Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo District Court ruled Friday that a public offices election law provision that prohibits minors from conducting campaigning activities on their own and imposes penalties on violators is unconstitutional. Presiding Judge Mizuho Ebi said that the provision “violates

Fukuoka, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, said Friday that it will launch financial services in earnest in partnership with SBI Holdings Inc. The railway operator will develop an app, tentatively called JQ Bank, to centrally manage services

London, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan retook the top spot among 110 economies in the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index rankings, released on Friday. Japan was followed by the United States in second place, Spain in third, Australia in

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–About half of 120 civic groups working in Japan to save and rehome dogs and cats received more requests to take in such animals for protection in the past year than in the preceding year, a private-sector survey

Osaka, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese credit card payment processing service firm Zentoshin’s bankruptcy trustee said Friday that seven credit card companies will pay in full the 5.4 billion yen in sales proceeds that Zentoshin’s member stores had been unable to collect following

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police have arrested an Uzbek food delivery worker on suspicion of committing indecent acts against an elementary school girl who answered the door. Muminov Dilshod Komiljonovich, a 45-year-old resident of Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward, allegedly hugged and kissed

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo District Court ruled Friday that a public offices election law provision that prohibits minors from engaging in campaigning activities and imposes penalties on violators is unconstitutional. In the lawsuit filed by four people against the government, however,

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan will launch the National Disaster Management Agency on Nov. 2 to serve as the government’s command center for disaster preparedness and response, minister for disaster management Goshi Hosono said Friday. The agency will substantially expand the Cabinet

(Adnkronos) – The New York Police Department reported that over 100 people were arrested in Manhattan during protests against the arrival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly. The demonstrations were led by pro-Palestinian organizations and the anti-Zionist

In the story titled “FOCUS: Tokyo Museum Preserves Memories of Students Killed in War,” distributed Sept. 10, a woman’s surname was incorrectly given as “Hamazaki” in the seventh and 10th paragraphs and a photo caption. It should have been “Hamasaki.” A replacement

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Former Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will visit China for four days from Sunday as the new head of Japan’s Association for the Promotion of International Trade, a group for friendship with China, it was learned Friday. Work

Nagoya, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Chubu Electric Power Co. said Friday that it has withdrawn its applications for Nuclear Regulation Authority safety screening required to restart the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese municipalities are turning their low name recognition into tourism promotion opportunities, using self-deprecating jokes to attract attention. The Akita prefectural government’s tourism strategy division launched a campaign from May to July this year to distribute accommodation coupons

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump expressed concern over the yen’s weakening during his meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in New York on Tuesday. During the bilateral summit at the U.N.

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. is considering going private, with a consortium of Japanese and British investment funds having proposed acquiring the company and overhauling its management, sources said Friday. According to the sources, Japan’s Nippon Sangyo Suishin Kiko Ltd.

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–The upcoming extraordinary session of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, is set to run for 69 days from Oct. 5 until Dec. 12, it was learned Friday. Yoshihiko Isozaki, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Diet affairs chief in the

Japan Department Stores Association Sept. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 422,112 M. Yen Up 2.6 pct Clothing 98,184 Up 0.8 Personal Articles 71,618 Up 2.0 Sundry Goods 103,023 Up 6.4 Household Goods 14,672 Up 4.5 Foodstuffs 106,319 Up 2.1 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Japan Department Stores Association Sept. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 125,021 M. Yen Up 5.7 pct Clothing 28,541 Up 5.8 Personal Articles 22,615 Up 1.1 Sundry Goods 34,610 Up 10.3 Household Goods 5,087 Up 3.3 Foodstuffs 27,107 Up 7.1 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Japan Chain Stores Association Sept. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 1,114,850 M. Yen Up 0.2 pct Foodstuffs 824,400 Up 0.3 Clothing 40,727 Down 1.0 Sundries 104,302 Up 2.5 Furniture and Interior Goods 55,863 Down 2.5 Home Electric Appliances 2,629 Up 3.5 Note: Year-on-year

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Incoming Okinawa Governor Genta Koja has called on the Japanese government to resume the Okinawa Policy Council by year-end to discuss U.S. military base issues and economic development measures between the central and prefectural governments. He

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–New Japanese agriculture minister Kazuo Yana said in a recent interview that the top focus of his agricultural policy will be ensuring appropriate prices for agricultural products. “With prices of production materials rising, it is difficult for farmers

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–The benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond yield, a key long-term interest rate, briefly climbed to a new 30-year high of 3.115 pct on Friday. The yield on the latest 383rd issue of 10-year JGBs hit the highest level

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will visit Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Tuesday to meet with people affected by a powerful earthquake in July, according to a plan approved by the government at a cabinet meeting Friday.

Yokosuka, Kanagawa Pref., Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–At 92, Kaori Kusakari shares her life with Purin, a 12-year-old male cat who has been by her side for years, at a rare elderly nursing home in Japan that allows pets to stay with their

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health care system is often held up abroad as a model of universal coverage. But universal does not mean uniform: patients undergoing the same expensive treatment can pay very different amounts themselves depending on which insurer they

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Spending related to “oshikatsu,” or activities to support “oshi” or one’s favorite idols, characters or celebrities, is growing in Japan despite a fall in the proportion of people who engage in such activities, an online survey has shown.

(Adnkronos) – S&P Global Ratings confirms the solidity of Webuild’s credit profile. The agency has concluded its annual review of the Group and confirmed the BB+ rating with a stable outlook. The judgment is based on the most recent performance data and

Tokyo, Sept. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Democratic Reform Party said Thursday that the new Japanese opposition party has started its activities with 18 member lawmakers who departed from the Centrist Reform Alliance. The 18, all House of Representatives lawmakers, are former members of

Tokyo, Sept. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Immigration Services Agency will boost cooperation with other government divisions to crack down on illegal foreign workers. Starting as early as October, agency officials will join land ministry inspections of demolition and construction sites. The land ministry

Tokyo, Sept. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Shin Ohashi won gold in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke at the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday, setting a new world record of 2:04.83. The17-year-old, who also won the men’s 100m breaststroke at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, said: