Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is expected to allow broadcasters to operate multiple television channels in the same region, it was learned Friday. An expert panel of the communications ministry approved a draft report on the matter on the day.

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.3 struck northeastern Japan on Friday, measuring up to lower 5, the fifth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The quake occurred around 8:22

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s ambassador to Sri Lanka has arrived in the Maldives, where operations are underway to recover the bodies of five Italians killed in a deep water cave, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.  The group had been

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese voice actor Wakana Yamazaki, who voiced Ran Mori, a major character in the popular animated series “Detective Conan,” died of illness on April 18. She was 61. Yamazaki, a native of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, voiced the

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump by phone on Friday, following the president’s visit to China. After the phone talks, Takaichi told reporters that she received a “detailed explanation” about the China trip

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The aggregate net profit of Japan’s three megabank groups exceeded 5 trillion yen for the first time in fiscal 2025, it was learned Friday. For the year that ended in March, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Sumitomo Mitsui

(Adnkronos) – The death toll from the massive attack that hit the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the night between Wednesday and Thursday has risen to 24 dead and 47 injured. Among the numerous victims are three minors. Local authorities reported this, as

(Adnkronos) – The new British Health Minister James Murray went to 10 Downing Street on his first day in office, following his appointment to the top of the ministry, replacing the resigning Wes Streeting, who left because he said he had lost

New York, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. plans to invest 2 billion dollars, or about 320 billion yen, to build a new vehicle assembly line in Texas, it was learned Thursday. Toyota Motor North America Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit South Korea for two days from Tuesday to hold a summit with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, the two countries’ governments announced Friday. Takaichi will visit the president’s hometown of Andong

(Adnkronos) – The United States is Italy’s “traditional and most important ally,” which together with Europe makes up the West, foreign minister Antonio Tajani told TV talk show ‘Mattino 5’ on Friday.  “We are allies of the US regardless of Trump, Obama,

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Football Association on Friday announced the country’s 26-member squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off on June 11. The roster for the top international soccer tournament hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Three Japanese opposition parties jointly submitted a proposal Friday to completely ban appeals by public prosecutors against court orders granting retrials, to the House of Representatives of the Diet, the country’s parliament. The Centrist Reform Alliance, Team Mirai

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The benchmark yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds soared as high as 2.730 pct in Tokyo interdealer trading on Friday amid concerns about the country’s fiscal deterioration and inflation. The 10-year JGB yield hit its highest level since

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The families of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea decades ago met with U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in Tokyo on Friday, seeking further cooperation to bring back all abductees. “We asked for continued understanding

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 24-year-old unemployed man for allegedly luring a junior high school girl into prostitution in violation of the child welfare law, investigative sources told Jiji Press. Shota Inoue, a Tokyo resident, is

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese prize-winning author Aiko Sato, also known as a renowned essayist, died of old age in Tokyo on April 29. She was 102. Her father, Koroku Sato, was also a writer, while her older brother, Hachiro Sato, was

(Adnkronos) – US foreign trade with China (infographic) 

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government Friday adopted a bill to revise the copyright law to create new rights that grant background music royalties to singers and record businesses. The proposed revision is aimed at allowing a wider range of artists

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average tumbled on Friday amid rising interest rates in Japan and the United States. The index of 225 select issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s top-tier Prime section closed at 61,409.29, down

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday presented a draft outline of a bill that calls for punishing not only public vandalism of the Japanese national flag but also the posting on social media of videos and images

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is considering compiling a supplementary budget to cover additional costs, as it is mulling providing electricity and city gas subsidies in July-September and keeping gasoline subsidies in place, government and ruling party officials said Friday.

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s cabinet of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi approved a bill Friday to ban in principle public prosecutors’ appeals against court orders granting retrials. If the amendment bill to the criminal procedure law, set for immediate submission by the

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 15 (Jiji Press)–Police arrested a 16-year-old boy on Thursday for allegedly murdering a woman after breaking into a house in Kaminokawa, Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan. Whether the suspect, a resident of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, also eastern Japan, admitted

(The third paragraph from the bottom should have read, “…to over 1,000 points,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) (Update) 10-Year JGB Yield Hits Fresh 29-Year High of 2.73 Pct Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the most recent

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s producer prices in April increased 4.9 pct from a year earlier, the biggest rise since May 2023, amid the Middle East tensions, Bank of Japan data showed Friday. The producer price index, which measures the cost of

New York, May 14 (Jiji Press)–United Airlines said Thursday that it will open two new routes linking the U.S. cities of Chicago and San Francisco with Japan later this year. With the new routes, the U.S. airline aims to capture demand from

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the most recent issue of 10-year Japanese government bonds hit a fresh 29-year high of 2.7 pct in interdealer bond trading in Tokyo on Friday morning. The key Japanese long-term interest rate rose to the

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health ministry plans to start requiring individuals in March 2027 to bear additional costs out of pocket for OTC-equivalent prescription drugs, which are similar to over-the-counter nonprescription medicines in terms of active ingredients and effects. Under the

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Japan from Sunday for four days to attend a U.N. conference, the Japanese government has said. During his stay, Guterres is expected to meet with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi,