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The N Seoul Tower was lit up on Saturday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Japan.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2025

Tokyo and Seoul towers light up to mark anniversary of ties

Ambassadors from Japan and South Korea respectively attended the lighting ceremonies in the two countries.
Ichiro Aisawa (second from left), head of the Liberal Democratic Party's Research Commission on the Election System, addresses a meeting of major political parties on election-related issues held at the parliament building on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2025

Japan parties to tackle issue of collaborating candidates

A provision to unify the size and other aspects of posters, which currently vary by election type, was also included in the bill.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya meets with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and counterparts from other countries at the State Department in Washington on Jan. 21.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2025

Japan's Iwaya vows to push ahead with sanctions against Russia

Iwaya made the Russia sanctions remark after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his eagerness to achieve an early ceasefire in Ukraine through direct negotiations with Moscow.
Russian warships, including the Admiral Nevelskoy landing ship, are seen during the annual Navy Day parade in the far eastern port city of Vladivostok, Russia, on July 28, 2024.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2025

Russian Navy holds artillery firing drills in Sea of ​​Japan: report

The exercises were carried out as part of the planned combat training activities of the Russian Pacific Fleet.
Naturalized Japanese citizens from Taiwan will be able to list Taiwan as their place of origin in their family register instead of China from May.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 17, 2025

Naturalized Japanese can soon list Taiwan as original nationality

Since Japan does not officially recognize Taiwan as a country, those from the self-ruled island had been required to list China as their original nationality.
An All Nippon Airways passenger plane at Noto Airport in Ishikawa Prefecture on Jan. 27, 2024, after its arrival from Haneda Airport in Tokyo following the reopening of earthquake-affected Noto Airport to commercial flights.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2025

Japan eyes system for faster repairs of disaster-hit airports

The system, expected to cover about 60 airports, is based on lessons from the delayed resumption of an airport on the Noto Peninsula.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba receives fruit from tangerine farmers of Shizuoka Prefecture in Tokyo on Jan. 22. The government's new regional revitalization plan focuses on convincing younger workers to choose a career and life somewhere other than a major urban center such as Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 18, 2025

Can Ishiba's 'joyful Japan' policy revitalize the nation's rural regions?

The prime minister may be taking cues from the mistakes of past efforts, but ultimately, even the best rural revitalization plan is tough to realize in practice.
The Thai Royal Police held a meeting on Monday in Bangkok with representatives from 18 countries, including Japan, as well as international organizations like the United Nations regarding the transnational scam operation.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 18, 2025

Japanese nationals thought to be held captive at Myanmar-Thailand border

Foreign nationals from several countries have been held at the border and forced to participate in a variety of scams.
Rafael Grossi (left), director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at a joint news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2025

Japan and IAEA to boost cooperation on Fukushima No. 1 decommissioning

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi discussed the nuclear plant and the release of treated water from the facility into the ocean.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki speaks to reporters at the parliamentary building on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 19, 2025

Japan's justice minister admits to giving mooncakes to staff

The minister could be accused of violating the public office election law if the ministry staff who received the cakes include residents of the southern Kanto region.
The eastern Myanmar state of Kayin seen from Mae Sot in northwestern Thailand in May
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 19, 2025

Japanese boy says he was forced to work at scam center in Myanmar

The boy said that he was given electric shocks when he refused to take part in the fraud.
Behind a record-breaking rise in Japan's rice prices are intensifying competition among buyers since the serious shortage of the country's staple food in stores in summer 2024 and hoarding by those bullish about rice prices.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2025

Price of rice sold to wholesalers surges to another high in Japan

The January average rose 69% from a year earlier to ¥25,927 per 60 kilograms of brown rice amid intensifying demand.
The city government of Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, used corporate donations to create a volunteer tour, during which participants help farmers harvest apples and enjoy sightseeing in the city.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 20, 2025

Corporate hometown donations gain traction in Japan

Some local governments have been found to provide de facto rewards to donor companies, violating the system's rules and raising concerns about improper practices.
A bill to revise the public offices election law was submitted to the House of Representatives by Ichiro Aisawa (third from right), chairperson of the Liberal Democratic Party's Research Commission on the Election System, and other bipartisan lawmakers, on Thursday in the Diet.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 20, 2025

Bill calling for campaign poster decency submitted in Japan

Some campaign posters drew controversy in last summer's Tokyo gubernatorial election for depicting an almost fully naked woman and an advertisement for a sex services shop.
An example of utilizing waterfront spaces, such as developing public waterfront embarkments and privately owned roads into a unified plaza, and operating moored ships as hotels. The land ministry views this as a reference case for a public-private partnerships system. The photo was taken in December, in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 20, 2025

