Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party plan to allocate 264.7 billion yen for the development of Okinawa Prefecture in the fiscal 2026 budget, an increase of 500 million yen from the previous year, informed sources

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. said Wednesday it will purchase British drinks giant Diageo PLC’s alcohol business in East Africa for 465.4 billion yen. The deal covers beer and spirits operations in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, where beer demand

Nagoya, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday released a new version of its RAV4 SUV, the first model to use the Japanese automaker’s Arene software platform for better safety. The RAV4 underwent its first full redesign in about six years.

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday expressed her intention to continue talks with China to improve deteriorating bilateral relations over her remarks on a Taiwan contingency. “We want to continue frank dialogue and comprehensively promote a mutually

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo climbed to second place for the first time in global city power rankings released by a Japanese think tank Wednesday, buoyed by a surge in the number of visitors to Japan. London ranked first, while New York

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January-November is estimated to have totaled 39,065,600, already exceeding the annual record high of about 36.87 million marked last year, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. The 11-month figure

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–SBI Shinsei Bank made a comeback to the Tokyo Stock Exchange after a hiatus of some two years on Wednesday, in one of the largest stock listings this year. After fetching the first quotation of 1,586 yen apiece,

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese office and household goods supplier Askul Corp. resumed Wednesday shipping operations using its logistics system after a two-month hiatus caused by a cyberattack. For the time being, shipments will be made from the company’s two logistics centers

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese labor leader Tomoko Yoshino has expressed opposition to a proposal by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration to give legal validity to the use of former surnames after marriage. The plan “would not be a full-fledged solution (to

(Adnkronos) – The Premier of New South Wales in Australia, Chris Minns, declared after the funeral of Rabbi Eli Shlanger, murdered in the Bondi Beach massacre, that he will propose changes to gun ownership policy. “Parliament will discuss urgent changes next week,”

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, aborted the launch of an H3 rocket on Wednesday after detecting a ground equipment anomaly. The launch was halted just before the rocket’s scheduled liftoff at 11:11 a.m. from the Tanegashima

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged Wednesday to hold talks with China to improve deteriorating bilateral relations. “We want to continue frank dialogue and comprehensively promote a mutually beneficial relationship (with China) based on common strategic interests,” Takaichi

Maebashi, Gunma Pref., Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Former Maebashi Mayor Akira Ogawa announced her comeback bid on Wednesday, saying she will run in the Gunma prefectural capital’s mayoral election to be held next month due to her resignation over hotel visits with a

(Adnkronos) – Hitachi Rail has invested $100 million in a new plant in Maryland allocating about 30% to artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies. The plant can produce up to 20 railcars per month and will build subway cars for Washington D.C.,

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Retail regular gasoline prices in Japan fell below 160 yen per liter as of Monday for the first time since September 2021 thanks to government subsidies, the industry ministry said Wednesday. The average price at the pump was

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January-November is estimated to have totaled 39,065,600, already exceeding the annual record high of 36.87 million marked last year, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. The 11-month figure grew

Koshigaya, Saitama Pref., Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Princess Aiko, daughter of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, hosted a duck-netting reception for foreign diplomats on Wednesday. The princess welcomed guests from Mexico and 15 other countries, including ambassadors and their spouses, to the

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Mizuho Financial Group Inc. said Wednesday that it will acquire Indian investment bank Avendus Capital Private Ltd. for a maximum of around 47 billion Indian rupees to strengthen its operations in the growing Indian capital market. Mizuho Securities

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Ministry of Finance disclosed Wednesday a fifth set of documents related to a dubious land sale to Moritomo Gakuen to the widow of a MOF regional official who committed suicide after being ordered to tamper with official

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government will hold the first summit meeting with five Central Asian countries in Tokyo for two days from Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara announced Wednesday. Through the meeting with her counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan,

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–The Diet, Japan’s parliament, concluded its 58-day extraordinary session Wednesday after passing a fiscal 2025 supplementary budget and legislation to abolish the provisional gasoline tax surcharge. The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, aborted the launch of an H3 rocket on Wednesday after detecting a ground equipment anomaly. According to JAXA, the launch was halted just before the rocket’s scheduled liftoff at 11:11 a.m.

Osaka, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Victims of an arson attack on a psychosomatic clinic in Osaka were remembered on Wednesday, the fourth anniversary of the 2021 incident that killed 26 people including clinic head Kotaro Nishizawa, then 49. In front of the building

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s seasonally adjusted core machinery orders in October rose 7.0 pct from the previous month, up for the second consecutive month, the Cabinet Office said Wednesday. Private-sector orders excluding those for ships and power equipment, closely watched as

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s exports to the United States in November increased 8.8 pct from a year earlier to 1,816.9 billion yen, up for the first time in eight months, preliminary customs-cleared trade data from the Finance Ministry showed Wednesday. The

Bangkok, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Cambodian authorities have taken into custody 16 Japanese nationals for their suspected involvement in so-called special fraud, such as telephone scams, the Japanese Embassy in the Southeast Asian country said Wednesday. In a series of crackdowns on special

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–Financial assets held by Japanese households as of the end of September grew 4.9 pct from a year earlier to 2,286 trillion yen, hitting a record high for two quarters in a row, Bank of Japan data showed

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–SBI Shinsei Bank made a comeback to the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday, fetching the first quotation of 1,586 yen apiece, higher than its initial public offering price of 1,450 yen. Based on the first quotation, the market

London, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday it has started production of the third generation of the Leaf electric vehicle at its Sunderland plant in northeastern Britain. The Japanese automaker has invested 450 million pounds to revamp the plant for

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)–SBI Shinsei Bank made a comeback to the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday, fetching the first quotation of 1,586 yen apiece, higher than its initial public offering price of 1,450 yen. Based on the first quotation, the market