Tokyo, Dec. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to scrap its target of turning the primary budget balance at the central and local governments into a surplus in a specific fiscal year. At a meeting Thursday of the Council on Economic and

Tokyo, Dec. 25 (Jiji Press)–Having a dog at home likely helps alter adolescent children’s microbiome to make them happier and have better social skills, a study by a Japanese research team showed. The team’s findings, based on surveys of children and experiments

Tokyo, Dec. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has adopted an ordinance to enforce a revised Civil Code that will introduce joint parental custody of children after divorce, starting on April 1, 2026. At the same time, a statutory child support system will

Tokyo, Dec. 25 (Jiji Press)–Members of the Japanese government’s regulatory reform promotion council have agreed to discuss six areas, including a possible easing of work hour regulations, advocated by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, on a priority basis. At a meeting of the

Tokyo, Dec. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has revamped its action plan aimed at preventing human rights violations linked to corporate activities. The revised action plan, announced Wednesday, includes eight priority areas, such as human rights due diligence procedures, in which companies

Seoul, Dec. 25 (Jiji Press)–The South Korean navy has conducted a defense drill for the Sea of Japan islands claimed by Tokyo. The drill took place Tuesday, according to South Korean media. The navy carries out a defense drill for the islands,

Bangkok, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Thai police said Wednesday that they have arrested the mother of a Thai girl who was forced to work illegally at a massage parlor in Tokyo on charges of human trafficking. The mother, 29, has denied the charges.

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition said Wednesday that the event held in the western Japan city of Osaka is estimated to generate a profit of 32 billion yen to 37 billion yen. The strong profit

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The mother of Matsuri Takahashi, who killed herself after working excessive hours at advertising giant Dentsu Inc. 10 years ago, held a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday and called on people not to forget the issue of

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese beverage maker Sapporo Holdings Ltd. said Wednesday that it will sell its real estate operations to a consortium of U.S. investment fund Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Hong Kong-based PAG Investment Management Ltd. for 477 billion

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Wednesday upgraded its real gross domestic product growth projection for fiscal 2026 to 1.3 pct from 0.9 pct as of August, as eased inflation is expected to support private consumption and business investment. The

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering visiting the United States in March next year for the first time since taking office in October to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, informed sources said Wednesday. Trump is

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering visiting the United States in March next year for the first time since taking office in October to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, informed sources said Wednesday. Trump is

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is considering requiring foreign visitors to obtain private health insurance before arriving in the country, Jiji Press learned Wednesday. The move comes in line with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s request in June. According to

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The average retail price of regular gasoline in Japan as of Monday stood at 158 yen per liter, the lowest level in about four years and four months, thanks to government subsidies, the industry ministry said Wednesday. The

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–This year’s winter bonuses at large companies in Japan averaged 1,004,841 yen, topping 1 million yen for the first time since comparable data became available in 1981, a survey showed Wednesday. The average rose 8.57 pct from a

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan plans to more than double funding for its security equipment aid to like-minded countries in fiscal 2026, in view of China’s increasingly assertive actions in the East and South China Seas. The government will allocate about 18.1

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. on Wednesday asked the Nuclear Regulation Authority to make a final check before the planned restart of operations at the No. 6 reactor of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in central Japan.

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Fair Trade Commission said Wednesday that it will investigate artificial intelligence-based online search services as the unauthorized use of news articles by these services could constitute an abuse of a dominant bargaining position under the antimonopoly

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans not to extend the deadline for Banks’ Shareholdings Purchase Corp. to purchase shares and exchange-traded funds held by banks, given the current market environment, Jiji Press learned Wednesday. The government will forgo submitting a

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and health minister Kenichiro Ueno agreed Wednesday to raise medical service fees by 2.22 pct for a fiscal 2026 review. The two ministers agreed to increase the main portion of the fees, which

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to set aside around 122.3 trillion yen in general-account spending under its fiscal 2026 budget, a record high for the second straight year following 115,197.8 billion yen in the previous year’s initial budget, people

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government under then Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa was in trouble dealing with a strong U.S. request for support during the 1994 North Korea nuclear crisis, diplomatic records revealed Wednesday. The Hosokawa government had to respond to

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan took a cautious stance toward granting Russia full membership of the Group of Seven at the 1994 summit in Naples, Italy, due to a long-standing bilateral territorial dispute, newly released documents showed Wednesday. Diplomatic records declassified by

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–China repeatedly urged Japan to address its concerns related to Taiwan ahead of then Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa’s visit to China in March 1994, according to Japanese diplomatic records disclosed Wednesday. Concerned about possible deterioration in Japan-China

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Former Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa has recounted how shocked he was to hear a U.S. view that there was over a 50 pct chance of a Korean Peninsula contingency during the 1994 North Korea nuclear crisis. In

Tsu, Mie Pref., Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The prefectural government of Mie, central Japan, is considering stopping hiring foreign nationals, in order to protect confidential information, officials said Wednesday. Prefectural officials cited concerns about leaks of agricultural production information and residents’ personal data,

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Cases of abuse against people with disabilities in Japan reached a record high of 3,770 in fiscal 2024, the welfare ministry said Tuesday, citing an increase in consultations and reports to local governments. The total, confirmed by prefectural

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Hyogo prefectural police executives have been punished over gifts and other favors from a company commissioned to provide services to the western Japan police, Jiji Press learned Wednesday. A police station chief received gifts from the company, while

(The second sentence in the final paragraph should have read, “…full-scale…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) Japan to Adopt Record 122.3-T.-Yen FY 2026 Budget Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is in the final stages of work to