Latest News

23 Gennaio 2026

“Kokuho” Gets Oscar Nomination in Makeup, Hairstyling

Los Angeles, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s box-office hit “Kokuho” made the Oscar nominee list in makeup and hairstyling, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday. Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu became the first makeup staff of a
23 Gennaio 2026

Japan’s Lower House Dissolved for General Election

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan dissolved its House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, at the start of this year’s ordinary parliamentary session Friday. The government plans to hold the Lower House general election on Feb. 8, with the official
23 Gennaio 2026

BOJ Keeps Policy Rate Unchanged, Ups FY 2026 Growth Outlook

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan decided Friday to keep its policy interest rate unchanged while raising its growth outlook for Japan’s gross domestic product in fiscal 2026, which starts in April. At its two-day policy-setting meeting through the day,
23 Gennaio 2026

Japan Core Consumer Prices Up 3.1 Pct in 2025

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s core consumer prices in 2025 rose 3.1 pct from the previous year on average, the fourth consecutive year of growth, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. The core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food prices,
23 Gennaio 2026

KDDI’s AI Data Center in Osaka Begins Operations

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese telecommunications company KDDI Corp. said it has started operating a large-scale data center specifically designed for generative artificial intelligence in Sakai in the western Japan prefecture of Osaka. KDDI acquired the site of Japanese electronics maker Sharp
22 Gennaio 2026

Tunisia, jihadist cell dismantled, 4 dead

(Adnkronos) – Tunisian authorities have announced the elimination of a “terrorist cell” composed of four people in the west of the country, not far from the border with Algeria. The operation was conducted near Majel Ben Abbes, a wooded area where security
22 Gennaio 2026

DPFP Vows to Boost Take-Home Pay in Election Pledges

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese opposition Democratic Party for the People announced Thursday its pledges for the Feb. 8 House of Representatives election, vowing to increase people’s take-home pay. The pledges include lowering the consumption tax rate to 5 pct, increasing
22 Gennaio 2026

Hibakusha, Activists Vow to Press for Nuclear Abolition

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–With Thursday marking the fifth anniversary of the effectuation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, hibakusha atomic bomb survivors and antinuclear advocates pledged to build momentum toward the abolition of nuclear arms. “This year, we
22 Gennaio 2026

TEPCO to Stop Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Reactor after Problem

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. decided Thursday to halt the No. 6 reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station as a new problem was discovered, after the unit was brought back online only on Wednesday following a
22 Gennaio 2026

Germany, Russian ambassador summoned, Berlin expels diplomat

(Adnkronos) – The German Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in Berlin, announcing the “expulsion” of an embassy diplomat for espionage activities. The decision comes the day after the arrest of a German woman of Ukrainian origin suspected in the same dossier
22 Gennaio 2026

New Centrist Party Launched with 165 Lawmakers

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–The Centrist Reform Alliance, a new Japanese political party, was formally launched Thursday with 165 House of Representatives lawmakers from the two founding opposition forces–the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, a former ally of the ruling
22 Gennaio 2026

Inspection of Chubu Electric HQ over Data Fraud to Start Mon.

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said Thursday it will begin an on-site inspection of Chubu Electric Power Co.’s headquarters Monday over earthquake risk data falsification for the firm’s Hamaoka nuclear power plant in the central prefecture of Shizuoka. In
22 Gennaio 2026

New Centrist Party Launched with Over 170 Lawmakers

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–The Centrist Reform Alliance, a new Japanese political party, was formally launched Thursday with some 170 House of Representatives lawmakers from the two founding opposition forces–the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, a former ally of the
22 Gennaio 2026

TEPCO to Stop Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Reactor after Problem

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. will begin work to stop the No. 6 reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, on Thursday night, the company said. The stoppage comes after TEPCO suspended
22 Gennaio 2026

Japan Supermarket Sales Up for 6th Straight Year

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese supermarket sales in 2025 rose 2.2 pct from the previous year on a same-store basis, marking the sixth consecutive year of growth, the Japan Chain Stores Association said Thursday. All-store sales reached 12,867.5 billion yen. Although consumers
22 Gennaio 2026

Japan Aviation Unions to Seek 12,000-Yen Pay Scale Hike

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Federation of Aviation Industry Unions said Thursday that its member unions will request a pay scale hike of at least 12,000 yen, or 4 pct, per month in the 2026 “shunto” spring wage negotiations. The umbrella
22 Gennaio 2026

Ex-Kadokawa Chairman Found Guilty of Tokyo Games Bribery

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo District Court on Thursday sentenced an 82-year-old former chairman of major publisher Kadokawa Corp. to two and a half years in prison, suspended for four years, in a high-profile bribery case related to the Tokyo Olympics and
22 Gennaio 2026

Former Japanese Shogi Master Hifumi Kato Dies at 86

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–Former Japanese shogi master Hifumi Kato died of pneumonia at a hospital in Tokyo on Thursday. He was 86. The native of Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, was the first junior high school student to become a professional shogi
22 Gennaio 2026

LDP to Endorse 37 Candidates Involved in Slush Fund Scandal

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party will officially endorse 37 candidates involved in its high-profile slush fund scandal in the Feb. 8 general election. The individuals are included in the party’s initial list of official candidates for the House