Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is considering visiting the Middle East, including Israel and the Palestinian region, in mid-January 2026, informed sources said Thursday. During the visit, Motegi is expected to meet with senior government officials and exchange

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–The powerful earthquake that struck off Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Monday night has highlighted problems nursing homes there face in coping with disasters. After the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an advisory that warns of a

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s House of Representatives on Thursday passed the government’s supplementary budget bill for fiscal 2025, which will finance the first comprehensive economic policy package compiled under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. At a plenary meeting of the lower chamber

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the ruling coalition are considering allowing companies to deduct 7 pct of capital spending from corporate tax to help spur domestic investments, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. Under the plan, companies will

Seoul, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that ordered Nippon Steel Corp. to pay a total of 100 million won, or about 11 million yen, in damages to South Korean plaintiffs for wartime labor,

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–A UNESCO intergovernmental committee decided Thursday to add six items from Japan, including Murakami Festival in the city of Murakami, Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, to the U.N. agency’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This marked the first registration of

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Over 40 pct of people in Japan support restarting nuclear power plants nationwide, a Jiji Press opinion poll showed Thursday. The survey found that 44.7 pct of respondents were in favor of bringing nuclear plants back online, while

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japanese fighter jets joined U.S. bombers in exercises over the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, the Japanese Joint Staff said Thursday, in what was seen as a coordinated move aimed at countering military threats from China and Russia.

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet fell 3.9 percentage points from the previous month to 59.9 pct in December, a monthly survey by Jiji Press showed Thursday. The approval rate dipped after logging the second-highest

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and ruling parties are considering raising the minimum taxable income threshold from the current 1.6 million yen to 1.68 million yen in 2026, it was learned Thursday. The minimum taxable income level represents the combined

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Business sentiment among major Japanese companies was positive for the second straight quarter in October-December, a government survey showed Thursday. The business sentiment index for companies with capital of 1 billion yen or more as of Nov. 15

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government Thursday proposed a draft financial support plan for oyster farmers affected by the mass deaths of farm-raised oysters in the western prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama and Hyogo facing the Seto Inland Sea. Attending a meeting

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet fell 3.9 percentage points from the previous month to 59.9 pct in December, a monthly survey by Jiji Press showed Thursday. The approval rate dipped after logging the second-highest

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japanese national security adviser Keiichi Ichikawa and his German counterpart, Gunter Sautter, on Wednesday agreed to enhance cooperation between their countries, including on supply chains. Ichikawa apparently explained Tokyo’s stance on Beijing’s coercive actions, including China’s use of

Stockholm, Dec. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese scientists Shimon Sakaguchi and Susumu Kitagawa received the 2025 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine and Chemistry, respectively, at the award ceremony in Stockholm on Wednesday evening. Sakaguchi, a 74-year-old distinguished honorary professor at the University of

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s labor ministry has decided to enforce on Oct. 1, 2026, a revised law obliging companies to prepare measures against customers’ harassment of their employees through abusive behavior. The decision, made Wednesday, affects the revision of the comprehensive

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. has announced plans to equip a wide range of models, from small cars to luxury vehicles, with the next-generation version of its ProPilot driver-assistance system, which adopts autonomous-driving technology. The system will use cutting-edge

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the ruling coalition are considering limiting tax deductions for “furusato nozei” hometown donations by individuals with annual income of 100 million yen or higher, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday. Under the furusato

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–The dollar was weaker below 156 yen in Tokyo trading on Thursday morning, following the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision overnight to cut interest rates. At noon, the U.S. currency stood at 155.77-77 yen, down from 156.65-65 yen at

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Over 20 pct of major cities in Japan prohibited voters from taking photographs at polling stations in the House of Councillors election in July, a Jiji Press survey found. Of the 52 polled major cities, 12, or 23

New York, Dec. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was ranked third on Forbe’s 2025 list of the world’s 100 most powerful women, released Wednesday. The U.S. business magazine said decisions by Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, “will shape East

New Delhi, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Around 50 government officials, researchers and others from Japan and India held a meeting in New Delhi to discuss the promotion of economic security cooperation between the two countries. At the meeting on Wednesday, hosted by the

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has effectively walked back the previous administration’s policy of expanding production of rice, Japan’s staple food, under pressure from farming groups. The reversal comes only three months after her immediate predecessor,

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to include information critical to economic security among areas subject to classification for specially designated secrets. The plan was included in a draft revision to the operational standards for the law on the protection

Washington, Dec. 10 (Jiji Press)–The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be prioritizing practical interests regarding U.S.-made chips, in a recent move that apparently considers China, while sidelining its ties with Japan, an ally of the United States. On Monday,

Tokyo, Dec. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s government and ruling parties are considering increasing the income tax burden on ultrarich individuals, Jiji Press learned Wednesday. Specifically, the gross annual income levels subject to additional income tax will be lowered to “over 600 million yen”

Tokyo, Dec. 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and ruling parties are considering making large companies ineligible from fiscal 2026 for a program to reduce the corporate tax burden for firms that raise employee wages, it was learned Wednesday. This comes as pay

(Adnkronos) – German aristocrat Heinrich XIII, known as the Prince of Reuss, suspected of leading a German far-right network that planned a coup and was dismantled at the end of 2022, today denied ever playing this leadership role in the network, admitting

(Adnkronos) – A new seismic tremor of magnitude 5.9 on the Richter scale hit the Japanese region of Hokkaido today, two days after the 7.5 magnitude earthquake recorded in the same area and the consequent tsunami alert. The new tremor had its

(Adnkronos) – The death toll from the collapse of two four-story buildings in Fes, northeastern Morocco, has risen to at least 22, including children. The Moroccan news agency Map reported that ”another 16 people were injured” and that ”search operations are still