Matsuyama, Ehime Pref., May 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended the 76th National Tree-Planting Festival in Matsuyama, the capital of the western Japan prefecture of Ehime, on Sunday. It was the first time the prefecture has hosted the event

Seoul, May 17 (Jiji Press)–A South Korean presidential office spokesperson said Sunday that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will be welcomed with treatment equivalent to that for a state guest during her two-day visit to the country from Tuesday. Takaichi will hold

(The third paragraph should have read, “…country…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) (Update) Possible Handler Arrested in Tochigi Robbery-Murder Case Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police on Sunday arrested a 28-year-old man in connection with a robbery-murder

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police on Sunday arrested a man in his 20s in connection with a robbery-murder incident targeting an elderly woman in Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, believing that he was the handler who gave instructions to the

Tokyo, May 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s opposition parties are set to grill Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi over plans to compile a fiscal 2026 supplementary budget aimed at addressing rising crude oil prices and inflation amid continued turmoil in the Middle East, during a

Tokyo, May 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s opposition parties are set to grill Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi over plans to compile a fiscal 2026 supplementary budget aimed at addressing rising crude oil prices and inflation amid continued turmoil in the Middle East, during a

Tokyo, May 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency plans to introduce a new food-labeling system that will enable consumers to scan quick response, or QR, codes on processed food packages to access detailed product information, including ingredients, on a webpage. After drawing

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police arrested three more 16-year-old boys in connection with a robbery-murder incident targeting an elderly woman in Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, it was learned Saturday. The number of those arrested rose to four in total.

Tokyo, May 16 (Jiji Press)–The student body organizing the University of Tokyo’s May Festival said on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday that all events of the school festival scheduled for the day have been canceled following a bomb threat. The festival was

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police arrested three more 16-year-old boys in connection with a robbery-murder incident targeting an elderly woman in Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, it was learned Saturday. The number of those arrested rose to four in total.

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., May 16 (Jiji Press)–Tohoku Electric Power Co. said Saturday that it has halted the No. 2 reactor at its Onagawa nuclear power plant in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi for inspection, following the detection of a trace of

Ozu, Ehime Pref., May 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Saturday afternoon visited the city of Ozu in Ehime Prefecture, western Japan, and met with people affected by a massive rain disaster that hit the region in 2018. During

Tokyo, May 16 (Jiji Press)–An executive of U.S. startup Anthropic has vowed to cooperate with Japan on its responses related to Claude Mythos, the company’s cutting-edge artificial intelligence model. At a meeting in Tokyo on Friday with Masaaki Taira, chairman of the

Tokyo, May 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, or Zen-Noh, has said that it will raise fertilizer prices for autumn use, distributed from June through October, by up to 14.5 pct compared with spring fertilizers distributed through this month.

Tokyo, May 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese lawmaker Renho, who previously served as executive deputy leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, has lost an election for the leadership of the party’s Tokyo chapter. The 58-year-old member of the House of Councillors,

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police arrested two more 16-year-old boys in connection with a robbery-murder incident targeting an elderly woman in Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, it was learned Saturday. The two boys–a high school student and a self-proclaimed high

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., May 16 (Jiji Press)–Tohoku Electric Power Co. said Friday that it will halt the No. 2 reactor at its Onagawa nuclear power plant in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi for inspection, following the detection of a trace of

Tokyo, May 16 (Jiji Press)–Yume, an Akita dog gifted to Russian President Vladimir Putin by Japan, has died, the presidential office said. The Kremlin in Moscow said in a written response on Friday that the female dog born in April 2012 died

Tokyo, May 16 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese men’s soccer team, nicknamed Samurai Blue, is heading into this year’s World Cup with global recognition as a possible dark horse, after team manager Hajime Moriyasu announced what is believed to be its strongest-ever squad. The

(Adnkronos) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to citizens to reduce consumption and curb non-essential spending, as economic pressure mounts due to rising energy prices and international tensions over the war in Iran. The statements, made in Hyderabad, in which

(Adnkronos) – The Central General Command (Emc), a Colombian guerrilla group composed of Farc dissidents, has announced a truce ahead of the presidential elections on May 31. The group, led by Ivan Mordisco, announced the suspension of “offensive military operations” from May

(Adnkronos) – US President Donald Trump has issued a warning to Taiwan regarding the alleged independence aspirations of the government led by Lai Ching-te and his Democratic Progressive Party. After the meeting with Xi Jinping, “nothing has changed” and “we don’t want

(Adnkronos) – American President Donald Trump keeps a letter addressed to Vice President Jd Vance in a drawer of the Resolute Desk, the historic Oval Office desk, to be used in case “something happens” to him. This was revealed by Sebastian Gorka,

(Adnkronos) – The positions of 115 US ambassadors worldwide remain vacant, out of a total of 195, as American President Donald Trump has not yet appointed them almost 18 months after returning to the White House. The Wall Street Journal writes this,

(Adnkronos) – The National Executive Committee of the Labour Party has approved the request of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to stand in the candidate selection process for the upcoming Makerfield by-election. According to Labour Party rules, incumbent mayors need the approval

(Adnkronos) – The government’s recently inked ‘roots tourism’ project will also pay for a roof that is to cover the roof of Italy’s main tennis stadium in Rome, foreign minister Antonio Tajani posted Friday on X, writing: “sport also unites everyone of

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Presiding officers of both chambers of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, plan to present as early as next week a proposal on measures to secure a sufficient number of Imperial Family members for stable Imperial succession, Eisuke Mori, speaker

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign ministry on Friday said it approved a 15 million euros of emergency funds for war-ravaged southern Lebanon including civil society projects to help communities, especially the most vulnerable, people forced to flee their homes, and agricultural recovery in

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Friday that she and U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the “unwavering Japan-U.S. alliance” in their phone talks that day, following the president’s visit to China. After the 15-minute phone talks, Takaichi told

(A typo has been corrected in the third paragraph.) (Update) M6.3 Earthquake Strikes Northeastern Japan Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.3 struck northeastern Japan on Friday, measuring up to lower 5, the fifth-highest level on the