Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police arrested a man carrying knives near the U.S. Embassy in the Japanese capital on Friday for allegedly obstructing official duties. Around 2:30 p.m., the man, apparently in his 30s, was questioned by a riot police officer

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–The average price of rice sold at about 1,000 supermarkets across Japan in the week ended Sunday rose 109 yen from the previous week to 4,251 yen per 5 kilograms, the agriculture ministry said Friday. The increase was

Osaka, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Sharp Corp. plans to launch an electric vehicle under joint development with its Taiwanese parent company, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., in fiscal 2027, it was learned Friday. The Japanese electronics maker unveiled a prototype of its compact

Osaka, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Osaka High Court on Friday found the House of Councillors election in July constitutional, rejecting a claim by a group of lawyers that the election results should be nullified due to vote-value disparities. The plaintiffs plan to file

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Gas Co. said Friday that it has signed a letter of intent for a liquefied natural gas development project in Alaska with a subsidiary of Glenfarne Group LLC, which leads the project. Tokyo Gas will consider procuring

(Adnkronos) – Italy on Friday underlined its appeal for a worldwide ceasefire during the Milano Cortina Olympics from 6-22 February after saying earlier this month it would submit a proposal to the United Nations for a global truce during the event.  “With

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Friday that the government may issue bonds to finance a supplementary budget that will feature measures to reduce the impact of higher inflation. Katayama, who was appointed by new Prime Minister Sanae

Washington, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan should perceive its trade deal with the United States as an “investment” for the future of the bilateral alliance, Alexander Gray, former deputy assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump in his first term, said. “If we do

(Adnkronos) – Italy will help train the leaders of a future Palestinian state via a “corridor” that is bringing talented Palestinian students and researchers from Gaza to its universities, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said late Thursday.  “‘We (the foreign ministry) have opened

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday vowed to achieve economic growth through strategic fiscal measures, in her first policy address at parliament since taking office earlier this week. “I will build a strong economy,” Takaichi, also head

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–A man believed to have been carrying a knife was arrested near the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Friday for allegedly obstructing a riot police officer in the performance of official duties. Shortly after 2 p.m., the man

Washington, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–The fact that new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was close to the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will work in her favor in building ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, Jeffrey Hornung, senior political scientist at

(In Wednesday’s story titled “LDP, Nippon Ishin, Komeito Agree to Increase Gasoline Subsidies,” the final paragraph should have read “…LDP tax panel head Itsunori Onodera…” Instead of as sent.) LDP, Nippon Ishin, Komeito Agree to Increase Gasoline Subsidies Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji

By Adriana Reinecke Washington, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan is unlikely to face an immediate crisis in terms of fiscal soundness because the average maturity of outstanding Japanese government bonds is relatively long, senior International Monetary Fund official Nada Choueiri has indicated in

Seoul, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung are likely to meet in Gyeongju, South Korea, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, set to open on Oct. 31, a senior South Korean

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is seeking to boost its intelligence capabilities by setting up a new national intelligence agency that will supervise related divisions of existing agencies and ministries. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference Friday

Japan Department Stores Association Oct. 24 Yr/Yr Change Total 128,991 M. Yen Up 2.5 pct Clothing 33,817 Up 4.5 Personal Articles 22,469 Down 3.8 Sundry Goods 36,007 Up 10.7 Household Goods 5,866 Up 2.3 Foodstuffs 25,032 0.0 Note: Year-on-year changes are on

Japan Department Stores Association Oct. 24 Yr/Yr Change Total 428,803 M. Yen Up 1.4 pct Clothing 110,549 Down 0.4 Personal Articles 72,489 Down 1.3 Sundry Goods 106,516 Up 7.4 Household Goods 15,064 Down 3.4 Foodstuffs 99,034 Up 0.8 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to hold their first talks over the phone on Saturday morning Japan time, people familiar with the matter said Friday. Takaichi aims to build a relationship

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–The rate of workers in Japan who graduated from universities in spring 2022 and left their first jobs within three years stood at 33.8 pct, down 1.1 percentage points from the rate for 2021 graduates, the first decline

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–The number of elementary, junior high and high school students in Japan who committed suicide in 2024 stood at 529, up by 16 from the preceding year and the highest since data became available in 1980, a government

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s core consumer price index rose 2.9 pct from a year earlier in September, as food prices remained elevated and government subsidies for electricity and city gas fees were smaller, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. The core

Washington, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Asian nations should deepen economic integration by expanding their regional trade agreements to spur growth, Thomas Helbling, deputy director of the International Monetary Fund’s Asia and Pacific Department, said. Helbling, speaking in a recent interview with Jiji Press,

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese opposition Democratic Party for the People and former ruling coalition member Komeito have agreed to jointly submit a bill to regulate political donations to the ongoing extraordinary session of the Diet, the country’s parliament. According to

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is working to create a framework for policy coordination with its new coalition partner, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), including regular talks between their senior officials, following the launch of the

(Adnkronos) – It could take between 20 and 30 years to clear the surface of Gaza of unexploded ordnance. This was indicated by the US-based NGO Humanity & Inclusion, describing the Palestinian enclave as a “horrible unmapped minefield”.  “If you consider a

(Adnkronos) – Russia has acquired Western technology through a secret supply network to protect its submarine fleet and build an underwater surveillance system in the Arctic Sea or Barents Sea where they operate, the Washington Post reports at the end of a

(Adnkronos) – New York’s outgoing mayor, Eric Adams, has officially announced that he will support former governor Andrew Cuomo in his electoral race for the November vote, hoping to slow the rise of Zohran Mamdani. The New York Times reported this. “I

(Adnkronos) – Foreign minister Antonio Tajani was set to welcome 49 Palestinian scholarship students and researchers and 16 Palestinians with relatives in Italy when the group arrives at Rome’s Ciampino airport late on Thursday, the foreign ministry said in a statement.  The

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–New Japanese industry minister Ryosei Akazawa disclosed plans Thursday to tighten regulations on large-scale solar power plants to prevent environmental damage. In an interview with media organizations held after he assumed his current post on Tuesday, Akazawa pointed