Mashiki, Kumamoto Pref., April 12 (Jiji Press)–A memorial ceremony was held in Kumamoto Prefecture on Sunday for the victims of powerful earthquakes that hit the southwestern Japan prefecture 10 years ago. At the ceremony, held by the town of Mashiki in Kumamoto,

Tokyo, April 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday sought a one-year timeline for efforts to propose a constitutional amendment. In a speech at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s annual convention in Tokyo, Takaichi, also the party’s president, said, “We

Tokyo, April 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s SoftBank Corp., NEC Corp., Sony Group Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have taken the lead in establishing a new company to develop Japanese-made artificial intelligence, informed sources said Sunday. The new company will make its high-performance AI

Tokyo, April 11 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to press ahead with policies that she concedes could split public opinion, at a ruling Liberal Democratic Party meeting in Tokyo on Saturday. “I will fulfill promises at any cost,” Takaichi, who

Chitose, Hokkaido, April 11 (Jiji Press)–Japan will provide 631.5 billion yen in additional assistance to Tokyo-based chipmaker Rapidus Corp., which is developing next-generation semiconductors, the industry ministry said Saturday. As the company aims to start mass production of 2-nanometer chips in fiscal

Los Angeles, April 10 (Jiji Press)–Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani on Friday extended his on-base streak to 44 games dating back to last season, breaking Ichiro Suzuki’s record for the longest such streak by a Japanese player in the U.S.

Tokyo, April 11 (Jiji Press)–Jehovah’s Witnesses and 20 followers of the religious group have filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government, seeking to confirm the invalidation of its guidelines on the abuse of children born to parents devoted to a particular religion,

Seattle, April 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese baseball legend Ichiro Suzuki, the first Asian inducted into the U.S. National Baseball Hall of Fame, was honored with a statue unveiled at T-Mobile Park, the Seattle Mariners’ home stadium, on Friday. The statue depicts Ichiro in

By Sakurako Nakagawa Tokyo, April 11 (Jiji Press)–A major tourism promotion event hosted by the Taiwan Tourism Administration opened in Tokyo’s busy Akihabara district on Saturday. The two-day event, called “Taiyukan 2026,” is being held at Akiba Square, an event space near

Washington, April 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan has gifted the United States 250 cherry blossom trees to mark the country’s 250th anniversary this year, with a planting ceremony held in Washington on Friday. At the ceremony, Japanese Ambassador to the United States Shigeo Yamada

Tokyo, April 11 (Jiji Press)–A man in his 50s and a woman in her 40s were injured after a female acquaintance allegedly stabbed them at the Rihga Royal Hotel Tokyo on Friday night, local police said. The incident occurred at a restaurant

Seattle, April 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese baseball legend Ichiro Suzuki, the first Asian inducted into the U.S. National Baseball Hall of Fame, was honored with a statue unveiled at the Seattle Mariners’ home stadium on Friday. The statue depicts Ichiro in a familiar

Tokyo, April 11 (Jiji Press)–Supply confusion for naphtha, an oil product used to make daily necessities, continues amid tensions in the Middle East, prompting concerns about its widespread impact on Japanese industries and households. Naphtha, along with gasoline, gas oil, and fuel

(Adnkronos) – An exemplary sentence in Russia. Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for corruption by the Moscow military court as part of the clean-up operation at the Ministry of Defense starting in

(Adnkronos) – Russia could resume direct flights between Moscow and Havana and promote tourism programs in Cuba, as part of “a series of practical cooperation measures” between the two countries discussed yesterday by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, on a mission to

(Adnkronos) – Risk of diplomatic crisis on the Tokyo-Auckland axis. The possible installation in the New Zealand capital of a monument in honor of the so-called “comfort women” – women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during World War II

(Adnkronos) – Japan officially enters a new ‘era’ in its relations with China: for the first time in a decade, Tokyo has changed the definition of the Chinese giant in its Diplomatic Bluebook of Japan (Gaiko Seisho), the annual strategic report published

(Adnkronos) – China and North Korea aim to relaunch their strategic axis, with Beijing calling for intensified political and diplomatic coordination between the two allies. During a meeting with Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un, the Chinese Foreign Minister stated that the two countries

(Adnkronos) – The Gulf countries are preparing to redesign their security architecture after the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran, amidst the search for new partners and the awareness that in the long term, the threat from Tehran will remain.

(Adnkronos) – “The recent Israeli decision to establish over 30 new settlements in the occupied West Bank is illegal under international law and seriously undermines the prospects for peace and the two-state solution.” This was stated in a press release by the

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–The head of a Japanese consortium established to expedite the development of smart contact lens said Friday that the group aims to put such products into practical use around 2030. “While foreign information technology giants have led the

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan is increasingly cautious about inflationary pressure stemming from rising crude oil prices amid Middle East tensions. BOJ data showed Friday that the producer price index, which measures the costs of goods traded between companies,

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Friday announced measures to promote public-private investments in the shipbuilding sector, including the utilization of artificial intelligence and robots for domestic ship repairs, as part of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s goal of reviving the

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–Nearly one in five dietary supplement users exceeds maker-set daily intake standards, a Japanese survey has shown. The online survey of about 2,000 Japanese adults was conducted in November-December 2024 by a research team led by Toho University

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, agreed Friday that their countries will closely collaborate to end the conflict between the United States and Iran. In their phone talks, the two ministers also confirmed

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–Prices of rice sold at some 1,000 supermarkets across Japan in the week to Sunday averaged 3,933 yen per 5 kilograms, down 2 yen from the prior week and falling for the eighth consecutive week, the agriculture ministry

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–Nihon Hidankyo, a group of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors in Japan, said Friday that it will launch a campaign urging financial institutions not to invest in or give loans to companies that manufacture nuclear weapons. Nihon Hidankyo, formally

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese trade and agriculture ministries said Friday that they will establish a new cooperation framework aimed at bolstering support to expand exports of agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products. The government has set a target of increasing

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–High-ranking U.N. official Izumi Nakamitsu voiced concern Friday that “hollowing-out” of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT, may begin if no outcome document is adopted once again at an NPT review conference in New

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party unveiled its new policy vision on Friday, recognizing the party’s goal of revising the Constitution as “critically needed” to respond to the changing international order. The new vision states that Japan must create