Sao Paulo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–An annual festival introducing Japanese culture began in Sao Paulo on Friday, with visitors enjoying Japanese foods, including “takoyaki” and “gyoza,” as well as a “wadaiko” drum performance and “shodo” calligraphy experience. The event, one of the

Tokyo, July 11 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s internal affairs ministry has begun considering the introduction of artificial intelligence agents to autonomously perform tasks at local governments facing labor shortages. On Thursday, the ministry held the first meeting of a related study group consisting of

Tokyo, July 11 (Jiji Press)–Japanese mobile phone carrier SoftBank Corp. and smartphone payment firm PayPay Corp. are considering investing several hundred billion yen in major retailer Seven & i Holdings Co., it has been learned. The two SoftBank Group Corp. affiliates intend

Tokyo, July 11 (Jiji Press)–Large and strong Typhoon Bavi hit the Sakishima Islands in Okinawa Prefectures on Saturday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to urge caution against strong winds, heavy rain, high waves and high tides. As of 12:50 p.m., the ninth

Osaka, July 11 (Jiji Press)–A 54-year-old Japanese prosecutor has pleaded not guilty in the first court hearing of his trial for alleged coercive interrogations of an embezzlement suspect in 2019. At Osaka District Court on Friday, the prosecutor, Daisuke Tabuchi, said that

Los Angeles/Chicago, July 11 (Jiji Press)–Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani will miss this year’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia on Tuesday due to treatment for his left knee, his team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced Friday. The two-way Japanese player was selected

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is set to call on the World Trade Organization to ban state subsidies to zombie companies that are effectively bankrupt and unrestricted debt guarantees as part of its proposal to reform the global trade body,

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–Zentoshin, a Japanese credit card payment processing service provider that has begun bankruptcy proceedings, was found to have falsified its financial statements by some 63 billion yen over at least 20 years, it was learned Friday. To maintain

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is set to advance collaboration among the public sector, the academic world and industries on research and development for dual-use technologies. At a meeting Friday of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, the government

(Adnkronos) – Qatar held talks with the United States and Iran in an attempt to ease the ongoing crisis between the two countries. Two sources close to the matter told the New York Times. The escalation began with Iranian attacks on oil

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese nationals living abroad sued the government Friday, after they were unable to vote by mail in time for the House of Representatives general election in February, which was held only some two weeks after the dissolution of

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, on Friday agreed to beef up cooperation in the national security field. In December last year, the two countries signed an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, which

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Princess Aiko may visit Singapore in November as her second official visit abroad, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday. The daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako made her first official foreign trip, to Laos, in November

(Adnkronos) – According to regional authorities, Russian attacks in Ukraine have caused the death of at least nine people and the injury of 77 others in the last 24 hours. Russian forces carried out an airstrike on the village of Shabelkivka, in

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Friday released an interim draft of its strategy for supporting the development and utilization of vertical artificial intelligence, or AI tailored for specific fields. In the draft presented at a meeting of the government’s

(Adnkronos) – The Israel Defense Forces have eliminated Yahya Said Mohammad Hamdan, commander of a Nukhba cell, Hamas’ military wing, who had infiltrated the Reim base during the October 7 massacre. The Idf announced this, adding that in recent months Hamdan had

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed interest in collaborating with Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. on the production of the U.S.-developed Patriot air-defense missiles, according to Ukrainian media. His remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that

(Adnkronos) – The Israeli Defense Forces reported that they recently demolished five Hamas tunnels, approximately two kilometers long, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line. The demolition operations were carried out by reservists

(Adnkronos) – North Korea will strengthen its nuclear arsenal “both in terms of quality and quantity.” This was announced by leader Kim Jong Un during the first enlarged meeting of the Ninth Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party, according to state

(Adnkronos) – The Ukrainian military intelligence (Gur) agent Vladyslav Reut, who in recent days had confessed to the murder of Anastasiia Berezovska, the woman suspected of attempting to assassinate billionaire Vadym Ermolaev and his family in Munich, has retracted his version before

Nara, July 10 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese printing firm Dai Nippon Printing Co. on Friday signed a partnership pact with a cultural property research institute in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on research and development for a next-generation heritage museum utilizing digital technologies. DNP

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police have arrested a 53-year-old Nigerian on suspicion of persistent touting for an establishment in Tokyo’s Kabukicho nightlife district. Nwadiukwu Sylvester Ikenna grasped a passer-by by the left hand on the street in the district in Thursday’s

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–Sales of beer and quasi-beer at four major Japanese makers in January-June shrank 3 pct by volume from a year before, down for the fourth straight year, according to estimates by industry people. The drop came apparently because

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to clarify the independence of the Bank of Japan in its upcoming annual economic and fiscal policy guidelines, economic and fiscal policy minister Minoru Kiuchi suggested Friday. The government has already reviewed the description

Ishinomaki, Miyagi Pref., July 10 (Jiji Press)–Agricultural and fishery experience programs being offered by a facility in a northeastern Japan district severely damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 are attracting children. Since its opening in the Ogatsucho district of Ishinomaki,

Narita, Chiba Pref., July 10 (Jiji Press)–Narita International Airport Corp. agreed Friday with Japanese local governments to start procedures for compulsory expropriation of land necessary to expand its airport in Chiba Prefecture. The company reached the agreement with the governments of the

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s agriculture ministry said Friday that it has registered “Japanese tea” under its system designed to protect goods with specific geographical origin as intellectual property. The move is part of the ministry’s efforts to combat intellectual property infringement

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government will financially support small and midsize businesses affected by the bankruptcy of Zentoshin, a credit card payment processing service provider, industry minister Ryosei Akazawa said Friday. The affected companies will be allowed to receive loans

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–Four Japan-linked vessels still remain in the Persian Gulf after the recent passage of 22 such vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, transport minister Yasushi Kaneko said Friday. The vessels ready to transit the strait were able to

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)–The scope of behavior subject to punishment under a bill that would criminalize acts of damaging the Japanese national flag remains vague, and the lack of clarity could have a chilling effect on social activities. The Cabinet Committee