Private funds tapped for revitalization of Japan's port green areas

Many local governments across the nation are inviting businesses to boost the appeal of port areas by developing commercial facilities and cafes.
Tokyo police have arrested the president of a computer retailer in the capital for allegedly having Chinese students studying in Japan buy MacBooks using a student discount at Apple Stores for the purpose of reselling them overseas.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 20, 2025

Police arrest computer retailer head over MacBook student discount scheme

Zhao Zhicheng, 35, allegedly had students from China studying in Japan buy the Apple computers at a discount for the purpose of reselling abroad.
The drop in domestic shipments of paper and paperboard in 2024 came as newspaper publishers ended evening editions and the trend of reducing paper use in offices continued.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2025

Japan's domestic paper shipments hit 39-year low in 2024

The drop came as newspaper publishers ended evening editions and the trend of reducing paper use in offices continued.
Miku Sawada of Gakken, who was in charge of editing the book "Bokura wa Senso wo Shiranai", on Feb. 7 in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2025

War book for students gaining attention in Japan

The 136-page book explains what wars are and why they occur, using Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an example.
Multinational victims of scam centers, who were allegedly trafficked into working in Myanmar and were sent to Thailand on Feb. 12 amid a mounting crackdown on scam centers operating along a porous border, queue to get food at a shelter in Tak province, Thailand, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 21, 2025

Japanese nationals returned from Myanmar as scam probe continues

The Japanese nationals are among hundreds of thousands of people who police say have been coerced into engaging in online scams.
Nissan in recent weeks has been searching for a strategic partner in the tech industry, with some board members suggesting Tesla and Apple as ideal targets, the Financial Times reported.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 21, 2025

Japan seeks Tesla investment in Nissan as Foxconn approaches Honda

Taiwan's Foxconn has reportedly proposed forming a partnership with Honda, aiming for a framework that would also include Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors.
NEC's safety confirmation system for local governments to use in the event of a disaster
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2025

Japan eyeing IT to help those in need of assistance during disasters

By digitalizing operations previously done on paper, the country hopes to streamline efforts to help vulnerable people during disasters.
Akie Abe meets with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (left) at the Taiwan Presidential Office in Taipei on Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2025

Taiwan President Lai meets with Akie Abe, widow of slain prime minister

Lai told Akie at the meeting that Taiwan aims to protect the values of freedom and democracy, and deepen its friendship with Japan.
Under the law, information such as race, social status, medical history and any criminal record is designated as sensitive personal information, and obtaining such information requires prior consent from the individuals concerned.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 23, 2025

Japan may ease privacy rules to aid AI development

The move is intended to make it easier for AI-related businesses to utilize personal information.
Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, urged the country to take the lead in preventing nuclear weapons from being used for a third time.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2025

Hidankyo leader regrets Japan's dodging of upcoming nuclear ban meet

The meeting of signatories to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is set to be held in New York in March.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sign a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement at a meeting in Pyongyang in June 2024.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 24, 2025

Japan wary of North Korea's practical combat experience in Ukraine war

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi underlines concern over how Pyongyang's participation in the conflict might affect Japan's security environment.
Yuichiro Tamaki, chief of Democratic Party for the People (left), meets with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te at the presidential office in Taipei on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 25, 2025

DPP's Tamaki meets Taiwanese President Lai

Both leaders underlined the importance of cooperation among democracies for regional and global stability.
Visitors line up to take photos in front of a convenience store with Mount Fuji in the background at the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Jan. 29.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 25, 2025

Japan’s ‘hidden gems’ overwhelmed as social media drives influx of tourists

Local stakeholders struggle to cope with the surge in visitor numbers whenever a location suddenly goes viral.
Kusatsu Onsen resort, a popular tourist destination in Gunma Prefecture, on Dec. 26, 2022
JAPAN / Society
Feb 25, 2025

Gunma ranks top among city dwellers eyeing countryside, survey shows

Respondents picked the prefecture for its child-friendly environment, rich natural surroundings and proximity to the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Ichiro Fujisaki
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2025

Ex-Japan envoy concerned over Trump's foreign aid cuts

Former Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki has shown concern that China may expand its influence over developing countries.
Bic Camera is under investigation by the Fair Trade Commission for unreasonable reductions in payments to subcontractors.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2025

Japan's FTC to advise Bic Camera not to underpay subcontractors

The commission found that Bic Camera unreasonably cut payments by a total of about ¥500 million in violation of the subcontract law.

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Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear