(Adnkronos) – The new conservative Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi – Japan’s first female prime minister, in office since late October – today dissolved the lower house of parliament, paving the way for early elections on February 8. Takaichi is leading in

Nagoya, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–An 11th request for the retrial of deceased death-row inmate Masaru Okunishi in the high-profile Nabari poisoned wine murder case nearly 65 years ago has been filed with Nagoya High Court by Okunishi’s sister and defense lawyers. Along

(Adnkronos) – The Syrian army announced last night that it had taken control of Al Aqtan prison in the Raqqa governorate, as part of the ceasefire agreement reached last week with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The agreement provides for the immediate

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Heavy snow mainly pounding the Sea of Japan coast since Tuesday has left four people dead and 26 others injured. According to data compiled by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency as of Friday afternoon, one person died

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese labor leader Tomoko Yoshino said Friday that she aims to secure wage hikes in the 5 pct range for a third consecutive year in the 2026 “shunto” spring labor talks. The president of the Japanese Trade Union

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Prudential Life Insurance Co. President and CEO Kan Mabara apologized Friday for more than 100 current and former employees scamming clients out of some 3.1 billion yen. “I apologize from the bottom of my heart for the great

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s land ministry said Friday that it has been looking into whether local governments nationwide are aware of the nationalities of residents living in public housing. The ministry will compile the survey results as early as February. It

(The second sentence of the second paragraph contained a wrong explanation about the campaign period. The sentence should have read, “The election will take place 16 days after the Lower House dissolution, the shortest such period since the end of World War

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s long-term interest rates are rising at a “significantly rapid” pace, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Friday. At a press conference following the BOJ’s policy-setting meeting that ended earlier in the day, Ueda said the central

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Heavy snow mainly pounding the Sea of Japan coast since Tuesday has left three people dead and 12 others injured. According to data compiled by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency as of Friday morning, one person died

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–The share of university students in Japan graduating in March who have accepted informal job offers increased 0.3 point from a year earlier to 84.6 pct as of Dec. 1, the labor and education ministries said Friday. By

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–A memorial service was held Friday morning at a Tokyo railway station to mark nearly 25 years since the death of a South Korean student who was hit by a train while trying to save a Japanese man.

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government said Friday that it will accept up 1,231,900 foreign workers for five years through the end of fiscal 2028 under specified skilled worker residency and skill development programs. The government added linen supply, distribution and

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said Friday the No. 6 reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, was stopped early Friday morning following a problem. The reactor was reactivated only on Wednesday

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government adopted a package of measures Friday to address problems related to foreign nationals, including planned stricter rules on their acquisitions of Japanese land and nationality. The government will decide an outline of legal rules relating

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police are investigating a fatal accident in Tokyo on Thursday involving an official vehicle of the Cabinet Office, suspecting the driver ignored a red light. The six-car accident occurred at around 6:30 p.m. Thursday at an intersection

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government will raise basic public pension benefits by 1.9 pct in fiscal 2026 from the previous year, the welfare ministry said Friday. Benefits under the “kosei nenkin” public pension program for corporate employees, paid on top

Japan Department Stores Association Jan. 23 Change from Prev Year Total 5,675,452 M. Yen Down 1.5 pct Clothing 1,505,820 Down 2.2 Personal Articles 937,494 Down 7.5 Sundry Goods 1,255,143 Up 2.2 Household Goods 187,225 Down 1.0 Foodstuffs 1,457,354 Down 0.4 Note: Year-on-year

Japan Department Stores Association Jan. 23 Change from Prev Year Total 1,680,607 M. Yen Down 2.9 pct Clothing 441,094 Down 2.0 Personal Articles 294,737 Down 9.1 Sundry Goods 417,674 Up 0.2 Household Goods 67,271 Down 0.1 Foodstuffs 375,323 Down 1.6 Note: Year-on-year

Japan Department Stores Association Jan. 23 Yr/Yr Change Total 190,465 M. Yen Down 0.2 pct Clothing 46,790 Down 1.1 Personal Articles 29,394 Down 6.6 Sundry Goods 44,280 Up 4.4 Household Goods 6,329 Down 3.8 Foodstuffs 54,384 Down 0.0 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Japan Department Stores Association Jan. 23 Yr/Yr Change Total 654,272 M. Yen Down 1.1 pct Clothing 157,697 Down 4.5 Personal Articles 99,264 Down 4.3 Sundry Goods 133,677 Up 3.9 Household Goods 19,090 Down 3.8 Foodstuffs 207,943 Down 1.2 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Shunichi Suzuki, secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has said that his party will question the newly formed Centrist Reform Alliance’s ability to govern during the campaign period for the Feb. 8 House of Representatives election. In

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s education ministry Friday certified the Institute of Science Tokyo as the second university eligible for receiving aid from a government-financed 10-trillion-yen fund aimed at supporting universities. The Institute of Science Tokyo is expected to receive over 10

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan dissolved its House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, at the start of an ordinary parliamentary session Friday. At a cabinet meeting later, the government decided to hold the Lower House general election on Feb.

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan decided Friday to keep its policy interest rate unchanged while raising its growth outlook for Japan’s gross domestic product in fiscal 2026, which starts in April. At its two-day policy-setting meeting through the day,

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Sanseito aims to boost the number of its House of Representatives seats by 10-fold in next month’s election for the all-important parliamentary chamber in Japan, in order to gain momentum to realize its policies, Sohei Kamiya, leader of

Los Angeles, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s box-office hit “Kokuho” made the Oscar nominee list in makeup and hairstyling, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday. Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu became the first makeup staff of a

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan dissolved its House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, at the start of this year’s ordinary parliamentary session Friday. The government plans to hold the Lower House general election on Feb. 8, with the official

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan decided Friday to keep its policy interest rate unchanged while raising its growth outlook for Japan’s gross domestic product in fiscal 2026, which starts in April. At its two-day policy-setting meeting through the day,

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s core consumer prices in 2025 rose 3.1 pct from the previous year on average, the fourth consecutive year of growth, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. The core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food prices,