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

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average briefly gained more than 1,300 points in morning trading Friday as high-tech names were bought aggressively amid expectations for an end to the conflict between the United States and Iran. At 11:04

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko have visited a special exhibition in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward celebrating the 160th anniversary of Japan-Belgium diplomatic relations ahead of its opening. The exhibition, set to open Saturday at Kokugakuin University

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average briefly gained more than 1,100 points in morning trading Friday as semiconductor-related and other stocks attracted buying following an overnight advance in U.S. high-tech shares. At 9:37 a.m. the index of 225

Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)–A survey by a private-sector advisory panel found that women in Japan are more likely than men to view the disproportionately heavy burden of housework and child care placed on women as a major factor behind the country’s

(Adnkronos) – Like other European Union candidate countries, Ukraine must get through the rigorous accession process, enacting the necessary legal, democratic and economic reforms, Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said Thursday after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pitched the idea of making the

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–An Osprey transport aircraft of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force is expected to use a U.S. military base in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa for the first time in an upcoming exercise with the U.S. side, Jiji Press

(Adnkronos) – Germany’s fiscal policy “is set to become expansive, especially in 2026,” with a general government deficit projected to increase to 3.7% of GDP in 2026 and 4.1% in 2027. This is what emerges from the spring economic forecasts presented today

Hiroshima, May 21 (Jiji Press)–The 48th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting ended its 11-day session in the western Japan city of Hiroshima on Thursday, without reaching an agreement on key issues, including the protection of emperor penguins. The meeting’s decision-making required unanimity among

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry on Thursday reaffirmed plans to strengthen cooperation with local governments and private-sector entities such as telecommunications companies and broadcasters in taking measures regarding high-performance artificial intelligence models, such as Claude Mythos of

(Adnkronos) – The two teenagers considered responsible for the attack on the San Diego mosque, during which they killed three people before committing suicide, were inspired by a neo-Nazi, racist, and misogynistic ideology. Nbcnews reports this, stating that investigators found a 75-page

(Adnkronos) – Hundreds of protesters will gather today in Nuuk for the inauguration ceremony of the new American consular office in Greenland, following controversial statements by US special envoy Jeff Landry, who said it was time for Washington to reassert its presence

(Adnkronos) – A first case of Ebola virus transmission has been confirmed in South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in an area – in the east of the country – under the control of the armed group M23. This was

(Adnkronos) – The death toll from the collapse of a four-story building in Fez, Morocco, has risen to 11 dead and six injured. Local authorities cited by broadcaster 2M reported this, as searches continue under the rubble.  An investigation into the collapse

(Adnkronos) – The Trump administration intends to impose very heavy fines, up to 18,000 dollars, on thousands of deported migrants, asking them to reimburse the cost of their arrest, detention, and deportation. Usa Today writes this today, adding that the Department of

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s government has asked for European Union foreign ministers to consider sanctions against Israel’s police minister Itavar Ben-Gvir after he posted a video to social media on Wednesday showing him taunting and humiliating detained Gaza aid flotilla activists – who

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s government and ruling coalition plan to compile a fiscal 2026 supplementary budget worth around 3 trillion yen in preparation for a prolonged Middle East crisis, it was learned Thursday. The extra budget will be submitted to the

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–A study group supporting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s policies has been launched within her ruling Liberal Democratic Party, attracting most of the party’s lawmakers. The group was founded by LDP Vice President Taro Aso, Executive Acting Secretary-General

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–The ethylene plant operating rate in Japan hit a record low of 67.3 pct in April, the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association said Thursday. “The operating rate has been reduced in order to maintain supplies,” Koshiro Kudo, chairman of

(Adnkronos) – Israel’s ambassador to Italy on Thursday underlined criticism made by premier Benjamin Netanyahu and foreign minister Gideon Saar of police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who appeared in a video taunting and humiliating detained activists from the Gaza aid flotilla (Global Sumud):

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health ministry on Thursday ordered Kissei Pharmaceutical Co. to add a warning to the package insert of Tavneos, a drug for vasculitis, or blood vessel inflammation, after the deaths of 20 patients who took the medicine. To

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said Thursday that its employees had recorded court proceedings of some civil cases related to the company in violation of the Rules of Civil Procedure. On the same day, Shikoku Electric Power

(Adnkronos) – All participants in the Gaza aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces off Cyprus on Tuesday and detained at Israel’s port of Ashdod were on Wednesday being taken from Ketziot prison to the southern coastal city of Eilat’s airport to board

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average surged past 61,000 to snap a five-session losing streak on Thursday amid receding concerns over the U.S.-Iran conflict. The index of 225 selected issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s top-tier Prime section