Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japan International Cooperation Agency on Thursday announced the withdrawal of its “hometown” initiative, which aimed to promote people-to-people exchanges between African countries and their partner Japanese cities. The decision came after the Japanese cities were flooded with

Osaka, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Prince Hisahito inspected the Grand Ring, a huge wooden structure that is a symbol of the ongoing World Exposition in Osaka, on Thursday, the second day of his two-day visit to the western Japan city. The 19-year-old

Susono, Shizuoka Pref., Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Toyota Motor Corp. opened the first part of its Woven City in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Thursday, five years after the automaker announced the experimental city’s concept. Toyota and 18 other companies are involved

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Fujifilm Corp. said Thursday that it has completed construction of a 3.2-billion-dollar biopharmaceutical plant in North Carolina. The Japanese company said that the plant is one of the largest contract development and manufacturing facilities for biopharmaceuticals in North

Osaka, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Osaka High Court on Thursday upheld a 10-year prison sentence for a man who threw an explosive at then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a campaign event in 2023. The defense for Ryuji Kimura, 26, immediately appealed

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo District Court on Thursday sentenced Yoshitaka Suzuki, a 44-year-old former Fuji Television Network Inc. employee to one year in prison, suspended for three years, for habitual gambling. Suzuki was found to have repeatedly engaged in illegal gambling

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese and U.S. governments are arranging a trip by U.S. President Donald Trump to Japan in late October, Japanese government sources said Thursday. With Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba slated to leave office next month, Trump would

Nagoya, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Nagoya High Court ruled Thursday that the Japanese government is not obligated to recognize a Syrian man as a refugee after the collapse of the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The court overturned a lower

(Adnkronos) – A few days before the opening of the polls for the legislative elections, the oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc was extradited to Moldova from Greece on charges formalized some time ago. Plahotniuc, involved in what has been called the “theft of the

(Adnkronos) – Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been found guilty of criminal association and acquitted of corruption charges at the end of his trial for illegal financing, by Libya, of his 2007 presidential campaign. Judge Nathalie Gavarino, justified the conviction for

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Nippon Steel Corp. said Thursday that it will invest some 300 million dollars in two United States Steel Corp. plants as part of the Japanese company’s 11-billion-dollar commitment to the U.S. steelmaker. This represented Nippon Steel’s first detailed

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average hit an all-time closing high for the third consecutive trading day on Thursday, partly thanks to a yen’s weakening. The Nikkei gained 124.62 points, or 0.27 pct, from Wednesday to end at

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–A Bank of Japan official called on the central bank to continue to raise interest rates at a monetary policy meeting in July, according to the minutes of the meeting released on Thursday. A member of the BOJ’s

(Adnkronos) – Airports in western Denmark have reopened after being closed for hours due to unidentified drones entering their airspace overnight. Billund Airport, the country’s second largest, was closed for an hour, while Aalborg Airport, used for commercial and military flights, was

Osaka, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Prince Hisahito on Thursday inspected the Grand Ring, a huge wooden structure that is a symbol of the ongoing World Exposition in the western city of Osaka. The 19-year-old son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japan International Cooperation Agency plans to abandon its “hometown” project aimed at promoting people-to-people exchanges between African countries and partner Japanese cities, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. The decision came after false claims circulated on

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese retail prices of rice have turned upward again although new rice harvested this year started hitting the shelves. The average rice price at supermarkets across Japan stood at 4,275 yen per 5 kilograms, up for three consecutive

Japan Department Stores Association Sept. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 118,285 M. Yen Down 2.3 pct Clothing 26,986 Down 4.0 Personal Articles 22,376 Down 3.6 Sundry Goods 31,370 Down 0.5 Household Goods 4,926 Up 2.1 Foodstuffs 25,320 Up 3.1 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Japan Department Stores Association Sept. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 413,971 M. Yen Up 2.6 pct Clothing 97,882 Up 2.0 Personal Articles 70,470 Down 0.5 Sundry Goods 97,428 Up 6.0 Household Goods 14,129 Up 0.9 Foodstuffs 104,725 Up 2.7 Note: Year-on-year changes are

Japan Chain Stores Association Sept. 25 Yr/Yr Change Total 1,100,206 M. Yen Up 2.1 pct Foodstuffs 797,922 Up 1.5 Clothing 42,800 Down 1.7 Sundries 82,125 Down 0.3 Furniture and Interior Goods 56,795 Down 3.6 Home Electric Appliances 2,491 Up 2.1 Note: Year-on-year

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Services producer prices in Japan rose 2.7 pct from a year before in August, up for the 54th straight month, preliminary data from the Bank of Japan showed Thursday. The August services producer price index stood at 111.2

Kuala Lumpur, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Economy ministers from Japan and Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries have agreed to work together to enhance supply chains for products and parts. In a joint statement adopted at their meeting in Kuala Lumpur on

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Nippon Life Insurance Co. plans to resume running commercials on Fuji Television Network Inc. after a halt since January due to a sexual assault scandal involving former TV personality Masahiro Nakai. “We believe there has been some progress

Chiba, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Tokyo Game Show 2025 kicked off at the Makuhari Messe convention center in the city of Chiba, east of Tokyo, on Thursday, featuring a record-high number of some 1,140 exhibitors, including overseas companies. The annual event showcases

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Resona Bank and security company Alsok Co. have agreed to work together on digitalizing local governments’ tax and public services fee collection work. The two signed a cooperation agreement Wednesday with the aim of helping local governments

Tokyo, Sept. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan will provide 861 million yen in grant aid to Palestine for health and hygiene initiatives, it has been learned. The Japanese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the aid will be used to provide health and medical services

New York, Sept. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday that it has ended production of the Acura ZDX luxury electric vehicle, developed jointly with U.S. auto giant General Motors Co. The ZDX had been manufactured at a GM plant in

(Adnkronos) – Sadiq Khan has called Donald Trump “racist, sexist, misogynist and Islamophobic” after the US president, speaking from the United Nations stage, criticized the work of the “terrible” mayor of London, claiming that the British capital is heading towards the application

(Adnkronos) – The French inter-union organization has called for a new day of strikes and mobilizations for October 2. The announcement came at the end of talks today in Paris between union representatives and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. The Communist Party, the

New York, Sept. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday that his country will participate in new efforts to tackle the financial crisis of Palestine. “As Palestine is set to be invited as a responsible member of the international community