Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s land ministry plans to propose expanding tax breaks for inherited vacant houses to cover such homes that comply with revised earthquake-resistance standards as part of fiscal 2027 tax system reform. Currently, tax breaks are applied when houses

(Adnkronos) – Eighty-five migrants were rescued this morning off Crete during a “major search and rescue operation”. The Greek news agency Ana reported that the operation took place off Kali Limenes, in southern Crete, “under the coordination of the Joint Search and

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government decided Tuesday to begin the reuse of soil generated from decontamination work following the 2011 accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in regional cities. At a meeting

Shizuoka, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Police have seized data believed to be a fake university diploma from a computer belonging to Maki Takubo, former mayor of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The Shizuoka prefectural police

Paris, Aug. 24 (Jiji Press)–A theme park inspired by the popular Japanese anime series “Dragon Ball Z” will be built near Paris, French media reported Monday. The development is part of a Saudi Arabian-led, 6-billion-euro project to build three theme parks. French

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Leaders of a private high school and the school operator will resign over a boat accident in Okinawa Prefecture that killed two people, including a female student, it was learned Tuesday. Eiji Hatta, chairperson of the board of

Fukuoka, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–The southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Tuesday marked the 20th anniversary of a high-profile drunken-driving crash that killed three young siblings, with a rally held to remember the victims and vow to eradicate intoxicated driving. The event

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–The tax panel of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party held an informal executive meeting on Tuesday to begin discussions on details of a planned two-year cut in the consumption tax rate on food starting in April. On Aug.

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Environment Ministry on Tuesday released for the first time a set of recommended specifications for bear deterrent sprays, including a minimum spray time of six seconds and a spraying distance of 7.5 meters or more. The recommendations

Hikawa, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Local dry cleaning and laundry businesses in Kumamoto Prefecture are washing clothes free of charge for disaster evacuees after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the southwestern Japan prefecture last month. A laundry facility affiliated with the White

Japan Department Stores Association Aug. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 488,901 M. Yen Up 5.1 pct Clothing 118,823 Up 3.9 Personal Articles 83,155 Up 10.1 Sundry Goods 111,451 Up 10.7 Household Goods 15,856 Up 3.0 Foodstuffs 131,042 Up 0.2 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Japan Department Stores Association Aug. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 148,875 M. Yen Up 9.0 pct Clothing 36,314 Up 9.0 Personal Articles 27,190 Up 11.4 Sundry Goods 38,536 Up 16.9 Household Goods 5,602 Up 5.0 Foodstuffs 34,368 Up 2.2 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Police Agency on Tuesday published an annual report highlighting the performances of its National Cyber Department and the department’s efforts to implement active cyberdefense measures. The white paper on police listed the development of a recovery

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Tuesday adopted guiding principles on intellectual property protection for generative artificial intelligence operators, calling on such businesses to disclose an outline of data and methods used to train their AI tools. The Principles Code,

Japan Chain Stores Association Aug. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 1,091,952 M. Yen Up 0.1 pct Foodstuffs 788,875 Up 0.1 Clothing 47,306 Down 1.8 Sundries 104,563 Up 3.3 Furniture and Interior Goods 58,879 Up 3.0 Home Electric Appliances 3,919 Up 23.5 Note: Year-on-year

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Companies are turning to artificial intelligence and sensor technology to improve the efficiency of indoor farming in Japan as the country faces a growing shortage of farmers. Oishii Farm Corp., which runs a strawberry factory in the United

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s government adopted an ordinance Tuesday to raise fees for foreigners to renew and change their residency status to up to 75,000 yen from a uniform 6,000 yen at present, effective in October. New fees for people who

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pledged to steadily continue its sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Attending online a leaders meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on Ukraine on Monday, Takaichi said that “we

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese convenience store operators Lawson Inc. and Seven-Eleven Japan Co. have announced price cuts for their “onigiri” rice ball products. Lawson said Monday that it will cut the prices of 20 onigiri products, including six items on

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–A cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers has criticized the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for its weak response to U.S. sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane of Japan. “Japan’s response to the sanctions is far

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Meteorological Agency plans to extend daily weather forecasts from seven days to two weeks by 2030. The agency hopes the extended information will help people prepare earlier for disasters as concerns over more frequent extreme heat

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is increasingly concerned over a possible impact of a money scandal at the Fukuoka prefectural assembly on its campaign for next spring’s unified local elections. Isao Kurauchi, head of the assembly of the

Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)–Tracking with a GPS device has revealed that a northern boobook, an owl species, flew more than 1,800 kilometers nonstop over the sea from Japan to the Philippines, according to a study by a research team including Japan’s

(Adnkronos) – While Republicans and moderate Democrats increasingly portray the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) as an expression of an extreme left far removed from “mainstream” America, various polls tell a decidedly more nuanced story and also help explain the recent successes

(Adnkronos) – The Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, has invited several European Union leaders to Rovaniemi on September 13 and 14 for a summit dedicated to the Arctic, with the aim of strengthening a common EU strategy towards a region increasingly relevant

(Adnkronos) – Singapore is focusing on new economic incentives to counteract the collapse of the birth rate, offering families almost 70,000 Singapore dollars, approximately 47,000 euros, in direct support for each child up to 17 years old. The new package was announced

(Adnkronos) – Nearly 90,000 people have been told to evacuate or prepare to leave their homes as a large fire approaches the outskirts of Reno, Nevada. US media report that about 42,000 residents have received immediate evacuation orders, while another 45,000 have

(Adnkronos) – Chinese President Xi Jinping received King Abdullah of Jordan in Beijing, with whom he discussed the Palestinian issue ”which is at the heart of the Middle East question”. An official account of the meeting transmitted by state media reported this. 

(Adnkronos) – The Iranian rial collapses to a new historic low on the free market, exceeding the threshold of two million rials for one dollar for the first time. This is reported by CNN, citing sites that monitor the performance of the

(Adnkronos) – Serbia has activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism. This was announced by the European Commission in a statement released via social media, explaining that it had mobilized “within a few hours” of receiving the request for RescEU helicopters from the