Tokyo, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are expected to make official goodwill visits to Belgium and the Netherlands in June, with arrangements underway following invitations from both European countries, government sources said Wednesday. The Imperial Family has long-standing

Tokyo, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–Taro Yamamoto, leader of Japanese opposition party Reiwa Shinsengumi, announced on Wednesday his resignation from the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, due to health problems. “I’m one step away from multiple

Seoul, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday voiced his intention to boost economic cooperation with Japan while keeping bilateral territorial and historical issues under management. In his New Year’s press conference, Lee said he wants to revive his

Tokyo, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. will restart the No. 6 reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in the central Japan prefecture of Niigata at 7 p.m. Wednesday or later, according to company officials. It will be

Berlin, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese director Yoshitoshi Shinomiya’s animated film “A New Dawn” has been selected for the competition category at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. The selection, announced on Tuesday, marks the first time in three years that a Japanese

Tokyo, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to promote Corporate Officer Keisuke Kishiura to president and chief operating officer, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday. Takao Kato, current president and CEO of the Japanese automaker, will become chairman and CEO.

Nara, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–A district court in western Japan on Wednesday issued an indefinite prison sentence to the man accused of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. Nara District Court handed down the indefinite sentence to Tetsuya Yamagami,

Nara, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–A district court in western Japan on Wednesday issued an indefinite prison sentence to the man accused of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. Nara District Court handed down the sentence to Tetsuya Yamagami, 45,

Tokyo, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s national wealth grew for the fourth consecutive year to hit a record high at the end of 2024, thanks to rising land and stock prices, according to a Cabinet Office estimate. The country’s total assets, or the

Tokyo, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–Convenience store sales in Japan hit a record high for the fourth straight year in 2025 thanks to increases in the number of stores and visitors to the country, the Japan Franchise Association said Tuesday. On an all-store

Washington, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday urged Japan to address bond market volatility, expressing concerns about a possible spillover to the United States from spikes in Japanese government bond yields. “It’s very difficult to disaggregate the market

Osaka, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–A 31-year-old Thai woman has been arrested by Japanese police for allegedly smuggling etomidate, known as “zombie cigarettes,” in a suitcase. According to Osaka Customs, this was the first case of etomidate-related police action taken at Kansai International

Tokyo, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has received an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump calling for Japan’s participation in the U.S.-led “Board of Peace” overseeing the provisional administration of the Gaza Strip, according to Japanese government officials. Tokyo

Osaka, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)–A growing number of Japanese anime studios are setting up operations outside Tokyo, drawn by advantages such as easier access to local university and vocational school graduates and the potential for better work-life balance for employees. Japan’s anime

Tokyo, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. is making preparations to reactivate the No. 6 reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in central Japan as early as Wednesday, informed sources said Tuesday. The reactor at the plant in

(Adnkronos) – The mobilization of Minneapolis’s population against Donald Trump’s anti-migrant police operations, which are terrorizing the Minnesota city, continues. Thousands of volunteers are indeed participating in an initiative launched by a church to deliver groceries to immigrant families, who are locked

(Adnkronos) – The Syrian Ministry of Defense has announced a four-day ceasefire with the Kurds in the north of the country, following the announcement of an agreement on their stronghold of Hassaké, in the northeast of the country.  “We announce a ceasefire

Tokyo, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to call on the government to consider nationalizing remote islands whose ownership is unclear, it was learned Tuesday. An outline of a draft set of proposals on measures regarding foreigners to be

Fukuoka, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–A high court dismissed Tuesday a petition seeking to halt the operations of the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Genkai nuclear power station in southwestern Japan. Fukuoka High Court turned down the

(Adnkronos) – The death toll from the train accident in Adamuz, Andalusia near Cordoba, has risen to 41 confirmed fatalities. El País reports this, citing rescuers. Meanwhile, 122 injured individuals, 117 adults and five children, all identified, have received treatment, as stated

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s lower house of parliament’s foreign affairs committee will on Wednesday question international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need on the persecution of Christian minorities around the world.  The hearing, at which representatives of Italy’s branch of the

Tokyo, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Justice Ministry released a draft proposal on Tuesday that stops short of banning public prosecutors from filing appeals against court decisions granting retrials. The draft proposal to review the country’s retrial system came despite strong calls to

Seoul, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday expressed interest in holding the next summit with Japan in his hometown of Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, eastern South Korea, as part of the two countries’ “shuttle diplomacy,” or reciprocal

Tokyo, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp. said Tuesday that it will transfer its television business to a joint venture to be set up with China’s TCL Electronics Holdings Ltd. The two companies signed a basic agreement on the deal

Tokyo, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Supreme Court has upheld lower court rulings sentencing a 34-year-old man to 18 years in prison for a high-profile fatal expressway road rage incident near Tokyo in 2017, it was learned Tuesday. The top court’s five-member First

Tokyo, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police on Tuesday sent papers on a former official of Russia’s trade representation in Japan and a former worker of a machine tool manufacturer to public prosecutors over trade secrets held by the company based in the

Tokyo, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–The Centrist Reform Alliance, a new political party of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, a former ruling coalition member, will be launched with over 160 House of Representatives lawmakers. The CDP said Tuesday

(Adnkronos) – Critical raw materials and agro-industry were at the centre of talks between Italy’s premier Giorgia Meloni and Uzbekistan’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent – the final leg of Meloni’s three-nation Asian tour, her office said in a statement on Tuesday. 

(Adnkronos) – Italy and Armenia want to bolster bilateral trade, development aid and cultural and infrastructure cooperation especially in the rail sector, deputy foreign minister Edmondo Cirielli and counterpart Vahan Kostanyan agreed on Tuesday.  During Italy-Armenia political consultations at the foreign ministry

Kumamoto, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–A sightseeing helicopter with three people on board for flight over Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, went missing Tuesday. Around 11:50 a.m., police received a report from an agency for Takumi Enterprise, the operator of the