Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Justice Ministry is assessing through an expert panel the impact of tougher penalties for the crime of insult three years after their enforcement through a Penal Code revision. The ministry has released information about 173 cases with

By Toshifumi Sekitsuka Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–At the Japan Mobility Show 2025, the country’s auto industry displayed a tendency to take advantage of the reviving popularity of cars that made Japanese youngsters’ hearts race decades ago by incorporating memories of those

Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday declined to withdraw her remark made last week over a so-called survival-threatening situation regarding a potential contingency over Taiwan. “I made the remark in line with the government’s conventional position, so

Seoul, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–Note Inc. is aiming to deliver Japanese content globally in a partnership with Naver Corp., a South Korean technology company, Sadaaki Kato, founder and CEO of the Japanese content-sharing platform operator, said in a recent interview. Note’s platform

Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–The Tokyo metropolitan government is making final preparations to host the Deaflympics, known as the Olympics for people with hearing difficulties, from Saturday, such as conducting sign language lessons for its staff. It aims to facilitate the management

Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–Several policymakers of the Bank of Japan at its Oct. 29-30 policy-setting meeting expressed the view that the central bank should positively consider raising its policy interest rate, according to a summary of opinions at the meeting released

Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese department stores will sell “fukubukuro” lucky bags for their New Year’s sale next year that offer a wide variety of experiences and items themed on horses as 2026 is the Year of the Horse in the

Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–More than 1 million people visited the Japan Mobility Show 2025, which showcased not only mobility solutions evolving toward the future but the legacies of the Japanese auto industry. Taking place at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center

Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–Tsunami waves up to 20 centimeters high reached the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan on Sunday afternoon following an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.9. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 16 kilometers

Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s policy chief Satoshi Honjo has criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s plan to scrap the government’s policy of designating a specific target fiscal year for turning around the country’s primary budget

Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–Public hospitals operated by local governments across Japan are facing increasingly severe financial pressure. Fiscal 2024 results compiled by the internal affairs ministry show a record combined ordinary loss of 395.2 billion yen, squeezed by higher personnel costs

Takarazuka, Hyogo Pref., Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, has said a facility to preserve its train that crashed in 2005 and killed more than 100 passengers will be completed in mid-December. The company informed bereaved relatives and

Hiroshima, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–Mika Yokota, a former deputy governor of Hiroshima Prefecture, won Sunday’s gubernatorial election, becoming the first female governor of the western Japan prefecture. Yokota, 54, ran in the election as an independent candidate endorsed by the Liberal Democratic

Tokyo, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–Tsunami waves up to 20 centimeters high reached the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan on Sunday afternoon following an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.9. The earthquake occurred at a depth of about 10

Shima/Minamiise, Mie Pref., Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended the 44th National Convention for the Development of an Abundantly Productive Sea in the city of Shima, Mie Prefecture, western Japan, on Sunday. In his speech, the Emperor reminisced about

Tokyo, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory for the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku northeastern region following an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.7 on Sunday afternoon. The earthquake occurred at a depth

Niigata, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–The Niigata prefectural government said Sunday that an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed at a poultry farm in the city of Tainai. This is the fourth outbreak of avian influenza at a poultry farm

Kobe, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–Police in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on Sunday arrested Takashi Tachibana, head of a political group that criticizes NHK, also known as Japan Broadcasting Corp., in a libel case in which the victim, a former Hyogo prefectural assembly

Tokyo, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–Shunichi Suzuki, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Sunday that it seems difficult to reach an agreement among all parties on a cut in the number of House of Representatives seats by the Dec. 17 end

Taipei/Bangkok, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–The mother of a Thai girl believed to have been forced into sex work at a massage parlor in Tokyo has been detained in Taiwan, it has been learned. According to Taiwan’s immigration authorities, the mother arrived in

Kobe, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–Police in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on Sunday arrested Takashi Tachibana, head of a political group that criticizes NHK, also known as Japan Broadcasting Corp., in a libel case in which the victim, a former Hyogo prefectural assembly

Akita, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–Amid the unusually frequent occurrence of bear attacks on humans in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, local officials and hunting association members tasked with responding to the crisis are showing signs of fatigue. Bears appear day and night, sometimes

Tokyo, Nov. 8 (Jiji Press)–Fumitake Fujita, co-leader of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) in the ruling coalition, said Saturday that dissolving the House of Representatives for a snap election could be an option if the opposition camp blocks the policies

Tokyo, Nov. 8 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Tourism Agency is considering introducing a system in fiscal 2026 to partially subsidize the demolition of abandoned “ryokan” Japanese-style inns in “onsen” hot spring resorts and other locations. The demolition support system would be available to

Toba, Mie Pref., Nov. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived in Mie Prefecture, western Japan, on Saturday to attend the 44th National Convention for the Development of an Abundantly Productive Sea. After traveling by Shinkansen bullet train and local

Tokyo, Nov. 8 (Jiji Press)–Fuji Media Holdings Inc. has announced that Executive Managing Director Michiyo Yasuda resigned over her inappropriate expense claims. Yasuda has made inappropriate claims for expenses totaling about 1 million yen in some 60 cases since 2020, including falsifying

Tokyo, Nov. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to revise the public servant remuneration law to cut the salaries of cabinet members including herself during the ongoing extraordinary Diet session. The government will hold a meeting of related ministers as

New York, Nov. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan and other countries said Friday that they will work to quadruple the use of sustainable fuels, such as biofuels and low-carbon hydrogen, by 2035. The countries released a joint declaration ahead of the 30th Conference of

Los Angeles, Nov. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese jazz composer Miho Hazama has been nominated for the 68th Grammy Award in the Best Instrumental Composition category for her piece, “Live Life This Day: Movement I,” according to the full list of nominations released on

Paris, Nov. 7 (Jiji Press)–Louis Schweitzer, former chairman of French auto giant Renault SA, who worked to forge its alliance with Japan’s Nissan Motor Co., has died at the age of 83, according to French media reports. Schweitzer was born in Geneva,