Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the country’s parliament, used an artificial intelligence-generated voice to conduct a roll call during an open vote for the first time at a plenary session on Friday. Conventionally, the roll

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–Junya Ogawa, who took the reins of the Centrist Reform Alliance a month ago, faces a host of challenges, including, most importantly, rebuilding the Japanese opposition party following its humiliating defeat in last month’s parliamentary election. He has

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–The dollar hit 20-month highs above 159.60 yen in Tokyo trading Friday as persisting worries about the Middle East situation spurred safe-haven buying of the U.S. currency. The greenback pared its gains to stand at 159.41-44 yen at

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government’s fiscal 2026 budget bill is expected to clear the House of Representatives as early as Friday night, with support mainly from the ruling camp led by the Liberal Democratic Party. Following the passage in the

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–Nihon M&A Center Holdings Inc. intends to strengthen its successor search business by teaming with more regional banks across Japan through a subsidiary, President Suguru Miyake said in a recent interview. The subsidiary, J-Search Inc., connects prospective business

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–The French and Indonesian presidents will make their respective official trips to Japan from later this month for talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Friday. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to

New York, March 12 (Jiji Press)–PayPay Corp., a Japanese online payment company under SoftBank Group Corp., went public on the U.S. Nasdaq stock market Thursday. PayPay ended its first day at 18.16 dollars per share, with its market capitalization valued at 12.1

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–Japan will use its official development assistance to induce private-sector investment in developing countries, an annual government report said Friday. The 2025 white paper on cooperation and development noted ODA’s pump-priming effects for expanding private investment in aid

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government adopted at a cabinet meeting Friday bills aimed at introducing a system under which public health insurance will fully cover childbirth costs. The bills on medical insurance system reform also feature a program asking patients

Nagoya, March 13 (Jiji Press)–Dark clouds are gathering over a major redevelopment project around Nagoya Station in central Japan that is being planned in anticipation of the launch of the Chuo Shinkansen magnetic levitation superhigh-speed train line. The project, led by major

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average lost over 1,100 points in early trading in Tokyo on Friday, as investor sentiment was dampened by the sharp rise in crude oil prices due to the deteriorating situation in Iran. In

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–Amid an increasingly severe security environment, Japan’s Defense Ministry plans to establish a coastal defense system using thousands of drones, while there are still many issues to overcome. The “Shield” defense system will involve more than 10 types

(Adnkronos) – Russia has sent over 13 tons of medicines intended for the civilian population in Iran on the orders of President Vladimir Putin. This was announced by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, specifying that this is the first announcement of

(Adnkronos) – The Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco is in talks with at least two Ukrainian companies to purchase interceptor drones to defend its facilities from possible Iranian attacks. This is reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, according to

(Adnkronos) – Fire on board the USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy aircraft carrier deployed in the Red Sea in support of the operation in the Middle East. The incident – reads a note from the U.S Navy – originated “in

Tokyo, March 13 (Jiji Press)–Rohm Co. and Toshiba Corp. will begin talks on the possible merger of their power semiconductor operations, it was learned Thursday. The move comes as automotive parts maker Denso Corp. is seeking to acquire Rohm, whose special committee

(Adnkronos) – United States military bases in Italy can be used for “logistics and operations that do not involve bombing,” under bilateral accords that date back to the 1950s, foreign minister Antonio Tajani stated on Thursday, underlining that the government’s stance on

(Adnkronos) – Israeli attacks on Lebanon have caused 687 deaths, including 98 minors and 52 women. This was announced by Information Minister Paul Marcos. The toll announced the day before was 634 deaths. 

Milan, March 12 (Jiji Press)–Momoka Muraoka won the silver medal in the women’s alpine skiing giant slalom sitting event at the Milan-Cortina Paralympics on Thursday, setting a new Japanese record with her 11th Winter Paralympic medal. This is her second medal at

(Adnkronos) – A Russian court in Moscow today sentenced to life imprisonment the four attackers and 11 accomplices of the jihadist attack on Crocus City Hall, which left 150 dead and over 600 injured, including children, near Moscow in 2024. Armed men

Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)–The Budget Committee of Japan’s House of Representatives decided Thursday to vote on the government’s fiscal 2026 budget bill on Friday, amid objections from the opposition camp. The decision was made under the authority of the committee’s chairman,

(Adnkronos) – The Italian foreign ministry’s overseas aid agency will channel 10 million euros to help at least 750,000 people who have fled their homes since Israel earlier began retaliatory missile strikes last week targeting pro-Iran group Hezbollah in Beirut’s southern suburbs

(Adnkronos) – A fire was set in a mosque in the village of Duma, West Bank, whose walls were also vandalized with graffiti. This was announced by local police, who have opened an investigation and stressed that ”security forces strongly condemn incidents

(Adnkronos) – An assassination attempt against a high-ranking Russian officer in Crimea has been foiled by the Russian Federal Security Service. The FSB reported that the attack, against a high-ranking military officer of a Russian Ministry of Defense unit, had been planned

(Adnkronos) – Two people were injured after “an enemy drone targeted a residential building” in southern Kuwait. This was announced by the spokesperson for the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense, Colonel Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan, explaining that “the injured are currently receiving the necessary

(Adnkronos) – At least eight people were killed and another 31 were injured in an airstrike launched in the early hours of today against the Ramlet al-Baida promenade in Beirut, Lebanon. This was announced by the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The affected

(Adnkronos) – Italian troops at a base in Erbil in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region “are fine”, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday after an afternight strike on the base, which he said was a drone attack.   “The Italian soldiers

Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese chemical manufacturers have begun reducing ethylene production amid the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. On Thursday, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. and Asahi Kasei Corp. announced that they have lowered the operational rate at their joint facility

Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Thursday that the government will engage in various diplomatic efforts to swiftly de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. “Peace and stability in the Middle East are extremely important for Japan,” he

Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Honda Motor Co. said Thursday that it expects to post a consolidated net loss of 420 billion to 690 billion yen in fiscal 2025 ending this month. The automaker revised down its estimate from a net profit