Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s crude oil imports from the Middle East plunged 67.2 pct in April from a year earlier amid escalating tensions involving Iran, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report Thursday. The decline was the steepest since 1980,

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan introduced a fully digital civil litigation system Thursday, allowing civil lawsuits to be conducted entirely online, from filing complaints to receiving judgments. The country also launched a system under which judgments will be handed down within seven

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s seasonally adjusted core machinery orders in March fell 9.4 pct from the previous month, the Cabinet Office said Thursday. The private-sector orders excluding those for ships and power equipment, closely watched as a leading indicator of corporate

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average briefly soared over 2,100 points in morning trading Thursday, led by purchases prompted by easing tensions in the Middle East. At 10:24 a.m. the index of 225 selected issues listed on the

Bueng Yitho, Thailand, May 21 (Jiji Press)–As Thailand’s population ages, local governments and communities are stepping up efforts to support older residents through integrated care initiatives, in some cases drawing on Japanese experience. In Bueng Yitho municipality in Pathum Thani Province, central

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Emperor Naruhito has held a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The Emperor paid tribute to Guterres during their 15-minute meeting Wednesday for his long-standing efforts for peace, according to the

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Fashion trends that emphasize individuality without regard for gender norms, such as men using parasols and women wearing neckties, are spreading among young people in Japan, mainly those in Generation Z, who are aged around 15 to 30.

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Visiting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday criticized superpowers over a series of conflicts around the world. Multilateralism is not in crisis, Guterres said in a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, adding that

(Adnkronos) – Anti-establishment Five-Star Movement MP Dario Carotenuto and investigative daily Il Fatto Quotidiano’s correspondent Alessandro Mantovani are the first of 29 Italians from the Global Sumud Gaza aid flotilla set to fly home late on Wednesday after they were detained by

(Adnkronos) – A high-ranking diplomat, James Paul Roscoe, British Deputy Ambassador to the United States, has suddenly left his post without explanation. SkyNews reported this. Since 2022, Roscoe held the position of deputy head of mission at the British embassy and was

(Adnkronos) – Hungary expects to learn from the experience of the current Polish government regarding the defense of the rule of law, the fight against corruption, and access to European funds, with the aim of balancing the budget of the Orban era.

(Adnkronos) – “I believe there are incredible opportunities that can truly lead Greenlanders from dependence to independence.” This was stated by the American envoy to the island, Jeff Landry, speaking with the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq. From Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, where

(Adnkronos) – “In the last 24 hours, 26 ships, including oil tankers, container ships, and other merchant vessels, have crossed the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with and under the protection of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.” The Iranian Revolutionary Guard

(Adnkronos) – “External forces” must not decide Taiwan’s future, and “fear or division” must not influence Taipei. This was stated by the island’s president, William Lai (Lai Ching-te), in his speech two years after the start of his mandate, in which he

(Adnkronos) – The Makerfield by-election will be held on June 18. The date has just been confirmed, Sky News reports. Yesterday, the British Labour Party officially announced Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, as its candidate for the Makerfield by-election, considered crucial

(Adnkronos) – The family of the US doctor who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo will also be hospitalized in Germany. The German Ministry of Health reported this, without specifying whether the family members are showing symptoms. “After a US

(Adnkronos) – India’s prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Italy to strengthen diplomatic and trade ties cements a “shared Indo-Mediterranean vision”, while the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor is a key tool for realising this aspiration, special IMEC envoy Francesco Maria Talo told

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Mizuho Bank and Rakuten Bank will form a capital and business alliance, with the former set to acquire shares in the latter on Oct. 1, the parent companies of the two Japanese banks said Wednesday. Mizuho Bank, one

Beijing, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Two employees of Japanese real estate developer Mori Building Co. were injured in Tuesday’s knife attack in Shanghai, the company’s president, Shingo Tsuji, said Wednesday. In the incident, two Japanese nationals and a Chinese citizen were attacked around

(Adnkronos) – Italy on Wednesday “immediately” summoned Israel’s ambassador after Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video on social media in which he is seen mocking blindfolded detained activists from the Global Sumud Gaza aid flotilla, who have been

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s industry ministry plans not to make a power-saving request this summer, it was learned Wednesday. The plan was presented to the day’s meeting of a subgroup of the ministry’s natural resources and energy panel. The ministry will

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–The Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan, or NUMO, said Wednesday that it has started a literature survey on the feasibility of constructing a final disposal facility for highly radioactive waste on Minamitorishima, a remote Tokyo island in

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday that the country will not need to issue a large amount of Japanese government bonds to finance an envisaged supplementary budget for fiscal 2026. In a debate of party leaders held

Los Angeles, May 20 (Jiji Press)–The U.S. National Football League is exploring the possibility of holding regular season games in Japan, according to several U.S. media reports. The reports cited remarks made by Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–A strong earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Wednesday, measuring upper 5, the fourth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, on an island in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The temblor with an

(Adnkronos) – Twenty-nine Italians detained aboard the Global Sumud Gaza aid flotilla and taken to the port of Ashdod must be freed and “the safety and rights of every single activist be safeguarded”, foreign minister Antonio Tajani told his Israeli counterpart Gideon

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese fishery company Yamada Suisan Co. said Wednesday that it will start the world’s first trial sales of “kabayaki” grilled eels from complete aquaculture on May 29. The two-eel kabayaki product, priced at 9,720 yen, will be sold

Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)–The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in April fell 5.5 pct from a year before to 3,692,200, down for the first time in three months, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. Visitors from eight Middle

(Adnkronos) – The Russian armed forces have conducted training on the use of nuclear weapons that have reached “the highest levels of combat readiness.” This was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Telegram, explaining that nuclear ammunition was delivered to

(Adnkronos) – A couple, husband and wife, has been arrested in Germany on charges of espionage on behalf of China. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced this, explaining that the two were specifically spying on professors in German universities. According to information obtained