Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government decided Friday to designate the July 28 massive earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture as a disaster of extreme severity to increase state aid for the restoration of roads and other infrastructure, as well as agricultural facilities.

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea decades ago are not an issue of the past but an “ongoing” matter, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Friday. Speaking at a meeting with junior high school students in

Hiroshima, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–A muku tree that survived the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a city in western Japan, 81 years ago has found a new life after death as a violin, whose melodies convey messages of peace and hope. “I

Sapporo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Sapporo District Court on Friday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for his role in a high-profile group assault case in the northern Japan prefecture of Hokkaido in 2024. The life sentence for Yuto Kawaguchi, who was 18

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–A lawmaker challenged Japanese opposition Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki for the party presidency Friday, although Tamaki remains the overwhelming favorite to win a third term. Mikihiko Hashimoto, 30, a member of the House of

Hiroshima, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Minoru Hasebe, a 94-year-old former catcher for what is now the Hiroshima Toyo Carp professional baseball team, expressed his wish for continued peace as the team’s home city marked 81 years since it suffered an atomic bombing. On

Hiroshima, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Prince Hisahito, the son of Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, offered flowers at a cenotaph for atomic bomb victims at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Friday, one day after the 81st anniversary of the U.S.

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Household spending in Japan in June fell 3.3 pct from a year earlier in inflation-adjusted real terms as consumers refrained from going out due to unfavorable weather, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. Average spending by households with

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese tax authorities on Friday decided to dismiss an official in his 20s for defrauding a wealthy elderly woman he was auditing of a large amount of cash and evading roughly 100 million yen in taxes on gambling

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has agreed with his Ecuadorian counterpart Roberto Kury to continue discussions on further deepening bilateral economic relations, with the early conclusion of an economic partnership agreement for free trade in mind. The accord

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will make an “appropriate” decision on whether to visit Tokyo’s war-related Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, the anniversary of the country’s surrender in World War II, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Friday.

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Kirin Holdings Co. said Friday it will make Canada’s leading dietary supplements maker Jamieson Wellness Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary. The major Japanese beverage maker will acquire all outstanding shares in Jamieson Wellness for 1,898 million Canadian dollars.

Hiroshima, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The family transmission of atomic bombing experiences in Hiroshima, a city in western Japan, is fading, as fewer children hear hibakusha survivors’ accounts from their grandparents, prompting second-generation descendants to carry the stories forward. A survey by the

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan bought 6,278.7 billion yen for dollars in a foreign exchange market intervention on April 30, the largest-ever yen-buying operation in a single day, Ministry of Finance data showed Friday. The

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese prosecutors have sought a six-year prison sentence and a fine of 2 million yen for a former operator of a Tokyo massage parlor accused of having a Thai girl, then 12, provide sexual services. The defense claimed

Kumamoto, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The prefectural government of Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, has said that monetary donations from at home and abroad, including through Japan’s “furusato nozei” tax incentive-backed program, have reached 4,321.3 million yen following the July 28 major earthquake that struck

Hiroshima, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Seven organizations of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima Prefecture have urged the Japanese government to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Officials of the groups handed a set of written requests, including the support

Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan bought 6,278.7 billion yen for dollars in a foreign exchange market intervention on April 30, the largest-ever yen-buying operation in a single day, Ministry of Finance data showed Friday. The

Seoul, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–The South Korean navy has said that it conducted a defense exercise for a group of Sea of Japan islets claimed by Tokyo but effectively controlled by Seoul. The drill, part of regular exercises held about twice a

Hiroshima, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at a press conference in the western city of Hiroshima on Thursday did not clearly rule out a possibility of reviewing the country’s three nonnuclear principles. She is thus believed to have indicated

Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–SoftBank Group Corp. said Thursday that its consolidated net profit fell 17.7 pct from a year earlier to 347.3 billion yen in April-June, weighed down by a weaker yen. The Japanese technology investor, which holds a large amount

(Adnkronos) – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they had struck a series of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon after a bomb killed two soldiers and wounded four others yesterday in Majdal Zoun. The IDF – reports the Times of Israel

Kyoto, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Nintendo Co. said Thursday that its group net profit grew 53.5 pct from a year before to 147,423 million yen in April-June, despite a slowdown in sales of the Nintendo Switch 2 video game console. The Japanese game

Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui called on policymakers around the world to show determination and implement policies for nuclear abolition, in an annual peace declaration Thursday, the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city.

(Adnkronos) – The CIA has secretly established a task force dedicated to Cuba, launching a plan for a more coordinated campaign aimed at exerting pressure on the Cuban government to implement the economic, political, and leadership changes demanded by United States President

Seoul/Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan from Wonsan in the eastern province of Kangwon at around 5 p.m. Thursday, the South Korean military said. The missile is believed to have fallen outside

Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Listed Japanese companies are believed to have enjoyed sharp profit growth in April-June, led by semiconductor- and export-related companies on the back of robust demand linked to artificial intelligence and semiconductors, as well as a weaker yen. Their

(Adnkronos) – In Kuwait, authorities have ordered the closure of an Iranian school. The Minister of Education, Jalal Al-Tabtabaei, has given “instructions for the revocation of permits granted to the Iranian private school in Kuwait and for the closure” of the institution,

Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–The average summer bonus among major Japanese companies increased 7.04 pct from the previous year to 1,042,537 yen in 2026, the highest level since comparable data became available in 1981, the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, said Thursday.

Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition party leaders attending an annual peace ceremony in Hiroshima on Thursday, the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city, voiced concerns about Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s address at the event. “Japan