Otsuchi, Iwate Pref., April 23 (Jiji Press)–Wildfires that broke out on Wednesday in two locations in the northeastern Japan town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, continued into Thursday, burning a total of about 200 hectares, according to the town government. The town government

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Thursday underlined the need to keep a close watch on weakening consumer sentiment amid concerns about the economic outlook due to tensions in the Middle East. “Private consumption shows movements of picking up,” the

(Adnkronos) – Sicilian lawyer and MP Massimo Dell’Utri was sworn in as under-secretary at the foreign ministry on Wednesday, according to the government’s website. Dell’Utri has responsibility for Italians abroad and replaces Giorgio Silli, who now heads the Italian-Latin American Institute.  Dell’Utri

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Thursday underlined the need to keep a close watch on weakening consumer sentiment amid concerns about the economic outlook due to tensions in the Middle East. “Private consumption shows movements of picking up,” the

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday called for allowing the terms of lawmakers to be extended for about a year under a proposed emergency clause as part of efforts to revise the Constitution. An extension of about

Shari, Hokkaido., April 23 (Jiji Press)–Bereaved families and others mourned the victims of the 2022 sightseeing tour boat sinking in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido on Thursday, the fourth anniversary of the accident, which killed 20 people on board and left

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average briefly exceeded 60,000 for the first time ever in morning trading Thursday before finishing lower from the day before. The index of 225 selected issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s top-tier

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese transport ministry affiliate on Thursday proposed the introduction of multi-language warnings and pictograms, after a foreign tourist was hit and killed by a train last August. According to a report on the accident released by the

(Adnkronos) – ‘Appeal’ to Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino for Italy’s reinstatement in the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The author of the initiative is Paolo Zampolli, special envoy of the

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for cooperation for increased oil supply to her country in a call on Thursday. The crown prince responded that Saudi Arabia will consider the request

(Adnkronos) – Serious train accident today, Thursday, April 23, in Denmark where two trains collided between Hillerød and Kagerup, about 40 kilometers north of Copenhagen, causing several injuries. Police and rescuers confirmed a toll of several injured. Local media report about ten

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Thursday that it will propose the country dispatch minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz once a formal ceasefire is reached in the war in Iran. If mines continue to block free navigation

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday called for allowing the terms of lawmakers to be extended for about a year under a proposed emergency clause as part of efforts to revise the Constitution. In intensive deliberations on

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Asian investment fund MBK Partners said Thursday it has been advised by Japan’s government to cancel its planned tender offer for Makino Milling Machine Co. under the country’s foreign exchange law. MBK Partners said it was informed by

Japan Chain Stores Association April 23 Change from Prev Year Total 12,852,835 M. Yen Up 2.1 pct Foodstuffs 9,050,711 Up 2.8 Clothing 584,327 Down 2.9 Sundries 1,166,861 Up 2.5 Furniture and Interior Goods 732,780 Down 3.1 Home Electric Appliances 33,257 Up 1.9

Japan Chain Stores Association April 23 Yr/Yr Change Total 1,091,394 M. Yen Down 1.7 pct Foodstuffs 761,834 Up 1.0 Clothing 48,539 Down 6.7 Sundries 103,633 Up 6.3 Furniture and Interior Goods 69,348 Down 7.4 Home Electric Appliances 2,696 Up 23.4 Note: Year-on-year

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police took action against 143 people over malicious practices involving “host clubs,” where male companions entertain women, in 2025, a decrease of 64 from the previous year, the National Police Agency said Thursday. The number of administrative

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill to establish a national intelligence council designed to strengthen the government’s intelligence capabilities. At a plenary meeting of the lower chamber of the Diet, or parliament, the bill was

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police arrested or took other enforcement actions against 317 people for their suspected involvement in online gambling in 2025, highest on record since 2018, National Police Agency data showed Thursday. The annual total increased by 38 from

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s internal affairs ministry has asked a panel of experts to discuss whether the country should introduce age restrictions for social media use. In its draft proposals presented at a meeting Wednesday, the ministry also included a plan

New York, April 22 (Jiji Press)–A district attorney in the U.S. state of Wisconsin has indicted a Japanese researcher for adding chemicals to a co-worker’s water bottle, according to U.S. media reports. Makoto Kuroda, 41, a staff scientist at the Influenza Research

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Justice Ministry plans to ban prosecutors from appealing court orders to grant retrials “in principle” while allowing them to do so in cases where there are sufficient grounds to overturn such orders as exceptions, government and ruling

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average rose further to exceed 60,000 for the first time ever, albeit momentarily, on Thursday morning, boosted by an advance of U.S. equities overnight. At 9:06 a.m., the index of 225 selected issues

By Toshifumi Sekitsuka Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Twelve rotors hummed into the sea breeze as SkyDrive Inc.’s flying car lifted itself straight up from land and out over Tokyo Bay, marking another moment the new mode of air mobility came a step

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–False information, including claims of an “artificial earthquake,” has spread on social media following a quake on Monday that registered up to upper 5, the fourth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, in northeastern Japan. Immediately after

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Employees on loan to Toyota Motor Corp. from three major Japanese nonlife insurance companies have taken out information from the automaker without permission, it was learned. The insurers are Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Mitsui Sumitomo

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average rose further to exceed 60,000 for the first time ever Thursday morning, boosted by an advance of U.S. high-tech equities overnight. At 9:06 a.m., the index of 225 selected issues listed on

Beijing, April 23 (Jiji Press)–A flotilla of Chinese warships has conducted naval drills in the western Pacific, apparently in a move countering a Japanese destroyer’s recent passage through the Taiwan Strait. A spokesperson for the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, which is

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has expressed support for Montenegro’s accession to the European Union. At a meeting with Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Wednesday, Takaichi described the European country as

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–The impact of the ongoing Middle East crisis on Japan’s trade balance is expected to become visible in earnest in data for April onward. The country’s preliminary customs-cleared trade statistics for March, announced by the Finance Ministry on