Seoul, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik has expressed his hope to visit Japan at an early date to boost exchanges between the two countries’ lawmakers. “I hope to exchange views frankly about developing future-oriented bilateral relations” with

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Justice Ministry on Tuesday proposed numerical criteria for dangerous driving offenses, including on vehicle velocities past speed limits and blood alcohol levels, under a planned revision to the law on punishment for such acts. The ministry submitted

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–A hotline between Japanese and Chinese defense authorities does not appear to be working after an incident in which Chinese military aircraft directed radar at Japanese Self-Defense Forces jets, sources have said. Beijing has continued military activities in

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–A powerful earthquake mainly struck Japan’s Tohoku northeastern region, including Aomori Prefecture, on Monday night, measuring up to upper 6, the second-highest level on the country’s seismic intensity scale. The temblor occurred at a depth of 54 kilometers

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–Fewer companies are going public in Japan in 2025 than in the previous year apparently because stock prices fell sharply in early April amid concerns about high U.S. tariffs. The number of companies going public on Japanese stock

Bangkok, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–A 15-year-old junior high school girl from the northeastern Japan city of Yamagata has become the youngest-ever professional Muay Thai competitor in Thailand, where the martial art is a national sport. Airi Kadowaki, who is in her third

Beijing, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–The operator of the international ferry Jian Zhen Hao linking Shanghai with the western Japan cities of Kobe and Osaka said it has suspended passenger services on the vessel. The operator, Japan-China International Ferry Co., said Monday the

Sapporo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO), Japan’s only rocket launch site open to the private sector, which also features a runway, is steadily raising its profile. An increasing number of domestic and overseas companies are looking at using HOSPO, located in

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Empress Masako turned 62 on Tuesday, with stronger hope for peace cultivated through her visits this year to places associated with World War II. Marking the 80th year since the war ended, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–A powerful earthquake mainly struck Japan’s Tohoku northeastern region, including Aomori Prefecture, on Monday night, measuring up to upper 6, the second-highest level on the country’s seismic intensity scale. The temblor, with an estimated magnitude of 7.6, occurred

Stockholm, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Kyoto University professor Susumu Kitagawa, one of the three winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry, said Monday that the world has shifted over to a “gas age” through his own development of metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs.

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–A powerful earthquake mainly struck Japan’s Tohoku northeastern region, including Aomori Prefecture, on Monday night, measuring up to upper 6, the second-highest level on the country’s seismic intensity scale. The temblor, with an estimated magnitude of 7.6, occurred

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Fair Trade Commission issued a warning Monday to Snic Co., a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corp., for unreasonably keeping unchanged unit prices for subcontractors producing auto parts despite significant decreases in order volumes in violation of the

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–A powerful earthquake struck Japan’s Tohoku northeastern region, including Aomori Prefecture, on Monday night, measuring up to upper 6, the second-highest level on the country’s seismic intensity scale. The temblor, with an estimated magnitude of 7.6, occurred at

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–A powerful earthquake struck Japan’s Tohoku northeastern region, mainly Aomori Prefecture, on Monday night, measuring up to upper 6, the second highest level on the country’s seismic intensity scale. The temblor, with an estimated magnitude of 7.6, occurred

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–A powerful earthquake struck Japan’s Tohoku northeastern region, mainly Aomori Prefecture, on Monday night, measuring up to upper 6, the second highest level on the country’s seismic intensity scale. The temblor, with an estimated magnitude of 7.6, occurred

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Taro Yamamoto won a third term as leader of Japanese opposition party Reiwa Shinsengumi on Monday. The new term of the 51-year-old will run until December 2028. “I’ll work hard for the party’s next stage,” he said. The

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK, will promote Executive Vice President Tatsuhiko Inoue, 68, to president to succeed Nobuo Inaba, 75, whose term expires next month, the Board of Governors of the public broadcaster said Monday. Inoue will serve

Beijing, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Beijing claimed Monday that the Chinese military activated radars on Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets for search purposes. “To activate search radar during flight training is commonly done by carrier-based aircraft of all countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry

By Yuka Moriyama Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Justin Hayhurst, the outgoing Australian ambassador to Japan, on Monday stressed the importance of continued efforts to deepen defense and security cooperation between the two nations. At the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, he

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health ministry on Monday proposed to an expert panel a plan to revise ceilings on long-term patients’ burdens for high-cost medical care. Specifically, the ministry plans to introduce an annual cap on such patients’ out-of-pocket expenses, in

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese Fisheries Agency panel on Monday approved a new catch quota allocation plan for Japanese common squid for the current fishing season. While the overall catch quota itself will not be changed, a total of 2,485 tons

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the latest issue of 10-year Japanese government bonds, regarded as the country’s benchmark long-term interest rate, rose to 1.970 pct in Tokyo interdealer trading Monday, hitting the highest level since June 2007. JGBs were under

Oita, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Sanrio Co. on Monday unveiled a basic concept to turn its Harmonyland outdoor theme park in the town of Hiji in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Oita into a resort facility. Initial investment will total 10 billion yen,

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Sentiment among so-called economy watchers in Japan dropped for the first time in seven months in November, a Cabinet Office survey showed Monday. The seasonally adjusted diffusion index for economy watchers’ current sentiment fell 0.4 point from the

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s opposition forces agreed Monday to demand postponement of discussions on the ruling coalition-proposed bill to cut the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament. The agreement came

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s transport ministry is likely to delay the start planned for fiscal 2026 of construction on the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train line’s extension linking Tsuruga Station in the central prefecture of Fukui and Shin-Osaka Station in the western

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–The number of corporate bankruptcies in Japan dropped 7.4 pct from a year earlier to 778 in November, marking the first decline in six months and the second-lowest level so far this year, Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd. said

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the latest issue of 10-year Japanese government bonds, regarded as the country’s benchmark long-term interest rate, rose to 1.965 pct in Tokyo trading Monday, hitting the highest level since June 2007. JGBs were under pressure

Tokyo, Dec. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese actor Hiroya Shimizu pleaded guilty to violating the narcotics control law, at the first hearing of his trial at Tokyo District Court on Monday. The prosecution demanded a one-year jail sentence for Shimizu, while the defense sought