Latest News

24 Marzo 2026

Japan to Tap into Reserves for Fuel Subsidies

Tokyo, March 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government said Tuesday that it will allocate 800.7 billion yen from its fiscal 2025 reserves to take steps aimed at curbing fuel prices. The government will earmark 794.8 billion yen to bolster its fund for subsidies
24 Marzo 2026

Takaichi Orders Measures to Ensure Petroleum Product Supplies

Tokyo, March 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday instructed ministries and agencies to draw up measures to ensure stable supplies of petroleum products, such as naphtha, amid the escalating conflict between the U.S.-Israeli forces and Iran. At the day’s
24 Marzo 2026

Tokyo Department Store Sales in Feb.:

Japan Department Stores Association March 24 Yr/Yr Change Total 132,630 M. Yen Up 3.0 pct Clothing 34,326 Up 4.4 Personal Articles 22,153 Down 2.4 Sundry Goods 35,330 Up 8.1 Household Goods 4,572 Down 10.2 Foodstuffs 28,223 Up 1.5 Note: Year-on-year changes are
24 Marzo 2026

Japan’s Department Store Sales in Feb.:

Japan Department Stores Association March 24 Yr/Yr Change Total 432,015 M. Yen Up 1.6 pct Clothing 109,816 Up 1.6 Personal Articles 69,958 Up 0.4 Sundry Goods 97,943 Up 3.9 Household Goods 12,201 Down 7.5 Foodstuffs 115,850 Up 0.7 Note: Year-on-year changes are
24 Marzo 2026

Japan Consumer Price Inflation Slows below 2 Pct

Tokyo, March 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s consumer price inflation decelerated for the third straight month in February, falling below 2 pct for the first time since March 2022, as government subsidies and a gasoline tax cut pushed down energy prices, a government report
24 Marzo 2026

Japan to Designate More Underground Shelters

Tokyo, March 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to designate more underground facilities as temporary emergency shelters that will protect people in case of armed attacks. The country will make maximum use of underground spaces, which are safer, the government said. Some
24 Marzo 2026

Japan Begins Preparing Stopgap Budget

Tokyo, March 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has begun preparing a stopgap budget in case that its fiscal 2026 budget bill is not enacted by March 31, the end of fiscal 2025, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Tuesday. This will be the
24 Marzo 2026

Japan to Prioritize High-Risk Patients for Heart Transplants

Tokyo, March 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan will this month begin prioritizing for heart transplants patients who are at high risk of dying within one month without the procedure. The Japanese Circulation Society and the Japanese Society for Heart Transplantation said Monday that they
24 Marzo 2026

Toyota to Funnel 1 B. Dollars into 2 U.S. Plants

New York, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday it will funnel a total of 1 billion dollars into two U.S. plants to expand production of electrified vehicles in the country. The plan is part of Toyota’s broader push to
24 Marzo 2026

Japan Govt OKs Bill for Wider Drone No-Fly Zones

Tokyo, March 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government Tuesday approved a draft revision to the drone law that calls for expanding no-fly zones to within 1 kilometer of important facilities. The expansion is aimed at ensuring sufficient distance for guarding key facilities in
24 Marzo 2026

2 Japanese Women Injured in Car Crash in Seoul

Seoul, March 24 (Jiji Press)–A car veered onto a sidewalk in central Seoul on Monday evening, injuring four people, including two Japanese women, South Korean media reported. In the accident that occurred in the Hongdae district around 7:10 p.m. Japan time, one
24 Marzo 2026

FOCUS: Egypt Advances Education Reform Inspired by Japanese Model

Cairo, March 24 (Jiji Press)–The Egyptian government is pursuing education reform through special activities outside the regular curriculum, such as class meetings, rotating student duties and classroom cleaning by students–practices that are routine in Japanese schools. Building on experience gained over the
24 Marzo 2026

Nikkei Average Rises over 1,100 Points in Morning

Tokyo, March 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s key Nikkei 225 stock average briefly climbed over 1,100 points Tuesday morning thanks to easing worries over tensions in the Middle East. At 9:08 a.m., the index of 225 selected issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s
24 Marzo 2026

Ainu Craft School Passes On Culture to Students

Kushiro, Hokkaido, March 24 (Jiji Press)–Students in the inaugural class of an Ainu craft school in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, are set to graduate soon, after completing their training to acquire skills of the indigenous ethnic group. At Akan Ainu Craft Center Harikiki,
24 Marzo 2026

WBC Ohtani Jersey Sold for 1.5 M. Dollars in Auction

New York, March 23 (Jiji Press)–A baseball jersey worn by Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani in this year’s World Baseball Classic was sold for 1,500,010 dollars in an online auction, the official website of the U.S. Major League Baseball organization said Monday. The
23 Marzo 2026

Israel Media, ‘US has date for end of war, April 9’

(Adnkronos) – April 9 as a crucial date for the Middle East. An Israeli source cited by the Israeli news site Ynet spoke about it, after Donald Trump’s latest statements. According to the source, it reads, “the Americans have indicated April 9
23 Marzo 2026

Takaichi Vows to Back Up Pay Hikes at Small Firms

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stressed Monday that her government will make utmost efforts to help small companies raise wages. “It is important to spread the pay hike momentum from large companies to smaller businesses in regional areas,”
23 Marzo 2026

Kim Yo Jong Denies Possibility of N. Korea-Japan Summit

Seoul, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Kim Yo Jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s younger sister, on Monday ruled out the possibility of the country holding a summit with Japan, the Korean Central News Agency reported. At her meeting with U.S. President Donald
23 Marzo 2026

Japan Govt to Consider Stopgap Budget: Takaichi

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday that the government will consider compiling a stopgap budget, based on the assumption that its fiscal 2026 regular budget will not be passed by the March 31 end of fiscal 2025.
23 Marzo 2026

Osaka High Court Accepts Appeal over KyoAni Arson

Osaka, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Osaka High Court has accepted an appeal filed by defense lawyers in a high-profile deadly arson attack on a studio of Kyoto Animation Co., it was learned Monday. After being sentenced to death by Kyoto District Court in
23 Marzo 2026

Japanese Companies Offer 5.26 Pct Pay Hikes in “Shunto”

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese companies have offered pay hikes of 5.26 pct on a weighted average basis in this year’s “shunto” spring labor-management negotiations, the first tally by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, showed Monday. The result attested to