Tokyo, Jan. 27 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police have arrested the 40-year-old leader of Natural, one of the largest illegal sex worker scouting groups in Japan, for allegedly making a payment to gangsters in 2023. Hiroaki Obata, arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department on

Tokyo, Jan. 27 (Jiji Press)–The 12-day campaign period for the Feb. 8 election for Japan’s House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, began Tuesday. This is the first general election since the formation of the coalition

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Jan. 27 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese teacher has died after being struck by wind generated by a U.S. military helicopter at an elementary school located within a base in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa, according to the U.S. Air

(Adnkronos) – New closure for the Louvre, the most visited museum in the world, which today did not open its doors to visitors due to an employee strike. This is the third day of closure in January. Employees are demanding better working

(Adnkronos) – After the killing of Alex Pretti on Saturday in Minneapolis by Ice, Democrats announced that they intend to block the approval of the budget bill for the Department of Security, containing 10 billion for Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant police. “What is

(Adnkronos) – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s popularity has dropped by almost ten percentage points in the last month, settling at around 67%, just two weeks before the snap elections she herself called to consolidate parliamentary support. According to a Nikkei newspaper

(Adnkronos) – Almost half of Americans, 48%, consider the killing of Alex Pretti by Ice agents unjustified, a percentage that rises to 63% among people who have seen the videos of the brutal killing that occurred last Saturday in Minneapolis. This emerges

(Adnkronos) – Chris Madel, a Minneapolis lawyer who ran as a Republican for Minnesota governor, has withdrawn, denouncing what he calls the party’s “revenge” against his state, referring to the “uncontrolled disaster” of ICE operations. “I cannot support the national Republican revenge

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–There was no large-scale yen-buying intervention by the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan on Friday, estimates by market sources suggested on Monday. On Friday, the dollar suddenly plunged from above 159 yen to near 157 yen

(Adnkronos) – Rishiri Island, perched at Japan’s northern edge, has long been defined by its remoteness. That isolation is precisely what now places it at the heart of a shift: as travellers increasingly seek quieter, low-impact destinations, small communities like Rishiri are

Beijing, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–The Chinese government on Monday issued a notice urging its citizens to refrain from visiting Japan during the Lunar New Year holiday period between Feb. 15 and 23. In the notice, the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that Japan’s

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s head of state Sergio Mattarella held talks at the Quirinal presidential palace in Rome on Monday with the United Nations’ new refugee chief, Iraq’s former president Barham Salih, the Quirinal said in a statement.  Iraq-Kurdish politician Salih is the

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–The average price of newly supplied condominiums in Tokyo’s densely populated 23 wards rose 21.8 pct from the previous year to 136.13 million yen in 2025, hitting a new record high and staying above 100 million yen for

(Adnkronos) – Foreign minister Antonio Tajani was set to hold talks in Rome on Monday with Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Lorenzo Cornado after the owner of a Swiss bar where a deadly fire killed 40 people including six young Italians on New

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo District Court on Monday ordered the North Korean government to pay 88 million yen in compensation to a total of four North Korean defectors and bereaved relatives in Japan over its alleged human rights abuses linked to

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday showed a willingness to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping amid bilateral tensions over her remarks on a Taiwan contingency. “I’m positive” about meeting with Xi, Takaichi said during a debate

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–A former member of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force reached a final settlement on Monday in a damages lawsuit she filed over sexual assault by five then GSDF members. The settlement, reached at Yokohama District Court, includes the government’s

(Adnkronos) – The “heinous” killing of thousands of civilians by Iran’s security forces during the crackdown on anti-government protests which began last month “demand a clear response, Italy said on Monday.  “The losses suffered by the civilian population during the protests demand

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Supreme Court has confirmed a lower court ruling in favor of the state in a damages lawsuit filed by 27 children of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima. The top court’s First Petty Bench issued the decision

(Adnkronos) – The former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, accused of crimes against humanity in connection with his war on drug trafficking, will be questioned on February 23 by judges of the International Criminal Court. This was announced today by the

(Adnkronos) – Two British citizens, suspected of being far-right activists who came to France to participate in an illegal protest against migrants, have been arrested and taken into custody. Local authorities told AFP.   The two men, who filmed live on social

(Adnkronos) – Italian major will begin operations at the Bahr Essalam project by end-March with production capacity of up to 100 million cubic feet of gas per day, while a second project is due to come online by July-September, the Libyan Observer

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Monday that she will resign immediately if the coalition of the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party fails to win a majority in the

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–The Conservative Party of Japan will call for a drastic review of government policies on foreign nationals and a permanent zero consumption tax rate on foods, party head Naoki Hyakuta said in a recent media interview. As the

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–Online piracy and counterfeit products related to Japanese anime, games and other content caused estimated damage of 10.4 trillion yen in and outside the country in 2025, an industry ministry survey showed Monday. The government aims to increase

(Adnkronos) – At least 18 people are dead and 24 are missing after a ferry sank in the southern Philippines with 350 people on board. The coast guard reported that the ferry had issued a distress signal four hours after departing from

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–Restaurant sales in Japan rose 7.3 pct in 2025 from a year before, increasing for the fourth consecutive year, the Japan Foodservice Association said Monday. Spending per customer climbed, as many restaurants raised prices of menu items due

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party, intends to highlight the minor opposition party’s stance of concentrating on bettering people’s lives in Japan in the upcoming election for the House of Representatives. “At a time when soaring

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition party Reiwa Shinsengumi will make abolishing the consumption tax a key pillar of its policy pledges for the Feb. 8 election of the House of Representatives, the lower parliamentary chamber, its co-chief Mari Kushibuchi said in

Osaka, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)–Osaka District Court on Monday found two former Osaka prefectural police officers guilty of assaulting individuals during a site search related to a major illegal sex worker scouting group in Japan. Judge Akira Kato sentenced Chikara Tokinaga, 51,