Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako hosted a garden party at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Friday, inviting some 1,750 people. The guests included gold medalists from the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, such as figure

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–SBI Holdings Inc. said Friday it has set up a fund with Cool Japan Fund Inc. to promote Japanese entertainment content overseas. The fund totals 12.5 billion yen, of which 10 billion will be put up by Cool

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office indicted five Japanese oil distributors Friday over an alleged price cartel for gas oil sold to transport and other companies in Tokyo. The office acted in response to a criminal complaint filed

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese stocks fell back Friday due to selling to lock in profits after rising for three consecutive days through Thursday, with the key Nikkei 225 average losing more than 1,000 points. The index of 225 selected issues listed

Washington, April 16 (Jiji Press)–A meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 major economies was held in Washington on Thursday, but it did not produce a joint statement. The G-20 finance officials discussed the impact on

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to have the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC, own and operate the successor to the Antarctic research vessel Shirase, officials said Thursday. The current vessel, slated to retire in 2034,

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Justice Ministry said Friday it will set up a panel of experts to set guidelines on civil actions to seek damages for unauthorized use of performers’ voices and images created by generative artificial intelligence. The move is

(4th para should have read “… under a general provision,” instead of as sent) Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the country’s parliament, unanimously voted for legislation to set numerical standards for defining dangerous driving resulting

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday ruled out the possibility of the government using a planned national intelligence council for political purposes. “We will never order (the council) to gather intelligence for the purpose of benefiting a

Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)–Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet dipped 0.2 percentage point from the previous month to 59.1 pct in April, a monthly survey by Jiji Press showed Thursday. Takaichi, who took office last October, saw her

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Fair Trade Commission filed a complaint against five oil distributors Friday over an alleged price cartel for gas oil sold to transport and other companies in Tokyo. Following the complaint submitted to the prosecutor-general, the Tokyo District

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s industry ministry said Friday that it will provide up to 60 billion yen in aid for a state-of-the-art image sensor plant being built in southwestern Japan by Sony Group Corp. The state aid is intended to help

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Some local governments in Japan have already started their Cool Biz workplace power-saving campaign for the hotter months earlier than usual, amid concerns over energy supplies due to Middle East tensions. On Wednesday, the Tottori prefectural government launched

Nantan, Kyoto Pref., April 17 (Jiji Press)–Dashboard camera footage from a car driven by a father arrested over the alleged abandonment of his son’s body in the western Japan prefecture of Kyoto was partially deleted, investigative sources told Jiji Press Friday. Portions

Washington, April 16 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Thursday that soaring crude oil prices complicate the central bank’s monetary policy. The surge in crude oil prices “poses both upside risks to prices and downside risks to the economy, making

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, gold medalists for the pairs figure skating event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, on Friday announced that they will retire from competitive skating at the end of this season. Collectively known

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Financial Services Agency outlined plans last December to strengthen the management base of regional financial institutions, with the aim of helping regional lenders, including “shinkin” banks, play a bigger role in revitalizing local economies. The measures include

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met with visiting representatives of some 30 NATO member countries permanently stationed at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Thursday, Motegi and the NATO permanent representatives discussed

Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Thursday released a draft road map on public-private investment that features a goal of acquiring some 25 pct share of the global market in self-driving vehicle sales in the 2030s. The draft was shown

London, April 15 (Jiji Press)–Finance ministers from 11 countries, including Japan, Britain and Australia, issued a joint statement Wednesday, calling on the United States, Israel and Iran to fully implement their ceasefire. “We welcome the recent announcement of a ceasefire between the

(In the second paragraph, the company name has been corrected.) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Plant Restarts Commercial Operations after 14 Yrs Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)–The No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, on Thursday restarted commercial operations

Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police on Thursday arrested 13 Japanese men in their 20s to 50s on suspicion of involvement in a crypto asset fraud scheme after being transferred from Indonesia. The men were suspected of convincing a woman in her

Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)–The crews of Japan-linked ships stuck in the Persian Gulf are keeping a close eye on U.S.-Iran talks, a Japanese shipping-sector labor union official has said. “Right now, there’s no prospect (of the crews) getting out of the

Kushiro, Hokkaido, April 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese public prosecutors on Thursday sought a five-year prison sentence for Seiichi Katsurada, president of the operator of a tour boat that sank off Hokkaido in 2022, killing 26 people aboard. In his trial at Kushiro District

Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)–Nearly 40 pct of people in Japan support the government’s bill to enhance the country’s intelligence capabilities, a Jiji Press opinion poll showed. The survey found that 39.1 pct of respondents support the bill while 19 pct oppose

Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average hit a new record closing high above 59,000 on Thursday, amid hopes for progress in U.S.-Iran negotiations to end their conflict. The index of 225 selected issues listed on the Tokyo Stock

Minamiaso, Kumamoto Pref., April 16 (Jiji Press)–A mother returned on Thursday to the site of a bridge collapse in a landslide that happened after an April 2016 massive earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, leaving one of her sons dead. “There isn’t

Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, on Thursday called for holding discussions focused on a proposed emergency clause for constitutional revision. The two parties made the proposal at the day’s meeting

Kariwa, Niigata Pref., April 16 (Jiji Press)–The No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, on Thursday restarted commercial operations after a hiatus of about 14 years. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Co. switched the reactor

Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)–A Jiji Press opinion poll for April showed Thursday that 72.6 pct of respondents believe that it is necessary to save electricity and other forms of energy in response to the de facto blockade of the Strait of