Tokyo, Nov. 17 (Jiji Press)–An expert panel of Japan’s welfare ministry on Monday broadly approved a draft revision to the reduction rate for basic welfare payments, following a Supreme Court ruling that found the government’s cuts to welfare benefits unlawful. The panel

Tokyo, Nov. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Princess Aiko left Tokyo International Airport at Haneda on Monday for her visit to Laos to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Responding to the Lao government’s invitation, the only child of Emperor

Fukui, Nov. 17 (Jiji Press)–A cargo ship carrying plutonium-uranium mixed oxide, or MOX, fuel produced in France arrived at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Takahama nuclear power plant in the central Japan prefecture of Fukui, informed sources told Jiji Press Monday. This marks

Tokyo, Nov. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s convenience store sector is undergoing a major shift, as store expansion slows amid limited room for rapid expansion at home and inbound tourism increasingly drives consumption. Lawson Inc. aims to lift earnings by boosting store productivity through

Tokyo, Nov. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s gross domestic product in July-September shrank at an annualized rate of 1.8 pct after price and seasonal adjustment, contracting for the first time in six quarters, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report Monday. The reading

Beijing, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese private think tank Genron NPO has put off the announcement of the results of a Japan-China joint opinion poll, previously set for Monday, officials said Sunday. According to Genron NPO, its partner in the joint survey, the

Seoul, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese and South Korean nonpartisan groups of lawmakers for bilateral friendship Sunday agreed to boost their countries’ cooperation to a new height in all areas including politics, economy, society and culture. In a statement adopted at their joint

Tokyo, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has drawn the ire of China by indicating the possibility that the Self-Defense Forces may be mobilized even without a direct attack on Japan in a possible Taiwan contingency. Attending a question-and-answer session

Tokyo, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–A Jiji Press survey of researchers on Japan’s retrial system has found that all 19 respondents support a proposed ban on prosecutors’ appeals against decisions to initiate retrials. The 19 are among the 24 researchers on whom Jiji

Beijing, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–China’s Education Ministry on Sunday issued a notice urging the country’s citizens to think carefully if they plan to study in Japan. The action is believed to be another retaliatory measure against Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent

Tokyo, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–A U.N. Human Rights Council group added 12 missing Japanese people not officially recognized as victims of North Korea’s abductions to a list compiled to urge Pyongyang to confirm their safety, sources have said. “I hope the Japanese

Tokyo, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–A woman in her 40s was wounded in a knife attack by a man in Tokyo’s busy Akasaka district Sunday morning, sources said. Around 10:30 a.m., police received an emergency call saying that a woman had been stabbed

Naha, Okinawa Pref., Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–Four Chinese coast guard ships sailed in Japanese waters off the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday, the Japan Coast Guard said. The incident marked the first entry into the Japanese waters by any Chinese

Beijing, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–China’s Education Ministry on Sunday issued a notice urging the country’s citizens to think carefully if they plan to study in Japan. The action is believed to be another retaliatory measure against Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent

Seoul, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese and South Korean nonpartisan groups of lawmakers for bilateral friendship held a joint plenary meeting in Seoul on Sunday to hold discussions on diplomacy, security, economy and culture. In a congratulatory message, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

Tokyo, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s real gross domestic product in fiscal 2040 may turn out 76 trillion yen lower than estimated if the supplies of essential services remain inadequate in depopulated areas, Jiji Press learned Sunday. The bleak projection, compiled by the

Washington, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–A noted think tank researcher who has advised U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on China policies said that the current U.S.-China ties are in a “Cold War-like environment.” “An increasing number of people across political and policy leadership

Tokyo, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese labor productivity per worker in fiscal 2024, which ended in March this year, rose 0.2 pct from the previous year in inflation-adjusted real terms, up for four consecutive years, Japan Productivity Center data have shown. However, labor

Washington, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–An adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on China policies has said that the current U.S.-China ties are in a “Cold War-like environment.” “An increasing number of people across political and policy leadership in the United States

Tokyo, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–The opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics was held Saturday in the capital of Japan, which hosts the quadrennial international sporting event for people with hearing difficulties for the first time. For the 2025 games, a record

Niigata, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara on Saturday expressed his resolve to end the issue of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese nationals decades ago. “I should be the last minister in charge of the abduction issue,” Kihara said

Tokyo, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–China should withdraw its notice recommending its nationals not to visit Japan, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Saturday. The notice is “incompatible” with the advancement of the two countries’ mutually beneficial strategic relationship, recently agreed on

Tokyo, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–Ohkawara Kakohki Co., once falsely accused of illegal exports, has filed a resident audit request with the Tokyo metropolitan government, seeking three investigators’ personal liabilities for part of the damages awarded to the machinery maker. The three were

Tokyo, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s education ministry plans to establish a fund for high school education reform in each of the 47 prefectures, totaling some 300 billion yen. The ministry aims to strengthen financial support for public high schools through the new

Tokyo, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday marked the 70th anniversary of its establishment. The LDP plans to approve at its next party convention, slated for next March, a new vision on the future of the country that

Beijing, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–China has urged its citizens not to visit Japan in an apparent retaliatory step against Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark about a potential Taiwan contingency. The Foreign Ministry on Friday issued a notice claiming that Takaichi

Tokyo, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese motor giant Nidec Corp. has said that its consolidated operating profit fell 82.5 pct from a year earlier to 21.1 billion yen for the six months to September, hurt by massive losses at its automotive products business.

Kobe, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–Takashi Tachibana, who heads a controversial political group criticizing Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK, has decided to admit his guilt in a high-profile libel case, according to his lawyer. “He will admit his guilt and apologize where he

Tokyo, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–With Saturday marking 48 years since the abduction of a 13-year-old Japanese girl by North Korea, time appears to be running out for Japan to resolve the abduction issue. There is no prospect in sight for a Japan-North

(Adnkronos) – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has stated her readiness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in an attempt to improve bilateral relations and address the unresolved issue of Japanese citizens abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s.