Manila, June 8 (Jiji Press)–A decision made by Japan and the Philippines late last month to begin talks to delimit a maritime boundary between the two countries represents a “big step” forward, Makoto Seta, an expert on the law of the sea

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo stocks plummeted Monday, led by heavy selling of artificial intelligence-related issues following declines in U.S. technology shares late last week, with the key Nikkei 225 stock average briefly losing over 3,100 points. The index of 225 selected

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–People mourned the victims of a 2008 indiscriminate stabbing incident in Tokyo’s Akihabara district on Monday, the 18th anniversary of the rampage that led to the deaths of seven people and injuries for 10 others. In light rain,

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.8 pct in January-March from the previous quarter in inflation-adjusted real terms, weaker than the earlier reported 2.1 pct rise, reflecting a downward revision in capital spending, revised government data

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan logged a current account surplus of 3,907.8 billion yen in April, up from the year-before surplus of 2,370 billion yen, thanks to increased corporate income from overseas subsidiaries and a trade balance returning to the black, the

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Meteorological Agency on Monday issued a tsunami advisory for a wide stretch of Japan’s Pacific coast from Ibaraki Prefecture in eastern Japan to the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. The advisory, issued at 9:05 a.m., also covers

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average briefly gave up over 3,100 points on Monday morning, reflecting a drop in the U.S. market late last week. At 10:31 a.m., the index of 225 selected issues listed on the Tokyo

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Meteorological Agency on Monday issued a tsunami advisory for a wide stretch of Japan’s Pacific coast from Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, to the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. According to the advisory issued at 9:05 a.m., tsunamis

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average briefly gave up over 2,600 points on Monday morning, reflecting a drop in the U.S. market late last week. At 9:19 a.m., the index of 225 selected issues listed on the Tokyo

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s gross domestic product in January-March grew an annualized 1.8 pct from the previous quarter after price and seasonal adjustment, the Cabinet Office said in a revised report Monday. The growth was smaller than the 2.1 pct rise

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)–Following an October 2025 revision to Japan’s “furusato nozei” hometown donation program, which offers tax breaks to donors, the internal affairs ministry is seeking to discourage donors from focusing too much on “good deals” offered through generous return

Seoul, June 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force and the South Korean navy conducted their first search and rescue exercise in over eight years on Sunday. The two sides began holding the joint exercise in 1999. It previously took place in December

Shizuoka, June 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force held a large-scale live-fire exercise at the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Shizuoka Prefecture on Sunday, showcasing a Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile launcher to the public for the first time. The Type-25 HVGP missile

Tokyo, June 7 (Jiji Press)–Several unpublished documents for anime works by Japanese manga legend Osamu Tezuka are still kept at Tezuka Productions Co., Jiji Press learned Sunday. The materials include original drawings, storyboards, and character designs created by Tezuka. They were not

Tokyo, June 7 (Jiji Press)–Komeito, a Japanese opposition party, is considering announcing its merger into the Centrist Reform Alliance in July, sources familiar with the situation have told Jiji Press. Komeito is planning to make a formal decision at a party convention

Tokyo, June 7 (Jiji Press)–The final decision on whether to reduce Japan’s consumption tax rate on food to zero pct or 1 pct will be left to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, an executive of her ruling Liberal Democratic Party suggested on Sunday.

Paris, June 6 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Tokito Oda won a fourth straight men’s wheelchair singles title at the French Open tennis tournament on Saturday, becoming the second player to achieve this feat, after Japanese legend Shingo Kunieda. In the day’s final, Oda, the

Tokyo, June 7 (Jiji Press)–Local governments in Japan are facing criticism over measures to attract foreign visitors, including subsidizing Shinkansen bullet train fares and waiving admission fees, which critics call “unfair.” This fiscal year, the prefectural government of Kagoshima in the Kyushu

Bangkok, June 6 (Jiji Press)–Thai police said Saturday that they have detained a 38-year-old Japanese man suspected of leading a special fraud group based in the northwestern Cambodian city of Poipet while living in Thailand. Japanese police have obtained an arrest warrant

Tokyo, June 6 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Supreme Public Prosecutors Office will conduct a harassment survey of prosecutors and other employees nationwide, following a sexual assault case involving a former head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office. The supreme office issued related instructions

Tokyo, June 6 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is facing challenges due to a magazine report claiming that her campaign posted videos defaming her rivals on social media during last year’s Liberal Democratic Party presidential election and this year’s House

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., June 6 (Jiji Press)–The key suspect in last month’s high-profile robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, has been placed on the international wanted list, it was learned Saturday. At the request of Japanese police, the International Criminal Police

Tokyo, June 6 (Jiji Press)–A UNESCO advisory panel has recommended adding the Asuka-Fujiwara archaeological sites in western Japan to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list, UNESCO said Saturday. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is expected to adopt the recommendation at its upcoming

New York, June 5 (Jiji Press)–The dollar surged in New York trading on Friday, following the release of stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs data, sending the yen back to levels prior to a series of yen-buying market interventions by Japanese authorities since late April.

(Adnkronos) – Italian major Eni has secured a licence to explore an deepwater block in the Atlantic under a deal signed with The Gambia’s government, Eni said in a statement on Friday.  Block A1 covers an area of 1,300 kilometres squared in

Sapporo, June 5 (Jiji Press)–Former residents of Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands claimed by Japan will hold memorial services for their ancestors at sea and in the air between July 25 and Nov. 7, the prefectural government of Hokkaido, northern Japan, said Friday.

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s premier Giorgio Meloni will meet South Korea’s president Lee Jae Myung at Villa Doria Pamphilj on 12 June for talks starting at 12.30, according to a calendar of events on the government’s website.   Strategic partner South Korea is

Tokyo, June 5 (Jiji Press)–The leaders and vice leaders of both chambers of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, adopted a draft proposal Friday to secure a sufficient number of Imperial Family members for stable Imperial succession. The draft, which would represent a consensus

Tokyo, June 5 (Jiji Press)–Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone will visit Japan for three days through June 12 to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, the Japanese government said Friday. The two leaders are expected to exchange views on regional

(Adnkronos) – Two Italian activists from the Global Sumud Gaza land flotilla who were detained in Libya last month on suspicion of entering the the country illegally will appear before local prosectors in Benghazi on Tuesday after Italy’s Consul General in the