, hoping to spread more information about Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration. “I will continue

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–Japanese singer Yoichi Sugawara, known for his hit “Kyo de Owakare,” died of malignant lymphoma at a Tokyo hospital Sunday morning. He was 92. Sugawara, from Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, studied vocal music at the Kunitachi College of

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–The leader of Japan’s opposition Democratic Party for the People expressed opposition Tuesday to a bill drafted by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to criminalize vandalism of the national flag. “I cannot agree if its text is presented

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and World Bank President Ajay Banga agreed Tuesday to deepen cooperation on supply chains for critical minerals and energy security. During a meeting at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Takaichi expressed hope

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese banking group Resona Holdings Inc. has established an internal team to deal with cutting-edge artificial intelligence models highly adept at detecting system vulnerabilities, Group CEO and President Masahiro Minami has said in a recent interview. The

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–China conducted about 170 takeoffs and landings of fighter jets and helicopters on the aircraft carrier Liaoning in the western Pacific Ocean over three days to Thursday, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry’s Joint Staff. The Liaoning conducted