Brussels, July 30 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government signed an agreement Thursday to become an associated country of the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program. The move is aimed at encouraging Japanese companies, universities and research institutions to take part in

Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi Pref., July 30 (Jiji Press)–A consortium mainly comprising Japan’s Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. on Thursday held a ceremony to mark the first shipment of a new high-speed train to Taiwan. Featuring orange and black lines on a white body,

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has displayed unwavering commitment to reducing the consumption tax rate to 1 pct for food for two years beginning next April as a measure to fight inflation. On Thursday, the prime minister instructed

Taipei, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te will donate 200,000 Taiwan dollars, or about 1 million yen, to support areas affected by Tuesday’s powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan, the presidential office said Thursday. The presidential office also

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Sumo Association said Thursday that it will double the top-division championship prize to 20 million yen and raise wrestlers’ pay and grand tournament ticket prices from January 2027. The winner’s purse in the makuuchi division will

Yokohama, July 30 (Jiji Press)–A third-party investigation by three lawyers has confirmed workplace harassment by the sitting mayor of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, according to their report submitted to the city on Thursday. The report found that Takeharu Yamanaka, 53, yelled at

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday officially announced a plan to cut the consumption tax rate on food to 1 pct for two years starting next April. Takaichi said that efforts to effectively reduce the tax rate

Kumamoto, July 30 (Jiji Press)–The number of deaths confirmed after Tuesday’s powerful earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, reached 34 as of 3 p.m. on Thursday, while five people were seriously injured, according to the prefecture’s disaster response headquarters. The full extent

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Defamatory social media posts targeting Japanese athletes were more prevalent during the FIFA World Cup than during the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the Japanese Olympic Committee and the Japanese Paralympic Committee said Thursday. About 1 pct of posts related

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Personnel Authority is expected to recommend raising monthly salaries for national government employees by around 3.5 pct on average in 2026, informed sources told Jiji Press on Thursday. The agency is also likely to recommend raising

(Adnkronos) – Thousands of people have been evacuated due to fires that have developed on the island of Crete and continued to rage, fueled by strong winds. Maria Lioni, deputy governor of the Rethymno region, told state television ERT, adding that “we

(Adnkronos) – The death toll from the violent earthquake that struck Japan has risen to 28, the government announced in an update released today, two days after the 7.1 magnitude tremor.  “The death toll is currently 28 people, including those whose deaths

(Adnkronos) – Five people have died due to powerful wind gusts – up to 100 kilometers per hour – which caused chaos in Rio de Janeiro and some areas of São Paulo State, disrupting the electricity grid and paralyzing traffic and public

(Adnkronos) – Bolivian prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for former socialist president Evo Morales, accusing him of fomenting recent protests that have paralyzed the country.  The warrant is linked to an investigation into dozens of roadblocks erected during massive anti-government demonstrations

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Former Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, at a Tokyo hospital Monday, his office said Thursday. He was 67. Matsumoto, who was a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, retired from

(Adnkronos) – 650 people have been evacuated due to a fire that developed late Wednesday afternoon in France, in Brignoles, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. Aerial means used to fight the fire continued operations until nightfall, and their efforts – combined with

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–NTT Docomo Financial Group Inc. plans to sell more banking and other financial functions to businesses, aiming to tap into customers of regional banks and other partners, CEO Takashi Hiroi said in an interview. The Japanese company, a

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stressed on Thursday the significance of resuming a program for former residents of Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands to visit their ancestors’ graves there. The suspension of the program due to Russia’s invasion of

Yokohama, July 30 (Jiji Press)–A third-party investigation by three lawyers has confirmed workplace harassment by the sitting mayor of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, according to their report submitted to the city on Thursday. The report found that Takeharu Yamanaka, 53, yelled at

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. on Thursday started the fourth round of treated water release for fiscal 2026 from its meltdown-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in northeastern Japan into the ocean. About 7,800 tons of the

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed her Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday to make preparations for a law revision to reduce the consumption tax rate on food to 1 pct for two years from next April. The LDP

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–An advisory panel at Japan’s Children and Families Agency on Thursday highlighted the need to consider imposing penalties on social media operators if measures to ensure the safe use of their services by children are found to be

Kumamoto, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Residents in Kumamoto Prefecture voiced concerns Thursday, two days after a powerful earthquake struck the southwestern Japan prefecture, with many being evacuated and the full extent of damage still unknown. In the city of Uki, which logged the

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government said Thursday that the ratio of total central and local government debts to the country’s gross domestic product is estimated to be 187.6 pct in fiscal 2026, 1 percentage point higher than in the previous

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese panel of experts set up by the industry ministry launched discussions on Wednesday on whether to scrap or consolidate Cool Japan Fund Inc., a struggling government-backed investment fund. The panel, which includes business and accounting experts,

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–The government Thursday adopted budget request guidelines for fiscal 2027 featuring a new investment quota with no caps on the amounts that can be requested. The guidelines also called for ending the government’s reliance on supplementary budgets and

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Sony Corp. has made a nonbinding proposal to acquire camera lens maker Tamron Co., officials at the Japanese electronics company said Thursday. Sony Group Corp., Sony’s parent company, which owned a 15.35 pct stake in Tamron as of

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–World leaders have sent messages of condolences to Japan after a powerful earthquake struck the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto on Tuesday. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung wrote on X on Wednesday that South Korean people are in solidarity

Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–A powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday was caused by movement along part of the Hinagu fault zone, which also triggered major earthquakes in the southwestern Japan prefecture a decade ago, a Japanese government research panel

Kumamoto, July 30 (Jiji Press)–The death toll from Tuesday’s powerful earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, reached 18 on Thursday morning, while searches continued for people whose whereabouts are unknown. As of 11 a.m., 18 were confirmed dead after the quake with