Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese Communist Party requested Friday that the government play a leading role in mediating the conflict between the United States and Iran. JCP leader Tomoko Tamura submitted the request in writing at a meeting with Chief Cabinet

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–As the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, efforts are underway in Japan to establish alternative routes for transporting crude oil from the Middle East. The Japanese government and oil companies are considering diversifying crude oil

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Friday adopted a bill that requires operators of mega solar power plants to submit plans on how they will dispose of used panels. The bill is aimed at getting mega solar farm operators to

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–Liberal Democratic Party members are forming intraparty groups in a bid to expand their sway in the Japanese ruling party, after most of the party’s factions disbanded following a slush funds scandal. On Thursday, former internal affairs minister

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., April 3 (Jiji Press)–Tohoku University’s International Research Institute of Disaster Science has started joint research with SoftBank Group Corp. to develop generative artificial intelligence technology dedicated to disaster prevention. As it has been 15 years since the March 2011

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese health minister Kenichiro Ueno on Friday urged the public to exercise caution as measles cases are increasing. “It is highly contagious, and one in 1,000 people is said to die even in developed countries,” Ueno told a

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Faisal Al-Saud, affirmed the countries’ close cooperation to de-escalate the conflict in Iran in a call on Thursday. The two ministers shared the importance of ensuring the safety

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–The cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi approved Friday amendments to the criminal proceeds transfer prevention law to give police stronger ammunition to crack down on money laundering by scammers. The amendment bill, which the Takaichi administration

Tokyo, April 3 (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 reached 2.395 pct on Friday, the highest level since February 1999. JGBs were sold on persistent inflation

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government Friday adopted a bill to revise the staple food law to require rice producers to make proactive efforts to align their production with demand. The current law to ensure supply and price stability for staple

Nagoya, April 3 (Jiji Press)–Toyota Motor Corp. released two U.S.-made models in Japan on Thursday. The Highlander SUV and the Tundra pickup truck were put on sale by a dealership in Tokyo. Nationwide sales will begin as early as this summer. The

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito should merge with the Centrist Reform Alliance fully, including at the local level, CRA leader Junya Ogawa said in an interview with Jiji Press on Tuesday. “Prolonged stagnation…could sink them

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government adopted on Friday a bill designed to overhaul Japan’s adult guardianship system for people with dementia and others, aiming to improve user convenience amid an aging society. The bill is also aimed at enabling the

Naha, Okinawa Pref., April 3 (Jiji Press)–A Chinese maritime survey vessel that had been operating without permission in Japan’s exclusive economic zone off the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture has left the area, according to the Japan Coast Guard. The Chinese ship

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–The administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is looking at revising the unique rank titles used by the Self-Defense Forces in fiscal 2026. Under the proposal, the current titles would be replaced by more widely recognized Japanese

Seoul, April 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, have reaffirmed cooperation to ensure security and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. In a roughly 20-minute phone call Thursday, the two foreign ministers discussed

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–Local authorities in Japan are warning people to watch out for bears as they emerge from hibernation. According to the Environment Ministry, the number of bear attack victims in fiscal 2025 had reached 237 by February, the highest

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–The Imperial Household Agency on Friday released a list of 1,753 guests for an upcoming spring Imperial garden party in Tokyo, including figure skating pair Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who won gold at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics

Tokyo, April 2 (Jiji Press)–The number of people in Japan who plan to travel abroad during the upcoming Golden Week holiday period is expected to rise 8.5 pct from a year earlier to 572,000, a survey by major travel agency JTB Corp.

(Adnkronos) – Moldova has decided to finalize its withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a Russia-dominated group that united nine of the fifteen former Soviet republics. The termination of the 1991 founding agreement, the associated protocol, and the 1993 statute

(Adnkronos) – Austria has rejected the US request to allow its military aircraft to overfly Austrian territory as part of the war against Iran. This was stated by Colonel Michael Bauer, spokesman for the Austrian Ministry of Defense. “There have indeed been

(Adnkronos) – Russia is preparing to send a second oil tanker to Cuba, Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov announced on the occasion of the Energoprom-2026 Forum. “Yesterday there was an important meeting in St. Petersburg with a delegation from Havana. Cuba is under

(Adnkronos) – Iraq’s oil export revenues for March decreased by over 70% compared to February, according to Ali Nizar, director of the State Oil Marketing Organization (Somo), the Iraqi state company responsible for oil sales. In the month immediately following the outbreak

(Adnkronos) – A fire broke out near Mashhad airport in northeastern Iran after a raid struck a fuel depot located near the facility. Iranian media reported this. 

Tokyo, April 2 (Jiji Press)–Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako met with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Thursday. During their 20-minute talks, the two sides discussed cultural exchanges between Japan and France, according

Tokyo, April 2 (Jiji Press)–Narita International Airport Corp. has abandoned its plan to open a new runway in March 2029 due to challenges in acquiring necessary land, it was learned Thursday. After meeting with transport minister Yasushi Kaneko in Tokyo on the

(Adnkronos) – The air defenses of the United Arab Emirates announced that they intercepted 19 ballistic missiles and 26 drones launched from Iran today. Since the beginning of the war, the Emirati defense has intercepted 457 ballistic missiles, 19 cruise missiles, and

(Adnkronos) – Moscow and Cairo could start discussions to create an energy hub in Egypt, Russian President Vladimir Putin anticipated after meeting Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty at the Kremlin. Putin stressed that Russia and Egypt already have many projects, several of

Tokyo, April 2 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government and Okinawa Prefecture have decided to hold the first field drill to evacuate residents of the southernmost prefecture’s remote islands under the civil protection law, it was learned Thursday. With a Taiwan contingency in mind,

Tokyo, April 2 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s industry minister Ryosei Akazawa on Thursday instructed senior officials from relevant government ministries and agencies to grasp the supply chain situation of critical products amid the ongoing military conflict between the U.S.-Israel camp and Iran. At the