Tokyo, Dec. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s average retail rice price hit a new record high for the first time in three weeks, according to agriculture ministry data. In the week ended last Sunday, the average price of rice sold at about 1,000 supermarkets

Tokyo, Dec. 6 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese travel company Nippon Travel Agency Co. has introduced a one-day tour offering participants a chance to view luxurious Kabuki costumes in partnership with the Japan Traditional Culture Testing Association. This marks the first product of the

Tokyo, Dec. 6 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government, in its sixth basic program for promoting gender equality, will stipulate that it will consider legislation to legalize the use of pre-marriage family names, informed sources told the Jiji Press on Saturday. The move will

Tokyo, Dec. 6 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is concerned about the possibility of France inviting China to next year’s Group of Seven summit in the European country, which could undermine the G-7’s unity against China. Last month, Bloomberg reported that French President

(Adnkronos) – Foreign minister Antonio Tajani is “proud” of the government’s aid to Palestinians in war-devastated Gaza, including airlifting over 200 sick and injured children and their families to Italy for medical treatment and granting over 200 scholarships to study at Italian

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is planning to visit the United States next month to hold talks with his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, government officials said Friday. Koizumi’s visit would likely take place before the ordinary Diet session

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai, submitted Friday a bill to cut the number of seats in the House of Representatives by about 10

(Adnkronos) – United States ambassador Tilman J. Fertitta held “brief talks” with Italy’s premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday during a visit to the prime minister’s office in Rome, Palazzo Chigi, Adnkronos learned from sources.  Commander of the United States Central Command, Brad

Washington/Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has released a new national security strategy that calls for Japan to increase its defense spending to defend the chain of islands between southwestern Japan and the Philippines. “We will build

(Adnkronos) – The 18th Conference of Italian Ambassadors around the world attended by over 100 heads of mission will take place in Rome and Milan from 14 to 18 December, the foreign ministry wrote Friday on X (formerly Twitter).  The conference “will

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to establish a national intelligence bureau as early as July 2026, Jiji Press learned Friday. The government will submit related legislation to the ordinary Diet session to be convened in January, as the first

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s composite index of coincident economic indicators for October rose 0.5 point from the previous month, improving for the second consecutive month, according to a preliminary report released by the Cabinet Office on Friday. The increase was mainly

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan is seen as increasingly likely to raise its policy interest rate from the current 0.50 pct to 0.75 pct at its Dec. 18-19 policy-setting meeting, as pressure from the administration of Prime Minister Sanae

(Adnkronos) – The foreign ministry and Adnkronos news agency have launched a new podcast, ‘The Sphere’, which dissects Italy’s foreign policy priorities, diplomacy and culture, as well as issues facing the Mediterranean region, the ministry said Friday on its website.  An array

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, earned most among leaders of political parties in the country in 2024, annual political funds reports showed Friday. Takaichi had 255.37 million yen in revenue

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–The yield on the latest issue of 10-year Japanese government bonds, regarded as the country’s benchmark long-term interest rate, rose to 1.950 pct in Tokyo interdealer trading Friday, reaching the highest level since July 2007. Selling spread in

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Medical institutions and the Self-Defense Forces are the most trusted organizations or groups of people in Japan, a survey by a Jiji Press affiliate showed Friday. According to Central Research Services Inc., medical institutions were the most trusted

(Adnkronos) – At Notre-Dame de Paris, the number of visitors exceeded that before the fire of April 15, 2019: one year after its reopening, the restored cathedral welcomed 11 million people from all over the world.   Last December 7, Notre-Dame had

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–The average value of assets held by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her 18 cabinet ministers stood at 66.41 million yen as of the launch of the cabinet on Oct. 21, government data showed Friday. The data

(Adnkronos) – Five drones were sighted by an Irish military ship near Volodymir Zelensky’s plane path upon his arrival in Dublin on Monday. The sighting triggered a security alert for the Ukrainian President, although the plane was not in danger, the Irish

(Adnkronos) – The Bundestag is expected to vote today on the pension reform package proposed by the coalition supporting Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government, consisting of CDU/CSU and SPD. The result of the vote should be announced after 1 PM this afternoon. The

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Friday he will meet with his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, in Tokyo on Sunday. The two ministers are expected to discuss the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, where China is making maritime

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–The number of My Number personal identification cards owned by individuals in Japan has topped 100 million, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. The ministry said that 100,029,804 My Number cards were held as of Wednesday, or 80.3

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government said Friday that it will provide Tonga with 300 million yen’s worth of drones and military uniforms under its official security assistance program. The support is expected to include eight unmanned aircraft for warning, surveillance

Susono, Shizuoka Pref., Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Toyota Motor Corp. on Friday unveiled the Lexus LFA Concept, the first electric sports car from the Japanese automaker. With a low center of gravity, the model features a light body and advanced aerodynamic performance. Toyota

Seoul, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–SoftBank Group Corp. Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Friday to discuss cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence and semiconductors, as well as infrastructure investment. Cooperation between South Korea and

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police have arrested four men suspected of masterminding a series of robberies in the Tokyo metropolitan area, including a case that left a woman seriously injured in Chiba Prefecture in October last year. It is the first

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday began discussions aimed at increasing the income tax rate in 2027 as part of efforts to secure financial resources for a hike in the country’s defense spending. The tax hike plan

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Parties to the Washington Convention to protect endangered species have officially rejected a proposal to tighten international eel trade regulations, based on a decision by a committee last week. In a plenary session in Uzbekistan, the parties to

Tokyo, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)–Household spending in Japan in October fell 3.0 pct from a year before in inflation-adjusted real terms, the first drop in six months, reflecting sluggish expenditures on mobile phone services and automobiles, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.