Akita, May 8 (Jiji Press)–A town assembly in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, passed a no-confidence motion on Friday against its mayor, who has been unconscious for months following a brain hemorrhage. The passage means that the 72-year-old mayor of Hachirogata, Kikuo Hatakeyama,

Brussels, May 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan and Saudi Arabia agreed Thursday to set up a task force to discuss issues such as stable crude oil supplies amid tensions in the Middle East. The agreement was reached at an online meeting between Japanese Minister

Tokyo, May 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s inflation-adjusted real wage index in March rose 1.0 pct from a year earlier, up for the third consecutive month, government data showed Friday. The increase was partly attributed to slower inflation due to the impact of government

Berlin, May 7 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese restorer is playing a major part in a project at a state museum in the historic German city of Dresden to shine a spotlight again on ukiyo-e traditional woodblock print and other long-buried Japanese artworks. The

Naha, Okinawa Pref., May 8 (Jiji Press)–Four Chinese coast guard ships sailed in Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, on Thursday. It was the first intrusion by Chinese official ships into Japanese waters off the

Brussels, May 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan and Saudi Arabia agreed Thursday to set up a task force to discuss issues such as stable crude oil supplies amid tensions in the Middle East. The agreement was reached at an online meeting between Japanese Minister

(Adnkronos) – Two attacks in central Mali claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists have caused the death of over 30 people. Local, security, and administration sources reported this to Afp. “At least 35 people were killed yesterday in almost simultaneous attacks” in Korikori and

(Adnkronos) – Nineteen Kenyan citizens have died fighting on the Ukrainian front and another 32 are missing. This was stated by Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi, specifying that the number of Kenyans enlisted in the Russian army has risen to 291, compared to

(Adnkronos) – British counter-terrorism police have arrested a nineteen-year-old in connection with an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in north London last month. This is the third arrest in the investigation, according to law enforcement. The man was arrested on suspicion

(Adnkronos) – Bosnia and Herzegovina will hold national elections on October 4th. This was announced by the electoral commission of the Balkan country, divided into two entities since the end of the inter-ethnic conflict that bloodied it between 1992 and 1995, causing

(Adnkronos) – Hamas has officially confirmed that Azzam, son of the leader of the terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya, has been eliminated in the Gaza Strip. Al-Hayya spoke on the phone with Jibril Rajoub, who expressed his condolences for

(Adnkronos) – Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations agency responsible for maritime safety, has indicated that approximately 1,500 ships and their crews remain “trapped” in the Gulf due to the blockade imposed by Iran in the

Gosen, Niigata Pref., May 7 (Jiji Press)–A 17-year-old male high school student was killed in a microbus crash that happened on the Ban-Etsu Expressway in the city of Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Wednesday. The incident involved multiple vehicles, including the

(Adnkronos) – Europe and the United States need each other, the US is a “key” ally of Italy’s and the government has “excellent” relations with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on the eve of Rubio’s talks

(Adnkronos) – Pedro Sanchez had said, “Spain will never stop protecting its citizens.” And after strongly denouncing in recent days the “kidnapping” of two activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, taken in international waters and transferred to Israel, Madrid announced that it

(Adnkronos) – Iran’s closure of the key Strait of Hormuz waterway in retaliation for the United States-Israel attacks against the country that began in late February is “a global issue” that poses “risks of further serious instability and new migration patterns” besides

Tokyo, May 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday forwent approving a modified draft of a Justice Ministry bill that bars public prosecutors from appealing court orders to start retrials “in principle.” The modified draft of the criminal procedure law

(Adnkronos) – Mediterranean, western Balkan and Arab countries meeting on Thursday at the foreign ministry in Rome are teaming up to tackle the pressing global issue of food security and availability of fertilisers, which are being imperilled by the current United States-Israel

(Adnkronos) – Italy has urged Mediterranean, southern European, western Balkan and Arab states to collaborate and dialogue more for “peace, stability and growth” in the wider Mediterranean region, to diversify supply chains, create “reliable and predictable” transport routes, and invest in local

Seoul, May 7 (Jiji Press)–Japan and South Korea held their first vice ministerial security talks in Seoul on Thursday, reaffirming the importance of bilateral ties and trilateral cooperation with the United States, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said. Participants also discussed North Korea’s

Tokyo, May 7 (Jiji Press)–The major Japanese opposition Centrist Reform Alliance is set to tolerate a proposal aimed at securing a sufficient number of Imperial Family members through adoption, it was learned Thursday. At the day’s meeting of a related internal panel,

Tokyo, May 7 (Jiji Press)–The total number of passengers on Shinkansen and other express trains during the Golden Week holiday period from late April to early May rose 5 pct from a year earlier to 14,766,000, data from six Japan Railways Group

(Adnkronos) – Two former Chinese Defense ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, have been sentenced to death, with a two-year reprieve, after being found guilty of corruption. This was reported by the Xinhua news agency. The reprieve allows for the death penalty

(Adnkronos) – Polls open in England, Scotland, and Wales for local elections, which represent the most challenging electoral test for British Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to the advantage of far-right and far-left populists. Starmer has never been under such pressure since

(Adnkronos) – The American President Donald Trump’s U-turn regarding the ‘Project Freedom’ initiative would stem from the decision of a major American ally in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia, not to grant the US the use of its bases and airspace to conduct

Tokyo, May 7 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan likely intervened into the foreign exchange market again to buy yen for dollars earlier this month, during Japan’s Golden Week holiday period, it was learned Thursday. Market sources estimated the

Tokyo, May 7 (Jiji Press)–Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. said Thursday that it will form a strategic partnership with U.S. information technology giant Google LLC to strengthen its retail financial services. The two firms will develop a service to assist customers in

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s premier Giorgia Meloni held talks on Thursday in Rome with the prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognised Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, Meloni’s office said in a statement.  The talks come after Libya’s rival administrations in Tripoli

Tokyo, May 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese authorities likely carried out a yen-buying currency market intervention during the Golden Week holiday period earlier this month, it was learned Thursday. Market sources estimated that the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan spent around 4

Osaka, May 7 (Jiji Press)–Osaka Gas Co. is boosting efforts to produce and procure synthetic methane, or e-methane, regarded as a key to promoting the decarbonization of city gas. The Japanese gas supplier is preparing to procure e-methane from the United States