Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government Friday adopted a bill to revise the copyright law to create new rights that grant background music royalties to singers and record businesses. The proposed revision is aimed at allowing a wider range of artists

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average tumbled on Friday amid rising interest rates in Japan and the United States. The index of 225 select issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s top-tier Prime section closed at 61,409.29, down

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday presented a draft outline of a bill that calls for punishing not only public vandalism of the Japanese national flag but also the posting on social media of videos and images

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is considering compiling a supplementary budget to cover additional costs, as it is mulling providing electricity and city gas subsidies in July-September and keeping gasoline subsidies in place, government and ruling party officials said Friday.

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s cabinet of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi approved a bill Friday to ban in principle public prosecutors’ appeals against court orders granting retrials. If the amendment bill to the criminal procedure law, set for immediate submission by the

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., May 15 (Jiji Press)–Police arrested a 16-year-old boy on Thursday for allegedly murdering a woman after breaking into a house in Kaminokawa, Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan. Whether the suspect, a resident of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, also eastern Japan, admitted

(The third paragraph from the bottom should have read, “…to over 1,000 points,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) (Update) 10-Year JGB Yield Hits Fresh 29-Year High of 2.73 Pct Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the most recent

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s producer prices in April increased 4.9 pct from a year earlier, the biggest rise since May 2023, amid the Middle East tensions, Bank of Japan data showed Friday. The producer price index, which measures the cost of

New York, May 14 (Jiji Press)–United Airlines said Thursday that it will open two new routes linking the U.S. cities of Chicago and San Francisco with Japan later this year. With the new routes, the U.S. airline aims to capture demand from

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the most recent issue of 10-year Japanese government bonds hit a fresh 29-year high of 2.7 pct in interdealer bond trading in Tokyo on Friday morning. The key Japanese long-term interest rate rose to the

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health ministry plans to start requiring individuals in March 2027 to bear additional costs out of pocket for OTC-equivalent prescription drugs, which are similar to over-the-counter nonprescription medicines in terms of active ingredients and effects. Under the

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Japan from Sunday for four days to attend a U.N. conference, the Japanese government has said. During his stay, Guterres is expected to meet with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi,

(Adnkronos) – A possible new face-to-face meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during Trump’s visit to China, but no concrete preparations are currently underway. A senior official from the South Korean Foreign Ministry told the

(Adnkronos) – Since last night, Iran has allowed the transit of several Chinese ships through the Strait of Hormuz. This was reported by the Iranian agency Fars in a news item relaunched by the official Chinese agency Xinhua. According to Fars, transit

(Adnkronos) – Mahmoud Abbas has promised to push for reforms for the Palestinian National Authority and the organization of the awaited elections. He did so during the Fatah congress in Ramallah, West Bank. “We renew our commitment to continue working for the

(Adnkronos) – The most massive attack by Russian forces against infrastructure and other civilian targets – 180 of which were damaged – across Ukraine began yesterday morning, after a three-day ceasefire concluded and ill-placed hopes in some misinterpreted words of Vladimir Putin

(Adnkronos) – Iran has not yet received any US visas to allow the national team to participate in the upcoming World Cup, which will be hosted next month by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This was stated by the president of

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Nine Japanese political parties from the ruling and opposition camps agreed Thursday to oblige social media platform operators to take actions to lessen the negative impact of disinformation, misinformation and slander on their platforms in elections. The parties,

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Three major Japanese oil wholesalers have reported double-digit percentage increases in net profit for fiscal 2025, which ended in March, reflecting surging crude oil prices amid the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. Eneos Holdings Inc. posted a

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Thursday that the government is rushing to take measures against the cybersecurity threats posed by the Claude Mythos artificial intelligence model, describing such efforts as a “race against time.” “Finding vulnerabilities (in

(Adnkronos) – Around 80 young scientists, academics and researchers specialising in “food diplomacy” from all over the world are taking part in an event at Italy’s foreign ministry in Rome on Thursday that will look at the role of agri-food systems in

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Four major Japanese chemical makers have projected profit increases for fiscal 2026, thanks to structural reforms for petrochemical operations and revenue diversification into semiconductor materials. However, two of the four companies did not consider the current turmoil in

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Sharp Corp. said Thursday that it will launch 15 television models equipped with generative artificial intelligence in stages from May 23. The televisions, expected to be priced between about 275,000 yen and 935,000 yen, will allow users to

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Hitoshi Kikawada, Japanese minister for gender equality policy, will visit Shanghai for two days from Thursday, the Japanese government said the same day. In the Chinese city, Kikawada will attend the Women and Economy Forum, a minister-level conference

(Adnkronos) – Ways of bolstering cooperation between Italy and Saudi Arabia including over the oil state’s multi-billion dollar Vision 2030 diversification blueprint and a bilateral strategic partnership signed last year were the focus of talks on Thursday between envoy Carlo Baldocci and

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, a major U.S. venture capital firm, at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Thursday. During the meeting, Horowitz said that the firm, officially AH

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is planning to visit Britain and Italy ahead of a Group of Seven summit in France in June, government sources said Thursday. This will be Takaichi’s first visit to Europe since taking office

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese parliamentary panel on Thursday discussed a draft outline of an emergency clause that may be included in the Constitution as part of a planned amendment to the country’s fundamental law. The House of Representatives Commission on

(Adnkronos) – Italy has underlined its solidarity and wish to boost economic and political relations with Kuwait, which has come under repeated attack by Iran during the US-Israel war against the Islamic republic that began in late February and during the shaky

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit South Korea for two days from Tuesday to hold a summit meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung for better bilateral ties, the Japanese government said Thursday. Takaichi and Lee are