Tokyo, Nov. 21 (Jiji Press)–With Friday marking one month since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office, the new Japanese leader’s plain speaking is proving to be both an asset and a liability. A government source said that Takaichi’s straight talk has been

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese athletes swept the podium in the men’s hammer throw at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics on Thursday, led by Riki Toyama, 21, who claimed the gold medal with a throw of 60.19 meters, his personal best. Masatoshi Morimoto,

(Adnkronos) – The European Union must be a “party” in any negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s 45-month-old military occupation of Ukraine, which is also a “security barrier” for the continent, Italy said on Thursday.  “Europe will also have to play its role,

(Adnkronos) – The Sahel is “a priority” for Italy and needs a greater European presence to help stabilise the coup-hit region and shield civilians from worsening security threats posed by a growing Islamist militant presence, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday. 

(Adnkronos) – Italy already trains Palestinian police officers in the occupied West Bank and could also train a future Gaza Strip police force from neighbouring Egypt or Jordan, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.  ‘We have always been willing to play

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday began talks to update the country’s three key national security documents by the end of 2026, as declared by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The LDP plans to draw up related proposals

Nara, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Tetsuya Yamagami, on trial for the 2022 murder of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said in Nara District Court on Thursday that he should not have lived to his current age of 45, given the consequence of

(Adnkronos) – Italy backs the use of frozen Russian assets for a 140 billion euro loan from the European Union to embattled Ukraine, but legal experts must first identify a fail-safe mechanism for such a loan, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass voiced support Thursday for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, at a time when China is taking a hard-line stance against her and Japan following her recent remarks on a possible Taiwan contingency.

Beijing/Seoul, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–A meeting of culture ministers from Japan, China, and South Korea, scheduled for Monday in Macau, has been postponed, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference Thursday. Mao said that the foundation and atmosphere for

Nara, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Tetsuya Yamagami, on trial for the 2022 murder of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said in Nara District Court on Thursday that he should not have lived to his current age of 45, given the consequence of

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Improper management of confidential documents related to antiterrorism measures has been found at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in central Japan, the Nuclear Regulation Authority said Thursday. No information from the documents has

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani is taking part in a European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels centred on Ukraine, especially financial support, helping the war-ravaged country meet its energy needs, and on the latest package of EU sanctions

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–The average unit price of new condominiums put up for sale in Tokyo’s densely populated 23 special wards in October topped 150 million yen due to strong sales of high-priced properties, a think tank said Thursday. The average

(Adnkronos) – The U.S. State Department has formally approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles and Excalibur artillery shells to India, valued at 92.8 billion dollars. This was announced by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (Dsca), which notified the U.S. Congress, marking

(Adnkronos) – China has notified South Korea of the “temporary postponement” of the trilateral meeting between the Culture ministers of Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo, scheduled for next Monday in Macau, amidst diplomatic tensions between the Asian giant and Japan, triggered by the

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday began full-scale talks on revising the tax system for fiscal 2026, including how much to raise the country’s minimum taxable income level. “From the tax side, we must fully support efforts

Oita, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–A large-scale fire that broke out in the Saganoseki district of the southwestern Japan city of Oita on Tuesday has been brought under control, excluding on a nearby uninhabited island, the local fire department said Thursday. “We’ll continue

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc. plans to help local governments cull wild bears under an emergency system introduced recently following rises in deaths and injuries from bear attacks in the country, Jiji Press learned Thursday. The company

Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Pref., Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–The famed oyster industry in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, has been hit by a catastrophic blow from mass deaths at farms. Oyster farms in central Hiroshima have reported that 80-90 pct of their oysters had died,

(Adnkronos) – Croatian premier Andrej Plenkovic’s visit to Rome shows “the desire to open a new chapter” in his country’s “already solid” partnership with Italy, premier Giorgia Meloni told journalists late on Wednesday at a joint press conference.  ‘I am delighted to

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Thursday that the country has completed the delivery of Patriot Advanced Capability-3, or PAC-3, surface-to-air guided missiles to the United States. The missiles, held by the Air Self-Defense Force, were exported

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average climbed more than 2,000 points at one point Thursday, as a wave of buying swept through semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares following the overnight release of strong earnings from U.S. chip giant

Luang Prabang, Laos, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Princess Aiko visited Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of Laos, on a day trip Thursday during her official visit to the Southeast Asian country. Dressed in traditional Lao clothing, the only child of Emperor Naruhito

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Use of nail salons by men has been gradually spreading in Japan in recent years, reflecting their growing consciousness about taking care of their looks. Takako Sakashita opened what she said is the country’s first-ever men-only nail salon

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass on Thursday condemned China’s effective suspension of imports of Japanese fishery products. “Coercion is a hard habit to break for Beijing,” Glass said in a post on X. “But just as the

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese ruling and opposition lawmakers Thursday voiced the need to tighten regulations on social media platform businesses in the first deliberation at the House of Representatives’ Commission on the Constitution held during the current parliamentary session. In the

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to set the size of its upcoming comprehensive economic package, including large-scale tax reductions, at 21.3 trillion yen, it was learned Thursday. The government will adopt the package at a cabinet meeting as early

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan should raise interest rates to avoid future distortions as rates are currently significantly low, BOJ policymaker Junko Koeda said on Thursday. The central bank “needs to proceed with interest rate normalization” from significantly low