Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–The opposition Centrist Reform Alliance decided Tuesday to accept two proposals by a Japanese government expert panel to ensure a sufficient number of Imperial Family members, paving the way for full-scale parliamentary talks on revising the Imperial House

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese snack maker Calbee Inc. said Tuesday that it plans to adopt monochrome packaging for 14 of its major products, including “Potato Chips.” The move comes after concerns over the procurement of raw materials used for printing the

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s composite index of coincident economic indicators rose 0.3 point from the previous month in March, up for the first time in two months, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report on Tuesday. The coincident index, which

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Scandal-hit Fuji Media Holdings Inc. on Tuesday reported its first full-year operating loss since becoming a certified holding company for broadcasting operations in 2008. For the year that ended this March, Fuji Media incurred a consolidated operating loss

Osaka, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s family register system, which only allows male and female designations in its gender entry, infringes upon Article 14 of the Constitution, Osaka High Court has said. Gender identity is “directly linked to an individual’s personal existence, making

Yokohama, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police arrested a 16-year-old boy Tuesday for allegedly impeding train operations by spraying a liquid that caused a strange odor on a train running in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. The suspect, who claims to be a

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s international cultural envoy, on Tuesday proposed subcabinet-level talks between Japan and Russia to open the way for a meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers. Tokyo and Moscow should hold discussions at

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Justice Ministry is expected to include a ban on appeals by prosecutors against court orders granting retrials in the main text of a planned bill, sources said Tuesday. The clause to ban such appeals “in principle” would

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Empress Masako attended a national convention of the Japanese Red Cross Society at Meiji Jingu Kaikan Hall in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on Tuesday. At the annual convention, the Empress, who serves as honorary president of the organization,

Hiroshima, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Participants started full-fledged talks at a Japan-hosted international conference in Hiroshima, western Japan, on Tuesday, discussing ways to regulate the growing number of tourists visiting Antarctica and protect emperor penguins, an endangered species affected by climate change. The

Kyoto, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Children who have been physically abused by their parents are more likely to turn to juvenile delinquency than those who have not, a group of researchers, including those from Kyoto University, has found. The group surveyed first- to

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan will provide solar panels and other renewable energy equipment to Cuba, which has been suffering serious electricity shortages, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. Cuba has been hit by large-scale blackouts due to lack of fuel following the

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to start talks this fiscal year on easing so-called firewall regulations that prohibit the sharing of customer information between banks and securities companies within the same financial group, Jiji Press learned Tuesday. The government

(Adnkronos) – For almost two days, the Cité Soleil district in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has been the scene of violent clashes between armed groups. At the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital, located in Cité Soleil, medical teams had to cope with an influx

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday to discuss their countries’ relations and strategic investments, as well as critical minerals and U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to China. In the

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Tuesday that she and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent affirmed cooperation regarding foreign exchange market developments at their meeting in Tokyo the same day. “We shared the view that Japan and the

(Adnkronos) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is ”weighing options” ahead of this morning’s important government meeting following growing calls, from 73 Labour MPs and some within the executive, for him to step down. Among these calls, that of Home Secretary Shabana

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–A tanker carrying some 45,000 kiloliters of crude oil from Azerbaijan has arrived at an Eneos Corp. refinery in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, officials at the Japanese energy company said Tuesday. The shipment of Central Asian

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Emperor Naruhito conferred Grand Cordon honors on 14 recipients, including four foreigners, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday. The conferment ceremony was held in the “Matsu-no-Ma” hall of the palace. Recipients of the Grand Cordon

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday instructed her government to implement cybersecurity measures as soon as possible amid improving artificial intelligence capabilities. Takaichi gave the instruction at an informal meeting of cabinet members, in response to rising

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Tuesday that she and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent affirmed cooperation regarding foreign exchange market developments at their meeting in Tokyo the same day. “We shared the view that Japan and the

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Commission fees paid by local governments to intermediary website operators for Japan’s “furusato nozei” hometown tax donation program reached 11.5 pct of the donated amount in fiscal 2024, an internal affairs ministry survey showed Tuesday. The ministry plans

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese household spending fell 2.9 pct in March from a year earlier in inflation-adjusted real terms, as consumers cut food spending amid inflation concerns linked to the war in Iran, the internal affairs ministry said Tuesday. The average

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–A Bank of Japan policymaker at the latest monetary policy meeting said that it would be possible for the central bank to raise its policy interest rate as early as its next policy-setting meeting in June, according to

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the most recent issue of 10-year Japanese government bonds, regarded as the country’s benchmark long-term interest rate, briefly rose to as high as 2.545 pct in Tokyo interdealer trading Tuesday morning. The reading was the

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will make official visits to the Netherlands and Belgium as state guests from June 13 to 26. The schedule was decided at a cabinet meeting Tuesday. The Japanese Imperial Family has long-established

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is moving forward with efforts to strengthen its intelligence capabilities, a centerpiece of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s policy agenda. As a first step, the government plans to establish a national intelligence bureau as early as

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will make official visits to the Netherlands and Belgium as state guests from June 13 to 26. The schedule was decided at a cabinet meeting Tuesday. The Japanese Imperial Family has long-established

Funahashi, Toyama Pref., May 12 (Jiji Press)–A local railway operator in central Japan has been selling the right for people to have their originally created music played in its trains, as part of local revitalization efforts. In a project launched in response

New Delhi, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan and India in the second round of bilateral economic security dialogue have agreed to further facilitate cooperation in the field. In the talks held in New Delhi on Monday, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi and