Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s three megabanks and the government-backed Japan Bank for International Cooperation plan to provide 250 billion yen, or about 1.5 billion dollars, in loans for the first round of projects in the United States under the Japan-U.S. tariff

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–A letter written by the late Japanese historical novelist Ryotaro Shiba praising Takeshi Kaiko as one of Japan’s foremost 20th-century writers was recently found, Jiji Press has learned. Kaiko, an Akutagawa literary prize winner known for works such

(Adnkronos) – Foreign undersecretary Maria Tripodi on Friday represented foreign minister Antonio Tajani an international meeting focused on battling terrorism and crime syndicates in the Balkans, as part of the Aqaba Process launched by Jordan’s King Abdullah in 2015.  “Undersecretary @tripodimaria took

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese financial services minister Satsuki Katayama revealed a plan on Friday to set up a working group jointly with the financial industry to deal with risks from cutting-edge artificial intelligence models, including Claude Mythos. This plan was approved

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s health minister Kenichiro Ueno said Friday he will call for nationwide vaccination to prevent measles. In the wake of recent outbreaks of the highly infectious disease in the country, Ueno told a press conference that he will

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Department store sales in Japan in March rose 3.2 pct from a year earlier on a same-store basis, up for the third consecutive month, the Japan Department Stores Association said Friday. All-store sales totaled 507.1 billion yen. Sales

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s key Nikkei 225 stock average rewrote its record closing high on Friday, reflecting the popularity of artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related issues. The index of 225 issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Prime top-tier section rose 575.95

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s parliament Friday enacted a bill to effectively perpetuate a public fund injection system for regional financial institutions. In a plenary meeting, the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, approved the bill

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–The number of so-called community reactivators, or people working to revitalize nonurban areas in Japan after moving from urban areas under a government-subsidized program, totaled a record 8,196 in fiscal 2025, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. The

Japan Department Stores Association April 24 Yr/Yr Change Total 507,118 M. Yen Up 3.2 pct Clothing 138,045 Up 1.4 Personal Articles 85,827 Up 4.8 Sundry Goods 118,530 Up 6.9 Household Goods 19,152 Up 2.6 Foodstuffs 116,950 Up 0.7 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Japan Department Stores Association April 24 Yr/Yr Change Total 153,570 M. Yen Up 4.7 pct Clothing 42,182 Up 4.4 Personal Articles 27,034 Up 6.7 Sundry Goods 40,706 Up 7.4 Household Goods 7,563 Up 5.6 Foodstuffs 29,005 Up 0.9 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government at a cabinet meeting Friday decided to invite Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a state guest from May 26 to 29. During the visit, Marcos is set to meet with Emperor Naruhito and Empress

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–One in two expectant or new mothers who need financial support in Japan said they cannot prepare sufficient child care products, a nongovernmental organization survey has found. When asked about concerns, 88 pct of respondents said they cannot

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Ocean freight transportation fees in Japan rose to an all-time high in March, reflecting ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the Bank of Japan’s services producer price data showed Friday. The index on ocean freight transportation fees in

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Starting July, Japan will lower application fees for 10-year passports to around 9,000 yen. At a plenary session Friday, the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, passed into law a bill to

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s core consumer price index in March rose 1.8 pct from a year earlier, marking the 55th straight month of increase, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. The core CPI, which excludes volatile fresh food prices, stood at

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Mine-Akiyoshidai, a karst plateau in western Japan, has been designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark. The designation, decided by the executive board of the specialized U.N. agency, was announced by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and

New York, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty need to make concessions to avoid failing to adopt an outcome document at a review conference for the third straight time, Izumi Nakamitsu, U.N. high representative for disarmament affairs, said in

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Honda Motor Co. has said it will terminate its automobile sales in South Korea at the end of this year. The Japanese company, which made the announcement Thursday, aims to concentrate its business resources on projects to enhance

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Innovation Party, the junior member of Japan’s ruling bloc, has proposed reducing House of Representatives seats by 45, all from the proportional representation system. The JIP presented the plan at a working-level meeting with the Liberal

Paris, April 23 (Jiji Press)–The French Foreign Ministry on Thursday welcomed Japan’s lifting of its ban on exports of lethal weapons earlier this week. The move by Japan will contribute to the safety of people and the maintenance of sovereignty in Europe

Nagoya, April 24 (Jiji Press)–Employees of three major Japanese nonlife insurers seconded to Toyota Motor Corp. improperly took internal data out of the automaker from around 2016 to 2025, Toyota has said. Among the internal data were organizational charts and meeting summaries

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–The older sister of former Japanese death-row inmate Iwao Hakamata has reiterated her criticism of the government over a planned revamping of the country’s retrial system. A draft of the Justice Ministry’s bill to amend the criminal procedure

Sao Paulo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that she has agreed with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to export 1 million barrels of Mexican crude oil to Japan. The move is expected to help Japan, which relies on

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)–The impact of surging prices of fuel for power generation reflecting the ongoing Middle East crisis may “fully start to appear” in electricity bills for July or August, Japanese power industry leader Nozomu Mori has said. Meanwhile, Mori,

New Delhi, April 23 (Jiji Press)–The Indian government on Thursday welcomed Japan’s decision to revise the operational guidelines for its three principles on defense equipment transfer to allow the export of lethal arms. “Defense and security cooperation forms an important pillar of

(Adnkronos) – Italy “strongly supports the continuing negotations between Israel and Lebanon on extending a 10-day truce in the war with Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which is due to expire on Sunday, foreign minister Antonio Tajani has told the Senate upper house of

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–KDDI Corp. said Thursday that it will launch a service in late May that will relay emergency messages sent from outside the coverage area of its mobile base stations via Space X’s Starlink satellite communication network. The new

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Supermarket sales in Japan in fiscal 2025 rose 2.1 pct from the previous year on a same-store basis, up for the sixth consecutive year, the Japan Chain Stores Association said Thursday. Sales at all stores in the year

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Supermarket sales in Japan in fiscal 2025 rose 2.1 pct from the previous year on a same-store basis, up for the sixth consecutive year, the Japan Chain Stores Association said Thursday. Sales at all stores in the year