Hiroshima, Sept. 4 (Jiji Press)–Okunoshima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan now famous as “Rabbit Island” for its estimated 500 to 600 wild rabbits, once hosted a poison gas production facility operated by the former Imperial Japanese Army.

Urasoe, Okinawa Pref., Sept. 4 (Jiji Press)–A majority of residents in Okinawa Prefecture are constantly opposed to the planned relocation of the U.S. Futenma base in the Okinawa city of Ginowan to the Henoko coastal district in Nago, another city in the

Urayasu, Chiba Pref., Sept. 4 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo DisneySea, one of the most popular theme parks in Japan, on Friday celebrated the 25th anniversary of its opening. The only ocean-themed Disney park in the world, located in the city of Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture,

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Council for Cultural Affairs, which advises Japan’s culture minister, on Thursday selected Hikone Castle, located in the western prefecture of Shiga, as the country’s fiscal 2026 candidate for registration as a UNESCO World Heritage site. A nomination

New York/London, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–The dollar tumbled to around 155.50 yen in New York foreign exchange trading Thursday morning, hitting its lowest level since Aug. 3. Yen buying for dollars grew on the back of speculation that the Bank of Japan

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama indicated Thursday that there has been no request from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for a change in the economic policy of the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Bessent “did not

(Adnkronos) – The death toll from the devastating landslide and flood on August 26 in Nepal has risen to 1,259. The number of missing has drastically increased in the last 24 hours, from 4,216 to 5,083. This was reported by the emergency

(Adnkronos) – Morocco has opened an investigation into the arrival of thousands of migrants in Ceuta on the night of July 30-31 and has communicated this to the Spanish authorities. This was reported by sources from the Rabat government, as written by

(Adnkronos) – A man was arrested today at Gare du Midi railway station in Brussels, as he was getting off a train and was in possession of a Kalashnikov-type weapon which he was carrying in a bag. According to what Afp learned

Kumamoto, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–A fire broke out Thursday afternoon at a Nippon Paper Industries Co. plant heavily damaged in a massive earthquake that rocked the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto in late July. According to the Kumamoto prefectural police department, no

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that tax breaks for the four Russian-held islands that Japan calls the Northern Territories have been successful, underscoring Moscow’s intent to develop the islands as Russian territory. Putin made this remark in

London, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–The dollar slipped below 156 yen in London trading Thursday morning, hitting its lowest level since Aug. 3. Yen buying for dollars mounted on the back of speculation that Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund may increase its investments

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japan and Mongolia agreed Thursday to cooperate on expanding Chinggis Khaan International Airport, which was constructed with Japan’s official development assistance. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Mongolian counterpart, Batmunkh Battsetseg, reached the agreement at a meeting

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who also heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is considering retaining LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki in the upcoming reshuffles of her cabinet and the party’s leadership team, sources in the Takaichi administration said

(Adnkronos) – The British Foreign Office has summoned Moscow’s senior diplomat in London in connection with Russian attacks on Germany, described as ”serious and irresponsible”. Downing Street announced this. Citing in particular the attack in Leipzig, the spokesperson for the British Foreign

(Adnkronos) – Thirteen members of the Yemeni government forces were killed in clashes with Houthi fighters. A military source told AFP, accusing the group of launching an offensive to conquer areas located on the borders of the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait. “According

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is planning to do without a second supplementary budget for fiscal 2026, government and ruling party sources said Thursday. While the government and ruling parties are considering convening an extraordinary session of the Diet in

(Adnkronos) – An investigation has been opened against former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu for allegedly insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the latest move against a former political ally turned rival and founder of his own party. In a statement, prosecutors

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese court on Thursday sentenced former taxi driver Kiyotaka Zanami, 79, to three years in prison, suspended for five years, for his role in a hit-and-run in Tokyo that resulted in the death of a corporate worker

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Minimum hourly wage hikes in 33 of Japan’s 47 prefectures for fiscal 2026 exceeded the targets set by the Central Minimum Wage Council, which advises the labor minister, it was learned Thursday. The hikes outpaced the targets by

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–University of Tsukuba professor emeritus Hideki Shirakawa, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 for developing conductive polymers, died of metastatic liver tumor and cancer of unknown primary origin at a hospital in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture,

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–The annualized growth rate of Japan’s real gross domestic product for April-June is expected to be revised up to 1.6 pct, according to the average forecast of 10 private think tanks. The figure is higher than the 1.1

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Shinkin Central Bank, the central financial institution for shinkin banks across Japan, will help small and midsize Japanese companies branch out into other Asian markets, President and CEO Hiroshi Sudo said in an interview with Jiji Press. “It’s

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese agrisolar projects, which use land for both solar power generation and agriculture, are at a crossroads with regulations set to be tightened following a series of inappropriate cases, including failures to meet required crop yield standards. Meanwhile,

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–The dollar plunged below 156.50 yen briefly in Tokyo trading Thursday, the lowest level since Aug. 3, amid expectations that the Bank of Japan will accelerate interest rate hikes. The dollar stood at 157.03-06 yen at 5 p.m.,

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Five Japanese oil distributors admitted forming a price cartel for gas oil sold to transport and other companies in Tokyo, at the first hearing of their trial at Tokyo District Court on Thursday. East Japan Usami Co. and

(Adnkronos) – The bodies of four people from the same family, including two children aged six and nine, have been discovered in the commune of Gy, in Haute-Saône. An official source who requested anonymity reported this. The bodies were discovered last night

Miyazaki, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Three people were confirmed dead after their boat failed to return from a fishing trip in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Miyazaki on Thursday morning, according to the Japan Coast Guard and fire authorities. At around 7:50 a.m.,

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to provide defense equipment to about 12 countries for free in fiscal 2026, an increase from eight in the previous year, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. The increase in the number of

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese convenience store operator FamilyMart Co. said Thursday it will introduce in stages from this month a new cash register system that can easily be switched between self-checkout and staffed modes to reduce burden on store workers.