Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese House of Councillors committee approved Wednesday a bill to ease requirements for appointing poll watchers under the law on national referendums for amending the Constitution. The bill to revise the law was backed by the ruling

Japan Chain Stores Association July 22 Yr/Yr Change Total 6,318,862 M. Yen Up 0.7 pct Foodstuffs 4,508,043 Up 1.5 Clothing 279,005 Down 5.5 Sundries 598,410 Up 4.9 Furniture and Interior Goods 340,312 Down 5.7 Home Electric Appliances 17,105 Up 11.0 Note: Year-on-year

Japan Chain Stores Association July 22 Yr/Yr Change Total 1,034,769 M. Yen Down 1.7 pct Foodstuffs 758,651 Down 0.4 Clothing 45,045 Down 11.5 Sundries 97,974 Down 0.1 Furniture and Interior Goods 50,083 Down 15.7 Home Electric Appliances 2,874 Up 3.7 Note: Year-on-year

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s customs-cleared trade deficit more than halved in the first half of this year as the country’s oil imports from the Middle East decreased because of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Finance Ministry said

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–A hacker group calling itself “RansomHouse” has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that disrupted the operations of Japanese frozen food maker Nichirei Corp., it was learned Wednesday. Nobuo Miwa, president of information security service provider S&J Corp., said

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen on Tuesday praised Japan’s response to Hamas’ surprise attack on his country in October 2023. “Japan stood by Israel, said that Israel has the right to defend itself on the international law,

London, July 21 (Jiji Press)–Canada will participate as an observer in a joint project among Japan, Britain and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet, it was agreed Tuesday. Ottawa’s participation in the Global Combat Air Program was confirmed at the day’s

(The second paragraph should have read, “… British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, who took office Monday…” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) Canada to Join Japan-Britain-Italy Fighter Development Project London, July 21 (Jiji Press)–Canada will participate as an observer in

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Four major Japanese life insurers, including Nippon Life Insurance Co., reported higher revenues in fiscal 2025, driven mainly by stronger sales of yen-denominated single-premium whole life insurance policies. The products have become increasingly attractive to consumers after insurers

Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Russia’s Defense Ministry has said that Tu-95 strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces flew over international waters in the Sea of Japan for more than 11 hours. The ministry said Tuesday that the flight was a planned

Manila, July 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have agreed to maintain close communication over the situation in Iran. At a meeting with his U.S. counterpart on Tuesday night, Motegi, who is visiting the

London, July 21 (Jiji Press)–Canada will participate as an observer in a joint project among Japan, Britain and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet, it was agreed Tuesday. Ottawa’s participation in the Global Combat Air Program was confirmed at the day’s

(Adnkronos) – Italy has underlined its solidarity with Saudi Arabia after Iran-aligned Houthis fired missiles at the kingdom last week, accusing it of having bombed an airport under their control and declared an immediate blockade on Monday – a new phase in

New York, July 21 (Jiji Press)–The dollar rose above 163 yen to hit the highest levels in about 39 years and six months in New York on Tuesday, attracting safe-haven buying amid growing tensions in the Middle East. The U.S. unit traded

(Adnkronos) – Fourteen Tunisian rail workers have arrived in Italy for work experience at state-owned Trenitalia after receiving training in their home country under the multi-billion euro Mattei Plan to accelerate Africa’s economic development.  The Tunisians were welcomed at a ceremony held

(Adnkronos) – A search is underway at the data center hosting the servers of Fidesz, the party of former Hungarian nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán. The party itself announced this in a note published via social media.  “Magistrates appeared without warning at

(Adnkronos) – Russian authorities have begun to freeze the bank accounts of prominent figures who have left the country in recent years, in implementation of a law passed last July to “strengthen the security of Russia’s infrastructure,” operating solely on the basis

(Adnkronos) – The man suspected of having shot dead six social workers at a mother and child care center in Stade, northern Germany, last month, has committed suicide in prison. This was stated in a press release by the Ministry of Justice

(Adnkronos) – The expansion of offshore wind energy continues to advance in Germany, with an installed capacity of 1,077 megawatts as of June 30. Germany has thus exceeded the ten gigawatt (Gw) threshold for the first time, according to the Federal Association

(Adnkronos) – Yemen’s Houthis have warned international shipping companies that ships trading with Saudi ports could face military action, in what appears to be an escalation, following the group’s announcement of a maritime blockade imposed on Saudi Arabia.   An email notice,

London, July 21 (Jiji Press)–Canada will participate as an observer in a joint project among Japan, Britain and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet, it was agreed Tuesday. Ottawa’s participation in the Global Combat Air Program was confirmed at the day’s

Tokyo, July 21 (Jiji Press)–A consortium for the construction of a tunnel for the planned extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet train line was found to have engaged in fraud for concrete quality control tests, it was learned Tuesday. The government-affiliated Japan

Kamakura, Kanagawa Pref., July 21 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese startup said Tuesday that it plans to file for conditional approval of pig-to-human kidney transplants in 2029. PorMedTec, the startup based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, plans to begin Japan’s first clinical

Tokyo, July 21 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling and opposition parties agreed Tuesday to begin House of Councillors deliberations Wednesday on a bill to establish a secondary capital of the nation. The bill will be examined by an Upper House special committee that is

Tokyo, July 21 (Jiji Press)–Young members of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, have little assets, according to their asset reports disclosed on Tuesday. Of the six Lower House members in their 20s who won seats

Beijing, July 21 (Jiji Press)–The Chinese navy’s firing drills conducted within Japan’s exclusive economic zone earlier this month were “fully consistent with international law and international practice,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Tuesday. Japan’s reaction to the exercises was “baseless,”

(Adnkronos) – Taiwan opens its doors to Starlink to try to ensure communication security in case of war with China. The latest move is that of the Taiwanese Parliament, which today approved legislative amendments that pave the way for the operation of

Naha, Okinawa Pref., July 21 (Jiji Press)–A Chinese research ship was seen extending what appeared to be a pipe into the ocean in Japan’s exclusive economic zone off one of the Senkaku Islands in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa on Tuesday, according

(Adnkronos) – A federal judge appointed by US President Donald Trump has ruled against the administration, rejecting the appeal against Minnesota’s “sanctuary” rules, which, according to the administration itself, violate the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which states that federal law must

(Adnkronos) – The Kremlin sees “no hope” for an improvement in relations between the United Kingdom and Russia under the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is openly in favor of supporting Ukraine. “We have no such hopes,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry