Chiba, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)–Chiba Bank and Chiba Kogyo Bank said Monday that the two regional lenders based in Chiba Prefecture have reached a basic agreement on their business integration as early as April 2027. They plan to establish a holding company

Tokyo, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)–Toshimitsu Motegi, a candidate in the Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election, is eager to expand its ruling coalition as his party discusses a proposed fiscal 2025 supplementary budget with other forces. Motegi, former LDP secretary-general, said he has

New Delhi, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese woman is working tirelessly to promote sake in India, carefully selecting brands and selling them to local vendors and restaurants with the aim of spreading their appeal. Maaya Takaoka, 37, from the town of Oyamazaki

Osaka, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)–The cumulative number of visitors to the 2025 World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka has reached some 22.2 million to top the total attendance at the 2005 Expo in Aichi Prefecture, preliminary data showed Monday.

Tokyo, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)–Sony Financial Group Inc. debuted on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s top-tier Prime section Monday, fetching the first quotation of 205 yen apiece, above the reference price of 150 yen. After rising to as high as 210 yen, the

Seattle, Sept. 28 (Jiji Press)–Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit his 55th homer of the season in the National League team’s final game of the 2025 regular season on Sunday, rewriting his own single-season home run record and

Kagoshima, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)–A Chinese survey ship was spotted within Japan’s exclusive economic zone off the island of Amami Oshima Island in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima on Sunday, according to the Japan Coast Guard. The JCG’s 10th Regional Coast Guard

Tokyo, Sept. 28 (Jiji Press)–Candidates in the leadership election of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party discussed ways to ensure political stability and other issues during televised debates on Sunday. All five candidates said that they would seek to expand the ruling coalition

Osaka, Sept. 28 (Jiji Press)–The cumulative number of general visitors to the World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka has topped 22 million, which is regarded as the break-even point, its organizers said Sunday. About 22,000,500 people had visited the

San Francisco, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–A large-scale manga exhibition opened at the de Young Museum in San Francisco on Saturday to convey the charm of Japanese manga as works of art. The exhibition, “The Art of Manga,” features more than 600 works,

Tokyo, Sept. 28 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung are expected to agree that the two countries’ leaders will continue “shuttle diplomacy” or mutual visits to each other’s country, at a meeting in Busan, South Korea,

Besancon, France, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–Satoshi Yoneda won the grand prix at the Besancon International Competition for Young Conductors in eastern France on Saturday, becoming the 11th Japanese to win the top prize at the prestigious contest. Yoneda, 29, earned applause after

Otaki, Nagano Pref., Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–About 60 people mourned the victims of the eruption of Mount Ontake in central Japan 11 years ago in a memorial ceremony on Saturday. A moment of silence was observed at the ceremony in the village

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–People from Japan and South Korea kicked off a two-day cultural exchange event in Tokyo on Saturday as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two Asian neighbors. In the opening

New York, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has led the way in U.S. Major League Baseball jersey sales for the third consecutive season, MLB said Friday. Since a survey began in 2010, Ohtani became the fourth player

Maizuru, Kyoto Pref., Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Saturday attended the graduation ceremony of the Japan Coast Guard School, becoming the second sitting prime minister to do so following late Shinzo Abe in 2016. “The role of the

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese research team recently said that they have detected annual seafloor subsidence near the Nankai Trough off the country’s Pacific coast for the first time. The team used water pressure gauges of the Donet underwater earthquake and

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese power and city gas suppliers are set to raise rates in October following the end of the government’s subsidy program in September. Ten power suppliers said Friday that they will raise rates by 467-536 yen for

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Aegis destroyer Chokai on Friday left for the United States, where it will test-fire a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile, the Japanese Defense Ministry said. The Chokai, based at the MSDF Sasebo base in

New Delhi, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–Sri Lanka plans to resume full-scale construction at an early date on projects funded by Japanese soft loans, Sri Lankan trade minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said in an interview with Jiji Press on Friday. Construction will resume as

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–The average salary for private-sector workers in Japan reached a record high of 4.78 million yen in 2024, up 3.9 pct from the previous year, a survey by the National Tax Agency showed Friday. The average grew for

Washington, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–An additional 25 pct U.S. tariff on heavy trucks and parts will apply to imports from Japan, a White House official told Jiji Press Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Thursday that

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (Jiji Press)–Shrugging off inflation, consumption linked to “oshikatsu,” or activities that support “oshi,” or favorite characters and celebrities, is growing in Japan, while boosting related stocks. According to research company Intage Inc., 35.1 pct of the 5,000 people surveyed

(Adnkronos) – More than a hundred diplomats from over 50 countries walked out en masse from the United Nations General Assembly hall in protest as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his 45-minute speech. The count comes from the Washington Post, while

(Adnkronos) – The Slovak Parliament today adopted an amendment to the Constitution that limits the rights of Lgbtq people and establishes the primacy of national law over European law. The text, which limits the rights of same-sex couples and makes it more

(Adnkronos) – “Humanity has reached a crossroads.” With these words, Chinese Premier Li Qiang addressed the United Nations General Assembly, warning that “the rules and international order built over the last 80 years are under serious challenge, and the once-effective international system

(Adnkronos) – French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced today that he will appoint his government “before the start of parliamentary work,” scheduled for October 1st. In an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien, the prime minister, appointed on September 9th, anticipated: “The

(Adnkronos) – Two 17-year-olds have been arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of carrying out espionage activities on behalf of Russian secret services. This was reported by De Telegraaf, citing officials who called the arrests a “unique case” in the Netherlands. According

(Adnkronos) – China is censoring pessimism on the web. It is forbidden to spread anxiety or foment fear. A two-month ‘offensive’ by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) aims to limit posts on social media, apps, and platforms that “excessively amplify negative