(Adnkronos) – The government of Taiwan will propose a record defense spending for 2027. President Lai Ching-te announced, through the presidential office, that “the total defense budget for next year, including both the annual and special budgets, will for the first time

Hikawa, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–Kumamon, the popular mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, interacted with children at an elementary school in the southwestern Japan prefecture on Sunday, after a powerful earthquake struck there late last month, giving them a brief moment of

(Adnkronos) – At least seven people died and many others were injured today due to a stampede in a temple located in the eastern Indian state of Bihar: local authorities reported that the stampede occurred after an electrical cable broke, causing panic

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government decided Monday to send tents, blankets and other emergency relief supplies to Colombia, which was struck by a powerful earthquake last week. The decision came at the request of the South American country. The supplies

Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–A large ferry chartered by Japan’s Defense Ministry is providing a place of comfort and relief to people affected by last month’s massive earthquake in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto. A two-night, three-day stay on the

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–Nearly 60 pct of people in Japan concerned about sweating have given up certain activities, a joint survey by three pharmaceutical firms found. Of 9,459 respondents who gave valid responses, 4,767 said they are concerned about sweating. Of

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s gross domestic product in April-June grew 0.3 pct from the previous quarter after price and seasonal adjustments, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report Monday. The reading represents a 1.1 pct annualized rise, marking the third

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has completed the fourth round of treated water release into the Pacific Ocean for fiscal 2026, its operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., said Monday. In the latest round that

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Defense Ministry is considering establishing an agency to support retired Self-Defense Forces members and their families as early as fiscal 2027. The new agency is envisioned as an entity that will provide a wide range of support,

By Nico Pandi Washington, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–A United States guided by progressive foreign policy would seek to improve cooperation with countries around the world, including China, said Matt Duss, a prominent progressive thought leader in the United States, in an interview

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the most recent 10-year Japanese government bond issue, a key long-term interest rate, rose to a 30-year high of 2.93 pct in Tokyo interdealer trading Monday. The rise in the benchmark yield reflected increasing expectations

Bangkok, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–Reconstruction and repair work has begun on a war memorial pagoda and stone monuments dedicated to Japanese soldiers who died during World War II in northern Myanmar after they were damaged by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that hit the

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Coast Guard has said that a Chinese research vessel was spotted extending a wire-like object into the sea within Japan’s exclusive economic zone off the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. A coast guard patrol ship

Yokohama, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–Tomohito Mitsumori, president of Japanese restaurant chain operator Ootoya Holdings Co., has said the company plans to accelerate the opening of its Ootoya Gohan Dokoro restaurants overseas. Ootoya currently operates about 140 Japanese restaurants across eight countries and

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s gross domestic product in April-June grew 0.3 pct from the previous quarter after price and seasonal adjustments, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report Monday. The reading represents a 1.1 pct annualized rise. The annualized figure

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–Amid a surge in bear-related incidents across Japan, local governments and companies are increasingly turning to drones as part of efforts to prevent attacks and reduce damage. Beyond their use in aerial searches for bears, drones are proving

Chiba, Aug. 16 (Jiji Press)–The death toll from record rainfall in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, this month has risen to 10, including cases under investigation for links with the disaster, while one person remains missing, the prefectural government said Sunday. The

Tokyo, Aug. 16 (Jiji Press)–As Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is believed to be considering reshuffling her cabinet and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s executive lineup in September, a focal point is how she will treat those close to LDP Vice President

Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Aug. 16 (Jiji Press)–A new-type Shinkansen train, manufactured in Japan, has been delivered to Taiwan for the first time. On Saturday, the 12 N700ST train cars, which feature iconic orange and black lines on a white body, were unloaded from

Frankfurt, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan won the silver medal in the group all-around competition at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Frankfurt, Germany, on Saturday, securing a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which is awarded to the top three finishers.

Tokyo, Aug. 16 (Jiji Press)–Fumiko Yamamoto still vividly remembers the moment she entered a gymnasium-turned-morgue as a nurse in the aftermath of the 1985 Japan Airlines jumbo jet crash. As she passed through the blackout curtain, “something heavy pressed down on my

Tokyo, Aug. 16 (Jiji Press)–Kazuhiko Takahashi, 98, who was the oldest war-bereaved relative to attend Saturday’s war-end anniversary ceremony in Tokyo, calls for remembering the fact that some 3.1 million Japanese people died in World War II. With the horrors of the

Chiba, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–The death toll from this week’s record rain in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, has risen to nine, while one man is still missing, the prefectural government’s disaster response headquarters said Saturday. In the prefecture, a total of

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not visit Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, but worshiped toward the war-related shrine from afar before attending a national war anniversary ceremony.

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government held a memorial ceremony in Tokyo on Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, with attendees remembering about 3.1 million victims in the war and renewing their pledge for

Chiba, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–The death toll from this week’s record rain in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, has risen to eight, while one man is still missing, the prefectural government’s disaster response headquarters said Saturday. In the prefecture, a total of

Seoul, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–South Korean President Lee Jae-myung expressed his intention to develop a future-oriented relationship with Japan in his speech at a ceremony in Seoul on Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the Korean Peninsula’s liberation from Japanese colonial

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not use the word “remorse” in her speech at an annual war memorial ceremony in Tokyo on Saturday, the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, apparently out of consideration

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government held a memorial ceremony in Tokyo on Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, with attendees remembering about 3.1 million victims in the war and renewing their pledge for

Tokyo, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)–Four Japanese ministers visited Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the country’s 81st war-end anniversary, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a cash offering to the war-linked shrine from her own money in her capacity as president of the