Latest News

17 Giugno 2026

Visitors to Japan Fall 3.6 Pct in May

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in May dropped 3.6 pct from a year earlier to 3,559,900, marking its second consecutive month of decline, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. The number of Chinese visitors
17 Giugno 2026

Japan’s Lower House Election Ruled Constitutional in All Lawsuits

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–The Kanazawa branch of Nagoya High Court ruled Wednesday that February’s election for Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, was constitutional in terms of vote-value disparities. With the ruling, 14 high courts and branches throughout
17 Giugno 2026

Opposition Sanseito Submits Bill for Foreigner Policy Agency

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Opposition Sanseito on Wednesday submitted a bill to establish a Japanese government agency to coordinate policies related to foreigners across ministries and agencies. The bill, introduced in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, calls
17 Giugno 2026

10 Nippon Yusen Freighters Still in Persian Gulf

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–About 10 cargo vessels of Nippon Yusen K.K. remain stranded in the Persian Gulf due to the virtual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Takaya Soga, president of the major Japanese shipping firm, said Wednesday. “The situation is
17 Giugno 2026

Tokyo Police Arrest Man for Alleged PayPay Fraud

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police have arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly using smartphone payment app PayPay to defraud electronic money from an individual, people familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. The suspect, Masanobu Kimura, a resident of Sapporo, a city
17 Giugno 2026

Fresh Landfill Work Begins in Henoko for U.S. Base Transfer

Nago, Okinawa Pref., June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Defense Ministry notified Okinawa Prefecture on Wednesday that it has started pouring earth and sand in a new area east of Cape Henoko in the southernmost prefecture for the planned relocation of a U.S. military
17 Giugno 2026

CDP Lawmaker under Fire over Remarks on Japan SDF

(The third paragraph should have read, “…its Audit Committee…” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) CDP Lawmaker under Fire over Remarks on Japan SDF Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Chikage Koga, a lawmaker of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan,
17 Giugno 2026

Nikkei, TOPIX Hit All-Time Closing Highs

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average and the broader TOPIX index both hit record closing highs on Wednesday, backed by a fall in crude oil prices following the U.S.-Iran agreement to end their conflict. The Nikkei average closed
17 Giugno 2026

Japanese National Govt Workers Cool on Transfers

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–More than half of national government employees in Japan do not want to relocate for work, the National Personnel Authority said on Wednesday, underscoring growing resistance to the long-standing personnel practice in the country. A survey conducted by
17 Giugno 2026

Toyota’s New President Vows to Maintain Development Policy

Toyota, Aichi Pref., June 17 (Jiji Press)–Toyota Motor Corp.’s new president, Kenta Kon, vowed on Wednesday to maintain the company’s policy of creating “ever-better cars,” established by Chairman Akio Toyoda. “Together with my colleagues, I want to continue to pursue, think about
17 Giugno 2026

Japan’s 3 Megabanks to Hike Ordinary Deposit Rates

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s three megabanks have said they will raise their annual interest rates on ordinary deposits to 0.4 pct from the current 0.3 pct, effective Aug. 3, following the Bank of Japan’s recent decision to raise interest rates. MUFG
17 Giugno 2026

Chicken, Egg Prices in Japan Hit Record Highs

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Retail prices of chicken and eggs in Japan in June rose to their highest levels since the agriculture ministry started collecting data in August 2003, the ministry said on Tuesday. The national average price of chicken rose 1
17 Giugno 2026

Japan Logs 378.6-B.-Yen Trade Deficit in May

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan logged a customs-cleared trade deficit of 378.6 billion yen in May, slipping back into the red as costly replacement purchases of crude oil and naphtha boosted the value of imports amid Middle East tensions, the Finance Ministry
17 Giugno 2026

Japan Core Machinery Orders Rise 8.7 Pct in April

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s core machinery orders rose 8.7 pct in April from the previous month after seasonal adjustment thanks to robust orders related to semiconductors, the Cabinet Office said Wednesday. Private-sector orders excluding those for ships and power equipment, closely
17 Giugno 2026

Japan Enacts Bill Overhauling Guardianship System

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–The Diet, Japan’s parliament, enacted a bill Wednesday to revise the Civil Code to overhaul the country’s adult guardianship system for people with dementia and others. The House of Councillors, the upper chamber, approved the bill at a
17 Giugno 2026

Japan to Support Middle East Reconstruction after Final Deal

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan plans to support reconstruction in areas battered by the Middle East conflict following a final agreement between the United States and Iran to end fighting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Wednesday. “After a final agreement is
17 Giugno 2026

Japan, France Leaders Agree to Deepen Cooperation

Evian, France, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas including economic security and advanced technology development. The two leaders also discussed issues in Asia, including North Korea’s
17 Giugno 2026

Japan’s Emperor, Empress Arrive at Royal Palace Amsterdam

Amsterdam, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, currently on an official visit to the Netherlands, arrived at the Royal Palace Amsterdam on Tuesday afternoon. The Imperial couple were greeted by Dutch royal officials upon their arrival at the palace.
17 Giugno 2026

FOCUS: Japanese Companies Get Serious about Workplace DEI

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese businesses are stepping up efforts to promote “human capital management,” responding to government calls to regard human resources as capital and maximize their value in order to enhance medium- to long-term corporate value. A key focus is
17 Giugno 2026

IAEA Chief to Visit Japan from Tues. over Treated Water

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)–International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi will visit Japan for four days starting Tuesday next week in connection with the release into the sea of treated water from the disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in
16 Giugno 2026

CDP Lawmaker under Fire over Remarks on Japan SDF

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Chikage Koga, a lawmaker of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, has been under fire for her recent remarks citing financial circumstances as a reason for joining the country’s Self-Defense Forces. Although she immediately retracted the remarks
16 Giugno 2026

Strong Quake Hits Eastern Japan

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–A strong earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.5 jolted the Kanto eastern Japan region on Tuesday night. The temblor, which struck around 7:46 p.m., measured lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the
16 Giugno 2026

SoftBank to Launch Cybersecurity Service in Japan

Tokyo, June 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. said Tuesday that it will launch a domestic cybersecurity service to help companies detect vulnerabilities and take countermeasures. The service uses advanced artificial intelligence technologies developed by OpenAI, the U.S. developer of ChatGPT. SoftBank