Tokyo, Oct. 30 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan decided Thursday to keep its policy interest rate unchanged while raising its gross domestic product growth outlook for fiscal 2025. At its two-day policy-setting meeting through the day, the BOJ’s Policy Board voted seven

Tokyo, Oct. 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s newly developed HTV-X resupply vehicle arrived at the International Space Station in the small hours of Thursday Japan time. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, 55, successfully caught the craft with a robotic arm around 12:58 a.m. and attached

Tokyo, Oct. 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp. has announced its plan to make Tokyo-based major information technology service provider SCSK Corp. a wholly owned subsidiary through a takeover bid valued at some 882 billion yen. Sumitomo already holds a 50.6

Tokyo, Oct. 30 (Jiji Press)–Six Japanese ruling and opposition parties on Wednesday agreed to explore the possibility of scrapping the provisional gasoline tax surcharge by the end of this year, Itsunori Onodera, tax chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said. The

(The fourth paragraph should have read, “…after starting…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) Honda Halts Production at Mexico Plant amid Chip Shortage Tokyo, Oct. 30 (Jiji Press)–Honda Motor Co. has halted vehicle production at a plant in Mexico due

Gyeongju, South Korea, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, agreed Wednesday to develop the two nations’ future-oriented relations in a stable way. The first Motegi-Cho meeting since the Japanese minister took office Oct.

Gyeongju, South Korea, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–The foreign chiefs of Japan, the United States and South Korea affirmed their cooperation Wednesday, with in mind China’s growing hegemonic behavior and North Korea’s nuclear and missile development. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, U.S. Secretary

(Adnkronos) – After 14 editions in Verona, one in the Caucasus (Baku, Azerbaijan), one in Central Asia (Samarkand, Uzbekistan) and one in the Middle East (Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates), the itinerant format of the Eurasian Economic Forum continues, which this year

(Adnkronos) – The crisis in Mali is worsening, caused by the fuel supply blockade imposed for over a month by a jihadist group, effectively an economic siege on the military junta that took control of the African country in 2021. The Minister

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told U.S. President Donald Trump at their meeting Tuesday that it is difficult for her country to withdraw from the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project in Russia’s Far East region, Japanese government source

(Adnkronos) – “No Trump! No China!”. These were the slogans shouted in Seoul and Gyeongju ahead of tomorrow’s meeting in South Korea between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, both targets of the protests, albeit for different reasons. Near

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo and Beijing are working to arrange the first meeting between new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping for Friday, on the fringe of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit starting the same day

(Adnkronos) – The World Health Organization has called for a “ceasefire” in Sudan following reports of over 460 people killed in a hospital in El-Fasher.  The WHO “is appalled and deeply shocked by reports of the tragic killing of over 460 patients

(Adnkronos) – At least 132 people have died in the police operation conducted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to sources from the Ombudsman’s office cited by Afp. “According to the latest data in our possession, the death toll is 132.”  Rio

(Adnkronos) – The death toll in Haiti has risen to 20 following the floods caused by Hurricane Melissa. Local authorities reported this.  Among the victims are 10 children and 10 people are missing, the country’s Director General of Civil Protection, Emmanuel Pierre,

Nara, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japanese lawmaker Kei Sato, who was at the scene of the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the western Japan city of Nara in 2022, appeared in the trial of the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, as a

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) and Komeito agreed Wednesday to launch a program in fiscal 2026 to effectively make high school education free. The agreement was reached at a meeting of

Nagoya, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Tokai, said Wednesday that the total construction costs for its planned superfast magnetically levitated Shinkansen train line is expected to swell further to 11 trillion yen, almost double the initially projected level

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Honda Motor Co. presented Wednesday the world premiere of the prototype of the “Honda 0 alpha,” a next-generation electric SUV, at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center the day before the official kickoff of the Japan Mobility Show.

Sapporo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese court decided Wednesday to hold on Nov. 12 the first hearing of the criminal trial for tour boat operator president Seiichi Katsurada, 62, who has been charged with professional negligence resulting in deaths over the fatal

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Mazda Motor Corp. unveiled a concept model equipped with its proprietary carbon dioxide capture system at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center on Wednesday, the day before the official start of the Japan Mobility Show. Powered by a

Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref., Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–The Kanazawa branch of Nagoya High Court on Wednesday ruled that the July election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan’s parliament, was conducted in a state of unconstitutionality due to vote-value disparities.

(Adnkronos) – The United States will partially reduce its military presence on NATO’s eastern flank. The Romanian Ministry of Defense announced this, explaining that Washington “has decided to suspend the rotation in Europe of a brigade with units present in various Alliance

(Adnkronos) – Hurricane Melissa made landfall near Chivirico, in Santiago de Cuba province, as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds of over 190 kilometers per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. The atmospheric phenomenon will move directly

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi conveyed his country’s plan to achieve its defense spending target two years ahead of schedule, during a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Tokyo on Wednesday. Japan will raise its defense

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday reaffirmed with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, that their countries will work together on security and economy. “We would like to continue our cooperation,” including through the Quad framework among Japan,

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–The number of elementary and junior high school students in Japan who refused to go to school in fiscal 2024, which ended last March, hit a record high of 353,970, an education ministry survey showed Wednesday. The figure,

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese research team including 2025 Nobel Prize laureate Shimon Sakaguchi has developed a technique to produce regulatory T cells that suppress excessive immune activity. Sakaguchi, professor at the University of Osaka, is among those set to receive

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Nissan Motor Co. unveiled Wednesday the fully remodeled Elgrand luxury minivan, which is newly equipped with a hybrid system. After undergoing the first full model changeover in about 10 years, the Elgrand became a model with the Japanese

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Nissan Motor Co. will steadily introduce new models and offer existing powertrains to meet diverse customer needs on the globe while accelerating the development of automated driving technology, Nissan President and CEO Ivan Espinosa said Wednesday. The struggling