Tokyo, Aug. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan is stepping up diplomatic efforts to ensure free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, both critical transport waterways for Middle East crude oil. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi visited Saudi Arabia

Tokyo, Aug. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese local government leaders are stepping up calls for legislation to create “special cities,” a new status that would allow ordinance-designated major cities to operate independently of prefectural governments with expanded authority. These major cities say the proposed

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has drawn up draft guidelines outlining 150 measures that should be taken to enhance cybersecurity for businesses managing critical infrastructure. The draft said that even closed networks disconnected from the internet “are not necessarily safe.”

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese photojournalist Bunyo Ishikawa died of malignant lymphoma at a hospital in Chino, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, on Sunday. He was 88. Ishikawa, a native of Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, accompanied U.S. forces as a freelance photographer and captured

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–Over 53,000 workers at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s meltdown-stricken Fukushima No. 1 power plant have received radiation doses exceeding a key level of 5 millisieverts per year, Jiji Press has learned. The level of 5 millisieverts

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–A memorial gathering was held in Tokyo on Sunday for those who died in detention in Siberia and elsewhere after being captured by the former Soviet Union following World War II. About 200 people, including former detainees and

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has drawn up draft guidelines outlining 150 measures that should be taken to enhance cybersecurity for businesses managing critical infrastructure. The draft said that even closed networks disconnected from the internet “are not necessarily safe.”

Nikko, Tochigi Pref., Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police Sunday searched a group company of Tobu Railway Co. over Thursday’s train accident in Tochigi Prefecture that resulted in the deaths of four workers. The Tochigi prefectural police searched the general affairs department office

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–A major earthquake occurred in Ibaraki Prefecture early Sunday morning, rocking eastern Japan areas including Tokyo and leaving at least 37 injured. The quake with an estimated magnitude of 5.9 occurred in southern Ibaraki at a depth of

(The final paragraph should have read, “…the Saitama city of Kawaguchi…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) Quake Rocks Tokyo, Nearby Areas Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–A major earthquake occurred in Ibaraki Prefecture early Sunday morning, rocking eastern Japan areas

Misato, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–A local painter is supporting reconstruction efforts in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, hit by a powerful earthquake last month, through collaborative works with the popular manga series “Kinnikuman.” Kazuyuki Takishita, 50, was born in an area

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese skating duo Riku Miura, 24, and Ryuichi Kihara, 34, who won gold in the figure skating pairs event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, announced their engagement on social media Sunday. The pair, nicknamed “Riku-Ryu,” released a

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)–A major earthquake occurred in Ibaraki Prefecture early Sunday morning, rocking eastern Japan areas including Tokyo. The quake with an estimated magnitude of 5.9 occurred in southern Ibaraki at a depth of some 70 kilometers around 2 a.m.,

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party is ready to devote its maximum resources to win the Sept. 13 gubernatorial election in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. LDP executives will visit the island prefecture one after another to rally

New Delhi, Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan and India have held the first joint event between their governments focusing on recycling of key minerals at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi. About 130 participants, including government officials and recycling business operators, took part

Nagoya, Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–The torch relay for the Asian Games, which are scheduled to open on Sept. 19, began Saturday at Nagoya Castle’s Ni-no-maru Square in Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. The relay will visit 40 municipalities across

Tokyo, Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–Democratic Party for the People lawmakers Yuichiro Tamaki and Mikihiko Hashimoto attended a debate session in Tokyo ahead of the opposition party’s Sept. 6 leadership election, whose campaign period started on Saturday. The current DPFP leader, Tamaki, 57,

Kumamoto, Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government will take measures to support tourism in the Kyushu southwestern region including Kumamoto Prefecture, hit hard by last month’s massive earthquake, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Saturday. The measures will be included in the

Ube, Yamaguchi Pref., Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese civic group leads efforts to collect the remains of those who died in the 1942 flooding accident at the Chosei undersea coal mine in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan. The Japanese and South Korean

By Yuka Moriyama Tokyo, Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–A Filipino-language speech contest for Japanese students has been held in Tokyo by the Philippine Embassy as part of its efforts to commemorate this year’s 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the

Asuncion, Aug. 21 (Jiji Press)–Visiting Japanese Crown Prince Akishino on Friday expressed his sincere respect for the Japanese community in Paraguay. The Crown Prince, who is on an official trip to the South American country together with Crown Princess Kiko, attended a

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–A memorial event was held Saturday to remember more than 1,400 victims of the sinking of the Tsushima Maru, a Japanese ship torpedoed by a U.S. submarine while evacuating schoolchildren 82 years ago during World War

Brussel, Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane from Japan has said that support from her country will be crucial following a U.S. decision to impose sanctions on her. “I am not surprised (at the decision) as I had anticipated

Tokyo, Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is under fire for what critics say are weak responses to U.S. sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane of Japan and to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to a disputed

(Adnkronos) – Twelve European countries have reported autochthonous cases of West Nile virus since the beginning of the year. This was announced by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in a note, urging the continent to strengthen measures to

Tokyo, Aug. 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Finance Ministry is considering setting the assumed interest rate on long-term Japanese government bonds at 3.8 pct in its fiscal 2027 budget request, informed sources said Friday. The assumed interest rate, used to calculate the government’s debt-servicing

Maibara, Shiga Pref., Aug. 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Princess Aiko on Friday interacted with people at a medical and welfare facility in the city of Maibara in the western prefecture of Shiga. At the facility, the princess, the only child of Emperor Naruhito

(Adnkronos) – Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been transferred back to prison. He had been taken to a hospital in Islamabad for checks after his family expressed concerns about his health. Doctors believe his condition is compatible with imprisonment, announced

Tokyo, Aug. 21 (Jiji Press)–Democratic Party for the People head Yuichiro Tamaki vowed Friday to make his party the biggest opposition force in the House of Councillors after the 2028 election for Japan’s upper chamber of parliament. Tamaki, 57, unveiled the goal

(Adnkronos) – Two Palestinians were injured by gunfire from settlers in the Sa’ir area, north of Hebron. One of the injured is reportedly 70 years old. This is according to ‘The Times of Israel’, which cites Palestinian media. Hilltop News, a media