Washington, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–The fact that new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was close to the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will work in her favor in building ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, Jeffrey Hornung, senior political scientist at

(In Wednesday’s story titled “LDP, Nippon Ishin, Komeito Agree to Increase Gasoline Subsidies,” the final paragraph should have read “…LDP tax panel head Itsunori Onodera…” Instead of as sent.) LDP, Nippon Ishin, Komeito Agree to Increase Gasoline Subsidies Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji

By Adriana Reinecke Washington, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan is unlikely to face an immediate crisis in terms of fiscal soundness because the average maturity of outstanding Japanese government bonds is relatively long, senior International Monetary Fund official Nada Choueiri has indicated in

Seoul, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung are likely to meet in Gyeongju, South Korea, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, set to open on Oct. 31, a senior South Korean

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is seeking to boost its intelligence capabilities by setting up a new national intelligence agency that will supervise related divisions of existing agencies and ministries. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference Friday

Japan Department Stores Association Oct. 24 Yr/Yr Change Total 128,991 M. Yen Up 2.5 pct Clothing 33,817 Up 4.5 Personal Articles 22,469 Down 3.8 Sundry Goods 36,007 Up 10.7 Household Goods 5,866 Up 2.3 Foodstuffs 25,032 0.0 Note: Year-on-year changes are on

Japan Department Stores Association Oct. 24 Yr/Yr Change Total 428,803 M. Yen Up 1.4 pct Clothing 110,549 Down 0.4 Personal Articles 72,489 Down 1.3 Sundry Goods 106,516 Up 7.4 Household Goods 15,064 Down 3.4 Foodstuffs 99,034 Up 0.8 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to hold their first talks over the phone on Saturday morning Japan time, people familiar with the matter said Friday. Takaichi aims to build a relationship

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–The rate of workers in Japan who graduated from universities in spring 2022 and left their first jobs within three years stood at 33.8 pct, down 1.1 percentage points from the rate for 2021 graduates, the first decline

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–The number of elementary, junior high and high school students in Japan who committed suicide in 2024 stood at 529, up by 16 from the preceding year and the highest since data became available in 1980, a government

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s core consumer price index rose 2.9 pct from a year earlier in September, as food prices remained elevated and government subsidies for electricity and city gas fees were smaller, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. The core

Washington, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Asian nations should deepen economic integration by expanding their regional trade agreements to spur growth, Thomas Helbling, deputy director of the International Monetary Fund’s Asia and Pacific Department, said. Helbling, speaking in a recent interview with Jiji Press,

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese opposition Democratic Party for the People and former ruling coalition member Komeito have agreed to jointly submit a bill to regulate political donations to the ongoing extraordinary session of the Diet, the country’s parliament. According to

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is working to create a framework for policy coordination with its new coalition partner, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), including regular talks between their senior officials, following the launch of the

(Adnkronos) – It could take between 20 and 30 years to clear the surface of Gaza of unexploded ordnance. This was indicated by the US-based NGO Humanity & Inclusion, describing the Palestinian enclave as a “horrible unmapped minefield”.  “If you consider a

(Adnkronos) – Russia has acquired Western technology through a secret supply network to protect its submarine fleet and build an underwater surveillance system in the Arctic Sea or Barents Sea where they operate, the Washington Post reports at the end of a

(Adnkronos) – New York’s outgoing mayor, Eric Adams, has officially announced that he will support former governor Andrew Cuomo in his electoral race for the November vote, hoping to slow the rise of Zohran Mamdani. The New York Times reported this. “I

(Adnkronos) – Foreign minister Antonio Tajani was set to welcome 49 Palestinian scholarship students and researchers and 16 Palestinians with relatives in Italy when the group arrives at Rome’s Ciampino airport late on Thursday, the foreign ministry said in a statement.  The

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–New Japanese industry minister Ryosei Akazawa disclosed plans Thursday to tighten regulations on large-scale solar power plants to prevent environmental damage. In an interview with media organizations held after he assumed his current post on Tuesday, Akazawa pointed

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–New Japanese agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki on Thursday indicated a potential shift in the policy of increasing rice production advocated by the administration of former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Suzuki said in an interview with media organizations that

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prince Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, has been infected with influenza, the Imperial Household Agency said Thursday. The prince had a fever and left his university early on Monday, and

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is preparing to highlight progress in purchasing U.S.-made liquefied natural gas, soybeans and automobiles at the upcoming summit between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, it was learned Thursday. The

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, visited the Tokyo memorial hall on Thursday to mourn the victims of the U.S. military’s air raid on the Japanese capital 80 years ago during World War II.

(Adnkronos) – North Korea has stolen billions of dollars by breaching cryptocurrency platforms and creating fictitious identities to obtain remote jobs at foreign technology companies. This is revealed by an international report, according to which the activities, orchestrated by Pyongyang officials, would

(Adnkronos) – The election campaign for next April’s legislative elections in Hungary effectively kicks off today, with opposing street demonstrations in Budapest. On the anniversary of the beginning of the brief 1956 uprising against the Soviet Union, crushed by the bloody intervention

(Adnkronos) – A group of Palestinian scholarship students and Palestinian family members from the Gaza Strip are due to arrive late Thursday at Rome’s Ciampino airport from Jordan aboard two Italian planes, according to a foreign ministry statement.  “Transport from Jordan will

(Adnkronos) – With the European Union set to agree in principle on Thursday to make a 140 billion euro loan to Ukraine using Russian frozen assets, Italy urged the bloc to carefully check the legal validity of the plan before proceeding.  “Before

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–New Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday met with the families of Japanese citizens abducted to North Korea decades ago and vowed to seek support from U.S. President Donald Trump to resolve the abduction issue. Takaichi, who

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will attend summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in South Korea, both set to begin later this month, Chief Cabinet Secretary