Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, on Wednesday affirmed bilateral cooperation to ensure safe ship navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. In their phone talks, the two ministers welcomed the two-week ceasefire agreement

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–The average retail price of regular gasoline in Japan as of Monday fell 2.80 yen from a week earlier to 167.40 yen per liter, down for the third straight week, industry ministry data showed Wednesday. The pump price

Kawasaki, Kanagawa Pref., April 8 (Jiji Press)–Three workers died after scaffolding at the Keihin District of JFE Steel Corp.’s East Japan Works in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, collapsed Tuesday, local authorities have said. A total of five workers, all men, were

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Industry representatives have raised objections to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s plan to reduce the consumption tax rate on food to zero for two years. At a working-level meeting of the National Council on Social Security on Wednesday,

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Sentiment among so-called economy watchers in Japan fell to the lowest level in about four years in March, reflecting tensions over Iran, a Cabinet Office survey showed Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted diffusion index that shows the current sentiment

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his visiting Australian counterpart Richard Marles agreed Wednesday to deepen bilateral defense cooperation to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region. At their meeting in Tokyo, the ministers mainly discussed the tensions in

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–While the United States and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire agreement, 42 Japan-linked ships still cannot leave the Persian Gulf due to Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has suggested that it will allow

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked Iran to de-escalate the tensions in the Middle East at an early time, in a roughly 25-minute phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday. Takaichi also called on the Middle

(Adnkronos) – The Iranian navy has informed ships off the Strait of Hormuz that it is still necessary to obtain permission from Iran to cross it. The Wall Street Journal reports this, based on a recording shared by a crew member of

(Adnkronos) – Two ships have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, the first since the announcement of the two-week truce between the United States and Iran, MarineTraffic, a maritime traffic tracking site, reported. The cargo ship NJ Earth, owned by a Greek shipowner,

(Adnkronos) – A 76-year-old French pensioner shot down a drone that had been sent to check the condition of the roof of a public building in Nohic, Tarn-et-Garonne. The man, a resident of the area, said he was convinced that the aircraft

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Central Social Insurance Medical Council on Wednesday started to discuss extending the public health insurance coverage to two regenerative medicine products using induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells. The council, which advises the health minister, is expected

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Novel Alzheimer’s therapies have been given to 19 pct of outpatients who applied for the medications, according to a recent survey at a Tokyo hospital. The lecanemab and donanemab therapies for early-stage Alzheimer’s patients are now clinically available

Seoul, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss Japan-South Korea relations and the international situation. During their 90-minute meeting, which included lunch, Ishiba and Lee agreed to expand

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his visiting Australian counterpart Richard Marles agreed Wednesday to deepen bilateral defense cooperation to ensure the stability of the Indo-Pacific region. At their meeting in Tokyo, the ministers mainly discussed the tensions

Seoul/Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan from around Wonsan in the eastern province of Kangwon twice on Wednesday, in the morning and afternoon, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. According to the

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Cats leaving their meals unfinished is not only due to the felines being full, but also due to scent, a Japanese team of researchers said Wednesday. The Iwate University team said that it had confirmed that cats’ appetites

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Financial Services Agency is considering the first major revision of the money lending business law since December 2006, with a view to supporting corporate financing for growth-oriented investments and business acquisitions, Jiji Press learned Wednesday. The FSA

(Adnkronos) – New ballistic missile launches by North Korea today, Wednesday, April 8. According to South Korean authorities, Pyongyang launched one or more rockets towards the Sea of Japan, detected in the early hours of the day. According to Yonhap news agency,

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks surged in Tokyo trading Wednesday thanks to a U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal, sending the benchmark Nikkei 225 index climbing 5.38 pct. The Nikkei index rose 2,878.86 points to 56,308.42, marking its third-largest single-day point gain and ending

Kawasaki, Kanagawa Pref., April 8 (Jiji Press)–Three workers died after scaffolding at the Keihin District of JFE Steel Corp.’s East Japan Works in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, collapsed Tuesday, local authorities have said. A total of five workers, all men, were

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had a roughly 25-minute phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday. Takaichi is believed to have urged the Middle East country to ensure safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks surged in Tokyo trading Wednesday thanks to a U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal, sending the benchmark Nikkei 225 index climbing 5.38 pct. The Nikkei index rose 2,878.86 points to 56,308.42, marking its third-largest single-day point gain and ending

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s GMO Internet Group Inc. has launched a research and development laboratory for humanoid robots at its headquarters in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward. The internet-related service provider hopes the facility, GMO Humanoid Lab, which was opened and unveiled to

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks surged in Tokyo trading Wednesday thanks to a U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal, sending the benchmark Nikkei 225 index climbing 5.38 pct. The Nikkei index rose 2,878.86 points to 56,308.42, marking its third-largest single-day point gain. END [Copyright

Fukuoka, April 8 (Jiji Press)–The Fukuoka prefectural police have arrested five more people linked to Philippines-based Japanese crime ring JP Dragon after their transfer to Japan, over suspected scams and thefts. The suspects, including Miyako Iwamoto, 34, had been detained by Philippine

Seoul/Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Wednesday morning, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. Fired from the Wonsan area in the eastern North Korean province of Kangwon, the

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government welcomes a two-week ceasefire deal between the United States and Iran as a positive move, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Wednesday. “We hope that a final (peace) deal will be made at an early

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–The number of corporate bankruptcies with debts of at least 10 million yen in Japan in fiscal 2025, which ended last month, rose 3.5 pct from the previous year to a 12-year high, Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd. said

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan saw inflation-adjusted real wages increase 1.9 pct from a year earlier in February, the labor ministry reported Wednesday. The second straight monthly increase can be attributed to regular pay hikes and slower inflation. Before adjustment with the