Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. said Tuesday that it will launch a domestic cybersecurity service to help companies detect vulnerabilities and take countermeasures. The service uses advanced artificial intelligence technologies developed by OpenAI, the U.S. developer of ChatGPT. SoftBank

Evian, France, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday discussed the situation surrounding Iran during a brief conversation on the sidelines of the ongoing Group of Seven summit in France. The two leaders did

Evian, France, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan and Brazil agreed Tuesday to start negotiations on the conclusion of an economic partnership agreement for free trade between Japan and South American trade bloc Mercosur. The agreement was reached at a meeting between Japanese Prime

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi called on Israel to “exercise maximum restraint” over the situation in the Middle East, expressing serious concern about the clashes between Israel and Lebanon. During his telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan decided Tuesday to raise its policy interest rate by 25 basis points to a 31-year high of around 1 pct while its governor, Kazuo Ueda, was absent due to his hospitalization for an illness.

Dallas, Texas, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Supporters of the Japanese national soccer team have won admiration for their cleanup activity at a recent FIFA World Cup match in the United States, showing the Japanese custom of leaving a place cleaner than they found

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–A strong earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.5 jolted the Kanto eastern Japan region on Tuesday night. The temblor, which struck around 7:46 p.m., measured lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, on Tuesday passed a bill to revamp the country’s retrial system. At a plenary meeting, the bill to revise the criminal procedure law was approved

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, held a ceremony Tuesday to kick off a project to remake Ueno Station in Tokyo as a cultural innovation hub. The project, which follows the completion of renovation work at the

(Adnkronos) – Consumer spending fell in China for the first time since December 2022, during the COVID pandemic era. The May figure is 0.6 percent lower than that of last May, according to new data released by Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics.

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Dutch counterpart, Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, agreed Tuesday to deepen security cooperation between their countries. At a meeting in Tokyo, the visiting Dutch minister expressed her interest in concluding a pact on the

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police Tuesday arrested a 38-year-old Japanese man on suspicion of leading a special fraud group based in Cambodia while living in Thailand. The suspect, Yusuke Sasaki, was arrested by the prefectural police of Aichi, central Japan, after

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida said Tuesday that the central bank will continue to raise its policy interest rate in line with economic and price conditions. Uchida was speaking at a press conference on behalf of

Osaka, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. said Tuesday that it will launch its first smartwatch and smart ring next month, marking a full-scale entry into the wearable device market. As the market is believed to have stronger growth potential

Evian, France, June 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi proposed Monday that the Group of Seven major industrialized countries jointly stockpile critical minerals including rare earths. The “Joint Stockpiling Cooperation Initiative” proposed by the Japanese leader at a working dinner on

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–The Diet, Japan’s parliament, is highly likely to enact legislation that would criminalize vandalism of the national flag during its current session set to end next month, after two opposition parties backed the bill. The Democratic Party for

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei average surpassed the 70,000 threshold for the first time ever at one point on Tuesday after the Bank of Japan decided to raise interest rates in line with market expectations. The index of 225 selected

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, on Tuesday passed a bill to revamp the country’s retrial system. At a plenary meeting, the bill to revise the criminal procedure law was approved

(Adnkronos) – Eyes are on the governor of the Russian Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina. After missing – officially due to illness – the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, where she was scheduled to participate in the main panel on macroeconomics, an absence that

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Fair Trade Commission on Tuesday conducted on-site inspections of six ice cream makers including Meiji Co. for allegedly forming a price-fixing cartel, informed sources said. The FTC will analyze seized materials and interview relevant individuals to investigate

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–The Diet, or Japan’s parliament, is highly likely to enact legislation that would criminalize vandalism of the national flag during its current session set to end next month, after the opposition Democratic Party for the People threw its

(Adnkronos) – The overall toll of Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March 2 has reached 3,798 dead and 11,781 wounded. This was announced by the Emergency Operations Center of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. 

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida said Tuesday that the central bank will continue to raise its policy interest rate in line with economic and price conditions. Uchida was speaking at a press conference on behalf of

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan decided Tuesday to raise its policy interest rate from around 0.75 pct to around 1 pct, a level unseen in about 31 years, amid concerns over inflation driven by high oil prices linked to

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Researchers in Japan have identified 25 new biomarkers for cyanide poisoning, a finding that could sharpen criminal investigations and improve forensic determinations of cause of death. The study, conducted by a team of researchers at institutions including Kindai

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei average surpassed the 70,000 threshold for the first time ever at one point on Tuesday after the Bank of Japan decided to raise interest rates in line with market expectations. The index of 225 selected

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–One of the 38 Japan-linked ships stranded in the Persian Gulf was confirmed to have damage after an unidentified impact on Saturday, it was learned Tuesday. None of the ship’s crew was injured, and the ship remains seaworthy,

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan plans to fully digitize customs procedures for air passengers, including foreign visitors, by 2030, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Tuesday. Currently, passengers are still able to file declarations on paper, although electronic filing is recommended. The

Rome, June 15 (Jiji Press)–Following the U.S.-Iran agreement to end their armed conflict, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has seriously begun considering whether to deploy the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s minesweeping units to the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire is a prerequisite for

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health ministry Tuesday called on medical institutions nationwide to ensure the proper use of diabetes drug Mounjaro, warning against its use for weight loss and other nonapproved purposes. In a notice to medical institutions, sent through prefectural