(Adnkronos) – This autumn, Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, will host the Ai Film Festival 2026, one of the first international festivals dedicated to films made with artificial intelligence technologies, Qazinform News Agency reports. The event will bring together directors, digital creators,

(Adnkronos) – Yemeni Houthi militants have threatened an escalation in attacks against Israel and, in particular, to carry out ”surprise actions”. The leader of the pro-Iranian group, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, stated that future actions are part of a strategy that takes into account

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Outstanding bank lending in Japan hit a record high for the 10th consecutive year in fiscal 2025, thanks to strong fund demand among businesses amid higher material and labor costs, industry data showed Thursday. The combined lending balance

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Telecommunications carrier SoftBank Corp. and U.S. investment firm Blackstone Inc. are among companies that have applied to form capital tie-ups with Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., it was learned Thursday. Dozens of domestic and foreign companies are

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Yomeishu Seizo Co. said Thursday that Reno, an investment firm linked to Japanese activist investor Yoshiaki Murakami, has successfully completed its tender offer for the medical liqueur maker. The move is part of a deal to sell

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Japanese retail giant Aeon Co. on Thursday reported a record-high consolidated operating profit of 270.4 billion yen for the year that ended in February, up 13.8 pct from the previous year. Meanwhile, rival Seven & i Holdings Co.’s

Paris, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Films by three Japanese directors–Hirokazu Koreeda, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada–are in competition for the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, to be held in May in southern France, organizers said Thursday. It is rare for

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Fast Retailing Co., the operator of Uniqlo and other casual clothing stores, on Thursday reported record-high sales and net profit for September-February. For the first half of the business year through August, the company’s consolidated sales increased 14.8

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, agreed Thursday to closely cooperate to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. In their 20-minute telephone talks, Motegi

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to begin another round of state oil reserve releases amid lingering uncertainty over the Middle East, it was learned Thursday. The government determined that an additional release is necessary to ensure stable oil supplies

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Consumer sentiment in Japan declined in March, down for the first time in three months, amid growing tensions over Iran, a Cabinet Office survey showed on Thursday. The seasonally adjusted consumer confidence index, which measures sentiment among households

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday avoided clarifying whether Japan will participate in the November meeting of signatories to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Meeting with Takaichi at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo,

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Sumo Association decided Thursday to demote former yokozuna grand champion Terunofuji, now stablemaster Isegahama, and cut his pay by 10 pct for three months over his violence toward a wrestler in his stable. At the day’s

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan and eight other nations have called for peace in Lebanon in light of Israel’s continued attacks on the Middle Eastern country despite a two-week ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran. “We call upon all sides

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is set to delay the submission to the Diet, or parliament, of a bill aimed at amending the country’s retrial system, initially scheduled for this week. The move came as the government sees the need

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling parties on Thursday proposed establishing a constitutional amendment drafting committee soon within the Commission on the Constitution in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament. At the first debate of

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Fast Retailing Co., the owner of Uniqlo and other casualwear brands, said Thursday that its consolidated revenue rose 14.8 pct to 2,055.2 billion yen in September-February from a year earlier, hitting a record high for its fiscal first-half

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Nearly 80 pct of Japanese firms are experiencing negative impacts from the ongoing crisis over Iran, a survey by Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd. showed Thursday. Of the 7,196 companies surveyed, 5,665 firms, or 78.7 pct, responded that they

(Adnkronos) – Today is a day of national mourning in Lebanon after the Israeli raids that yesterday pounded the Land of Cedars on the same day as the announcement of the truce between the USA and Iran. “A day of national mourning

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is set to delay the submission to the Diet, or parliament, scheduled this week of a bill aimed at amending the country’s retrial system. The decision on the postponement was conveyed to the ruling and

(Adnkronos) – The White House is studying a series of punitive measures for some Atlantic Alliance countries that, according to Donald Trump, responded negatively to his requests for help within the framework of the unilateral military campaign he decided to launch against

(Adnkronos) – North Korea announces, after yesterday’s launch of a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, that new weapons are under test: an electromagnetic system, a carbon fiber projectile, a mobile short-range missile system, a tactical ballistic missile with a cluster

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Seven & i Holdings Co. said Thursday that it will postpone the initial public offering of its U.S. convenience store chain unit, 7-Eleven Inc., until at least fiscal 2027. The Japanese retailer had previously planned to take the

(Adnkronos) – An immersive museum event in Tokyo is bringing “yokai,” supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, to life, offering visitors a fantastic experience that allows them to admire historical artworks thanks to cutting-edge visual and 3D technologies. The “Yokai Immersive Experience Exhibition

Niigata, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Classmates of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese national abducted by North Korea decades ago, gathered Thursday at their alma mater in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, praying for her return. The tranquil spring day recalls April 10, 1977, when Megumi’s

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Crown Princess Kiko attended a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the National College of Nursing in Kiyose, Tokyo, on Thursday. The school was established by the health ministry in 2001 to foster nursing staff for the

Sunagawa, Hokkaido, April 9 (Jiji Press)–The Hokkaido prefectural government on Thursday apologized and returned a hunting rifle to a 77-year-old hunter following a Japanese Supreme Court ruling finding the revocation of his hunting gun license to be illegal. Haruo Ikegami, head of

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–The University of Tokyo will put its hospital under the direct control of the university headquarters by the end of June at the earliest as part of reform efforts following corruption scandals involving doctors at the university. The

Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Police Agency on Thursday unveiled a model of a handbook to be issued to crime victims in an effort to ease their burden. The NPA instructed prefectural police departments across the country to use the model

Miyazaki, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Former Miyazaki Governor Hideo Higashikokubaru said Thursday that he intends to run in a gubernatorial election in January in the southwestern Japan prefecture. “Miyazaki needs a game changer to stem its decline,” Higashikokubaru, 68, said at a press