Osaka, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Osaka High Court ruled Friday that the Feb. 8 election for Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, was constitutional in terms of vote-value disparities. Presiding Judge Eiji Morisaki dismissed a claim by a group of

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government said Friday that a high school program violated the basic education law, following a fatal accident in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, in March. In its report on the accident, the education ministry said that the

Fukuoka, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Takeshi Niinami, former chairman of Japanese beverage giant Suntory Holdings Ltd., escaped indictment Friday over his alleged narcotics control law violation regarding supplements containing a cannabis ingredient. The Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors Office chose not to indict the

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Prince Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, will attend a banquet with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife at the Imperial Palace on Wednesday night, the Imperial Household Agency

Sapporo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Police on Friday served a fresh arrest warrant on a worker at a zoo in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido on suspicion of murdering his wife. The Hokkaido police department suspects that Tatsuya Suzuki, 33, killed the

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s support for Ukraine’s full European Union membership is unwavering but work must be done with Ukraine to “lay the groundwork” allowing the country to complete the bloc’s rigorous accession process, especially in the area of combatting corruption, foreign minister

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday broadly approved a draft outline of a bill to punish the public vandalism of the Japanese national flag and the posting of videos and images of such acts on social media.

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s transport ministry filed a criminal complaint Friday against a deceased man for allegedly operating an unregistered boat that capsized off Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, in March. The complaint was filed with the Japan Coast Guard and submitted

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s transport ministry filed a criminal complaint Friday against a deceased man for allegedly operating an unregistered boat that capsized off Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, in March. The complaint was filed with the Japan Coast Guard and submitted

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s transport ministry filed a criminal complaint Friday against a deceased man for allegedly operating an unregistered boat that capsized off Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, in March. The complaint was filed with the Japan Coast Guard and submitted

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani is raising with European colleagues the possiblity of rapid sanctions against Israel’s far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for his videoed harrassment and humiliation this week of detained activists from the intercepted Gaza aid flotilla, which

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani is raising with European colleagues the possiblity of rapid sanctions against Israel’s far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for his videoed harrassment and humiliation this week of detained activists from the intercepted Gaza aid flotilla, which

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani is raising with European colleagues the possiblity of rapid sanctions against Israel’s far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for his videoed harrassment and humiliation this week of detained activists from the intercepted Gaza aid flotilla, which

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s key Nikkei 225 stock average soared to hit a fresh record closing high on Friday, reflecting the popularity of high-technology issues. The index of 225 issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Prime top-tier section rose 1,654.93

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has instructed government officials to consider offering speed skating star Miho Takagi the People’s Honor Award, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Friday. Takagi Japan’s most decorated Winter Olympian, with 10 medals, retired

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo High Court on Friday upheld a lower court’s guilty sentences for a bus operator’s president and former employee over a ski tour bus crash in the town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, in 2016 that killed 15 people,

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Friday that she was told by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at their meeting on May 12 of plans to grant the Japanese government and Japanese companies access to the Claude Mythos

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Friday that she was told by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at their meeting on May 12 of plans to grant the Japanese government and Japanese companies access to the Claude Mythos

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Friday that she was told by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at their meeting on May 12 of plans to grant the Japanese government and Japanese companies access to the Claude Mythos

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government decided Friday to honor Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife, Louise Araneta-Marcos, during their four-day state visit to Japan beginning Tuesday. The president will receive the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s key Nikkei 225 stock average soared to hit a fresh record closing high on Friday, reflecting the popularity of high-technology issues. The index of 225 issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Prime top-tier section rose 1,654.93

Nagasaki, May 22 (Jiji Press)–A register of people who died from the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945 was aired out at a memorial park in the southwestern city on Friday for preservation. The register, which consists of 206 books containing

Sapporo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–A box of two Yubari melons fetched a record 5.8 million yen at this season’s first auction held in the city of Sapporo in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido on Friday. The winning bid came from Futami-Seika

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s core consumer price index rose 1.4 pct in April from a year earlier, marking the 56th consecutive month of growth, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. The core CPI, which excludes volatile fresh food prices, stood at

Japan Chain Stores Association May 22 Yr/Yr Change Total 1,051,749 M. Yen Up 1.1 pct Foodstuffs 753,005 Up 3.0 Clothing 47,396 Down 4.8 Sundries 103,393 Up 7.0 Furniture and Interior Goods 61,483 Down 7.9 Home Electric Appliances 2,375 Up 12.2 Note: Year-on-year

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi on Friday announced a new policy package aimed at strengthening measures against foreign nationals staying and working in Japan illegally. The package, called the Zero Illegal Foreign Residents Plan, spells out what the Immigration

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s inflation-adjusted real wages fell 0.5 pct in fiscal 2025 from the previous year, down for the fourth straight year, the labor ministry said Friday. The pace of decline was unchanged from the previous year. The country’s wage

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s university graduate employment rate stood at 98.0 pct as of April 1, matching the year-earlier level, which was the second-highest on record, according to government survey data released Friday. The data from the labor and education ministries

Nagoya, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. plans to begin producing two popular minivan models in Taiwan in October and sell them in Japan as part of efforts to ease delivery delays caused by labor shortages. Toyota will build

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 22 (Jiji Press)–One or more of the four 16-year-old boys arrested in last week’s high-profile robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, had been told to do a normal part-time job, Jiji Press learned Friday. They may have