Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–Masahiro Futahashi, who served as deputy chief cabinet secretary for administrative affairs under former prime ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Yasuo Fukuda for a total of four years, died of pneumonia on June 8. He was 84. In 1964,

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–Junya Ogawa, leader of Japan’s main opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, on Friday urged the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito to formally enter negotiations with the CRA on a merger among the three parties. Ogawa separately met

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average rose 196.57 points, or 0.27 pct, to 71,250.06 in Tokyo trading on Friday, hitting a record closing high for the fifth session in a row. Semiconductors and other artificial intelligence-related issues continued

Otsu, Shiga Pref., June 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese public prosecutors said Friday that they will not seek to prove guilt in a retrial of a man who received a life term for a 1984 robbery-murder in Shiga Prefecture and later died in prison,

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–U.S. artificial intelligence developer OpenAI said Friday that it has begun a trial for displaying advertisements in its ChatGPT generative AI chatbot for users in Japan. The ads will appear on the free version and the Go plan,

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–The Diet, Japan’s parliament, on Friday enacted a bill to revise the postal privatization and related laws, paving the way for subsidies to preserve the nationwide post office network. The House of Councillors, the upper chamber, adopted the

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–The Diet, Japan’s parliament, on Friday ratified acquisition and cross-servicing agreements with the Philippines, the Netherlands and New Zealand. The ACSAs, which facilitate the reciprocal provision of fuel and munitions between the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the militaries

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, passed a bill to revise the law on national referendums on constitutional amendments by a majority vote at a plenary session on Friday. The bill

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government Friday decided to extend the deployment of Self-Defense Forces personnel to the headquarters of the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, by one year until the end of June 2027. The deployment, conducted under

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–A member of the Bank of Japan Policy Board backed the idea of raising interest rates every few months at their meeting in April, it was learned Friday. At the April 27-28 meeting, three of the nine members

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–A fire burned part of an elementary school in a densely populated area of Tokyo on Friday, leaving 10 people, mainly children, injured. At Takinogawa Daisan Elementary School in Kita Ward, the fire started around 11 a.m. It

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s core consumer prices in May rose 1.4 pct from a year earlier, growing for the 57th consecutive month, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. The pace of increase in the core consumer price index, which excludes volatile

Amsterdam, June 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Emperor Naruhito visited Leiden University on Thursday during his state visit to the Netherlands, holding talks with students learning about Japan. The oldest university in the Netherlands, established in 1575, is the only one in the country

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama on Friday warned against speculative movements in the foreign exchange market, signaling authorities’ readiness to intervene as the dollar soared to its highest levels in nearly two years against the yen. Japanese authorities

Nashville, Tennessee, June 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese men’s national soccer team midfielder Takefusa Kubo will miss Saturday’s FIFA World Cup Group F match against Tunisia in Mexico due to a left knee injury, it was learned Thursday. Kubo, 25, who plays for Real

New York, June 18 (Jiji Press)–The dollar rose as high as 161.81 yen at one point in New York trading on Thursday, the highest level since July 2024, amid growing expectations of an interest rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve later

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average advanced to hit yet another record intraday high just below 72,000 on Friday morning, with technology issues drawing buying on U.S. stocks’ overnight ascent amid easing concerns over the situation in the

(Adnkronos) – The government does not oppose sanctioning goods from from Israeli settlements in the West Bank and continues to back sanctions against Israel’s far-right police minister Itamar Ben Gvir for taunting and mistreating activists from the intercepted Global Sumud Gaza aid

(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday welcomed Irans’ re-opening of the key Strait of Hormuz waterway to maritime traffice, hailing it as “a positive sign including for the entire world of commerce.”   “The restoration of freedom of navigation

(Adnkronos) – Italian merchant ship ‘Grande Torino’ was among the first vessels to cross the Strait of Hormuz just hours after the signing of an interim deal to end the three-month United States-Israeli war on Iran, foreign minister Antonio Tajani wrote Thursday

Sendai, Miyagi Pref., June 18 (Jiji Press)–A young Japanese golden eagle that was born at a Tokyo zoo was released in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Thursday, as part of efforts to bring the species back to the area. This was

The Hague, Netherlands, June 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, now on a state visit to the Netherlands, attended a luncheon hosted by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten at a museum in The Hague on Thursday. After listening to explanations about artworks on

Tokyo, June 18 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese beverage maker Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. said Thursday that it will launch its Calpis fermented milk-based drink in India. Asahi Group inked a franchise agreement with Indian beverage manufacturer Varun Beverages Ltd. for the Calpis introduction

Tokyo, June 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average closed above 70,000 for the first time Thursday, but the rally has remained heavily concentrated in artificial intelligence-related stocks, with about 30 pct of its components still below their levels at the

Kyoto, June 18 (Jiji Press)–Nidec Corp. President and CEO Mitsuya Kishida at an annual general shareholders meeting Thursday expressed regret over the major motor manufacturer’s accounting and quality scandals. “We deeply apologize,” Kishida said during the meeting in the western Japan city

Tokyo, June 18 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, is set to make a decision next year on whether to maintain or dissolve itself, with hibakusha atomic bomb survivors entering their twilight years. At its

(Adnkronos) – The government on Thursday welcomed the launch of the pilot phase of the Joint Operations Centre in Tripoli, which aims to support Libyan efforts to manage illegal immigration, strengthen the country’s search and rescue capability and improve information exchange between

Tokyo, June 18 (Jiji Press)–A Jiji Press opinion poll showed Thursday that 53.4 pct of respondents support a plan to reduce 45 of the 176 proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament.

Taipei, June 18 (Jiji Press)–Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Thursday called for stronger cooperation with Japan in areas including technology and security. At a press conference in Taipei with foreign media, Lai said Japan and Taiwan are the most important drivers of

Nashville, Tennessee, June 17 (Jiji Press)–It remains uncertain whether injured Japanese men’s national soccer team member Takefusa Kubo can play in the Asian country’s next match, against Tunisia, in the ongoing FIFA World Cup. The Japan Football Association said Wednesday that Kubo,