Kesennuma, Miyagi Pref., Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–A cafe set up by Japanese actor Ken Watanabe in 2013 has closed down after supporting the reconstruction of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, hit hard by tsunami from the March 2011 major earthquake. The cafe, K-port, in

Niigata, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–The Niigata prefectural assembly Monday endorsed Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi’s decision to approve a restart of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in the central Japan prefecture. The move effectively concluded the procedures for

(The final paragraph should have read, “…156.73-73 yen…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) (Update) Key 10-year JGB Yield Hits 26-Year High of 2.095 Pct Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–The benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond yield, the country’s key long-term

Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, visited on Sunday a special photo exhibition themed on Tokyo during World War II. On display at the exhibition at the National Showa Memorial Museum in Tokyo’s Chiyoda

New York, Dec. 21 (Jiji Press)–Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, posted for his potential move to U.S. Major League Baseball, has agreed to sign a two-year, 34-million-dollar contract with the Chicago White Sox, the team announced Sunday. The 25-year-old star from the Tokyo

Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–A possible cut in the number of House of Representatives seats is unlikely to be implemented in time for the next election for the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, a Japanese ruling party official

Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to move soon to the official residence of the prime minister in the Nagatacho district in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, she has said on X, formerly Twitter. “As ‘the person who manages

Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–The benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond yield, the country’s key long-term interest rate, rose to 2.060 pct in Tokyo interdealer bond trading Monday morning, reaching the highest level since February 1999. The yield on the newest 380th issue

Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–Seven & i Holdings Co. has said that Joseph DePinto, CEO of 7-Eleven Inc., the Japanese retail giant’s North American convenience store unit, is set to retire at the end of this month. Stanley Reynolds, president of 7-Eleven,

Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–One week after two customers died in a fire in a private room at a luxury sauna facility in Tokyo’s Akasaka district, police are investigating the facility’s operator for possible professional negligence resulting in death. According to investigative

Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–As the pursuit of sustainable economic growth becomes a pressing global challenge, ESG investment, an approach that incorporates nonfinancial elements such as environmental performance, social responsibility and corporate governance into investment decisions, has reached a critical juncture. Momentum

Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. plans to promote Kazuya Oyama, 60, president of core subsidiary Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, to president of the parent holding company, it has been learned. Oyama is set to succeed Toru Takakura, 63,

Tokyo, Dec. 21 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to provide around 1 trillion yen in aid for domestic artificial intelligence development over five years, it was learned Sunday. A new company planned to be launched next spring with investments from more than

Tokyo, Dec. 21 (Jiji Press)–Lawmakers of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party continue to visit Taiwan despite the current tensions between Japan and China over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s parliamentary remarks on a Taiwan contingency. Meanwhile, it seems unlikely that a suprapartisan group

Tokyo, Dec. 21 (Jiji Press)–A senior official of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Sunday called for discussions on the country’s three nonnuclear principles. Referring to Japan’s reliance on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, Itsunori Onodera, chairman of the LDP’s Research Commission on

Tokyo, Dec. 21 (Jiji Press)–One week after two customers died in a fire in a private room at a luxury sauna facility in Tokyo’s Akasaka district, police are investigating the facility’s operator for possible professional negligence resulting in death. According to investigative

Tokyo, Dec. 21 (Jiji Press)–A senior member of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on Sunday clarified the party’s stance against the envisioned abolition of the rules limiting the export of defense equipment to five categories, including equipment for rescue

Sao Paulo, Dec. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan and Mercosur, the South American trade bloc including Brazil and others, launched a strategic partnership framework on Saturday to strengthen economic and trade relations. In a joint statement, the two sides said that they “will strive

Tokyo, Dec. 21 (Jiji Press)–Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed gratitude for the Japanese government’s pledge to provide an additional 6 billion dollars in financial aid to his country next year. “We greatly appreciate that Japan takes such a leadership position, not

Tokyo, Dec. 21 (Jiji Press)–The mother of Matsuri Takahashi, a then 24-year-old employee of advertising giant Dentsu Inc. who committed suicide nearly a decade ago after working excessive hours, has called for a society without such deaths and voiced her opposition to

Tokyo, Dec. 20 (Jiji Press)–A total of 158 public- and private-sector cooperation deals, including in the fields of natural resources and digital technology, have been reached between Japan and five Central Asian countries, the Japanese government announced Saturday. The announcement was made

Tokyo, Dec. 20 (Jiji Press)–The Bank of Japan’s decision on Friday to raise its policy interest rate further is expected to affect households and businesses in both positive and negative ways. Following the latest BOJ decision, MUFG Bank and Mizuho Bank, two

Tokyo, Dec. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan and five Central Asian nations agreed at their first summit, held in Tokyo for two days through Saturday, to enhance their economic security cooperation to strengthen supply chains involving natural resources. They adopted a joint declaration identifying

New York, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–U.S. doughnut store chain Krispy Kreme Inc. said Friday that it will sell its operations in Japan to Unison Capital Inc. for about 65 million dollars. “Unison is a proven, skilled operator with deep expertise in the

Oita, Dec. 20 (Jiji Press)–A farewell ceremony for former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who died in October at the age of 101, was held in the southwestern city of Oita on Saturday. About 600 people attended the ceremony, including House of

Washington, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–The United States recognizes Japan as “a global leader and a valuable partner” on nuclear nonproliferation and advancing nuclear arms control, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Friday. The statement was issued

Tokyo, Dec. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan and five Central Asian nations adopted a joint declaration at their first summit, held in Tokyo for two days through Saturday. The declaration identifies transportation infrastructure development, decarbonization, and people-to-people exchanges as three priority areas. “The current

Tokyo, Dec. 20 (Jiji Press)–Japanese electronic device maker Nidec Corp. has announced the resignation of its founder, Shigenobu Nagamori, as chairman amid an accounting scandal. On Friday, Nagamori became honorary chairman without the right to represent the company. He voluntarily stepped aside

New York, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–The dollar surged above 157.50 yen in New York trading on Friday, as investors sold the Japanese currency amid uncertainty over the Bank of Japan’s next policy rate hike and deep-rooted concerns about the country’s fiscal deterioration.

Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama on Friday expressed concerns over the day’s depreciation of the yen on the foreign exchange market, describing it as “one-sided and rapid.” “We will take appropriate measures against excessive movements, including speculative ones”