Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp. said Monday that subsidiary Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. is considering spinning off its petrochemical business, possibly in fiscal 2027, for potential consolidation with industry peers. The move comes as Japanese makers of basic chemicals,

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo District Court on Monday found two former executives of Japanese artificial intelligence developer Alt Inc. guilty of window dressing in violation of the financial instruments and exchange law. Former executive officer Katsuya Asai, 46, and former treasury

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese miscellaneous goods retailer Hands Inc. said Monday that it will close down the Shibuya Store in Tokyo in November, ending the outlet’s 48-year history as one of the landmarks in the Shibuya district, an entertainment and shopping

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday that the government will submit a draft fiscal 2026 supplementary budget to cope with high inflation reflecting Middle East tensions to the Diet, or parliament, next week. Spending under the extra

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)– Seven & i Holdings Co. Honorary Adviser Toshifumi Suzuki, who pioneered Japanese convenience stores known as “konbini,” died of heart failure on May 18. He was 93. A native of Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, Suzuki graduated from

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Twenty-six people reported throat pain and other symptoms after a pungent odor spread in the Ginza Six shopping complex in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on Monday, according to the Metropolitan Police Department and the Tokyo Fire Department. Of them,

(Adnkronos) – Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s chief negotiator with the United States, has been re-elected Parliament Speaker for the seventh consecutive year, the Fars agency reports.    

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Seina Imamura has become the first-ever female Japan Racing Association jockey to win a Grade 1 race of the prestigious national horse race organization. Ridden by 22-year-old Imamura, fifth-favorite Juryoku Pierrot won Sunday’s Yushun Hinba, known as the

Hiroshima, May 25 (Jiji Press)–The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which documents the world’s first atomic bombing in August 1945, will go reservation-only during the “bon” holiday period from Aug. 8 to 16, it was learned Monday. During the period, the museum will

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Sales at department stores in Japan in April increased 5.2 pct from a year before on a same-store basis, up for the fourth straight month, thanks to a large increase in spending by foreign visitors, industry data showed

(A typo in the fifth paragraph has been corrected.) Remains of 193 Japanese War Dead Added to National Cemetery Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s welfare ministry held a ceremony on Monday to add the remains of 193 Japanese war dead to a

Asahikawa, Hokkaido, May 25 (Jiji Press)–A woman suspected of killing a then 17-year-old high school girl, who died in 2024 after falling from a suspension bridge in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, pleaded not guilty to murder in the first hearing

(Adnkronos) – Over 1.5 million Muslims have arrived in the holy city of Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which this year takes place in a climate of hope for an end to the war in the Middle East. To protect them,

(Adnkronos) – Around 20 people were injured in a luxury shopping mall in central Tokyo after a man sprayed a caustic substance inside. Police and fire department officials reported this. Tokyo police spokesman Yusuke Koide told AFP that a man sprayed a

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition party Team Mirai has drafted a “stopgap” benefits program that would be effective until the planned introduction of a refundable tax credit system. The draft, announced on Monday, calls for providing up to around 60,000 yen

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average surged to close above 65,000 for the first time ever on Monday, backed by expectations for an end to the fighting between the United States and Iran. The index of 225 selected

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Fifteen people reported throat pain and other symptoms after a pungent odor spread near the Ginza Six shopping complex in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on Monday, according to the Metropolitan Police Department and the Tokyo Fire Department. At around

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government expressed disappointment on Monday after the latest U.N. conference reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty failed to adopt an outcome document. The failure is “extremely regrettable,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference.

Japan Department Stores Association May 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 442,155 M. Yen Up 5.2 pct Clothing 123,062 Up 2.9 Personal Articles 78,511 Up 9.5 Sundry Goods 104,091 Up 10.3 Household Goods 14,282 Up 0.4 Foodstuffs 96,329 Up 0.9 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Japan Department Stores Association May 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 136,099 M. Yen Up 7.4 pct Clothing 37,745 Up 6.0 Personal Articles 25,285 Up 8.6 Sundry Goods 36,241 Up 14.2 Household Goods 5,414 Up 4.8 Foodstuffs 24,774 Up 1.5 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Chinese President Xi Jinping verbally attacked Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi over what he calls remilitarization of Japan during his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing earlier this month, it was learned Monday. But Trump defended

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–An Idemitsu Tanker Co. crude oil tanker entered the Ise Bay in central Japan on Monday morning, becoming the first oil tanker to arrive in the country after passing through the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict between

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average surged past 65,000 for the first time on Monday morning, backed by expectations for an end to the fighting between the United States and Iran. The index of 225 selected issues listed

New Delhi, May 24 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese national in his 60s was found dead after going missing while trekking in a mountainous area in Skardu, Pakistan, according to local media reports. Pakistani authorities unveiled the incident on Saturday. The Japanese man had

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average surged over 1,900 points on Monday morning to exceed 65,000 for the first time, backed by expectations for an end to the fighting between the United States and Iran. At 9:49 a.m.,

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sent a message of condolence to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang following a gas explosion at a coal mine in Shanxi Province on Friday. In the message released by

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–Extreme heat increases the risk of preterm births and can also lead to hospitalizations for childhood convulsions, according to new findings published by research teams at the Institute of Science Tokyo. Meanwhile, the Japan Meteorological Agency has released

Kobe, May 24 (Jiji Press)–Police on Sunday obtained an arrest warrant for a 42-year-old man on suspicion of murdering one of the two victims in a suspected murder case at a house in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan. The Hyogo prefectural police

Tokyo, May 24 (Jiji Press)–Combined net profits at Japanese listed companies in fiscal 2025 rose 9.0 pct from the previous year to a record 54,713.2 billion yen, according to SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. The figure for the year ended in March hit

Kobe, May 24 (Jiji Press)–Police on Sunday obtained an arrest warrant for a 42-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of murdering one of the two victims in a suspected murder case at a house in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, investigative sources said.