JIJI English News-時事通信英語ニュース-

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Saturday that she has no time to consider dissolving the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of parliament, early for a snap general election.

Energy and environment ministers from the Group of Seven major powers have agreed to reduce dependence on existing supply chains for rare earths and other critical minerals that are currently dominated by China.

Leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum ended a two-day summit in South Korea on Saturday, adopting a declaration that made no mention of the World Trade Organization, which has been positioned as the core of the free trade system in past APEC statements.

The Japanese government has yet to find specific ways to secure some 2.4 trillion yen in stable financial resources to fund both the planned elimination of the provisional gasoline tax surcharge and a free education program.

The suspect in the 1999 murder of a housewife in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, had initially refused to undergo DNA profiling before surrendering to police, investigative sources said Saturday.

The U.N. General Assembly Committee on Disarmament and International Security on Friday adopted a Japan-sponsored resolution calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25pcttariff on imports of medium and heavy trucks Saturday, raising the levy on such vehicles from Japan to 50 pct.

The 63rd Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs opened in the western Japanese city of Hiroshima on Saturday, bringing together about 190 participants from around 40 countries and regions to mainly discuss the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Japan's new Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara has vowed to boldly revise the country's three key national security-related documents.

Police on Friday arrested a 69-year-old woman for the alleged murder of a housewife in Nagoya in 1999, the capital of the central Japan prefecture of Aichi.

Japan's staple rice production is forecast to total 7.11 million tons in 2026, down 370,000 tons from 2025, the agriculture ministry said Friday.

Two high courts in Japan on Friday ruled the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the country's parliament, was held "in a state of unconstitutionality" due to large vote-value disparities.

UA Zensen, which comprises unions in industries including textiles and retail in Japan, plans to demand a 6pctwage increase in next year's "shunto" spring labor-management negotiations, the same level as in the 2025 shunto, it was learned Friday.

Japan's Financial Services Agency on Friday issued a business improvement order to Iwaki Shinkumi, including partial suspension of its operations, after the regional credit cooperative was found to have provided funds to antisocial forces.

Japan's ruling and opposition parties agreed Friday to scrap the provisional gasoline tax surcharge at the end of December.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed at their first summit on Friday afternoon to promote a mutually beneficial strategic relationship between their countries.

A Russian hacker group in a statement released in the dark web has claimed responsibility for the cyberattack that caused a system glitch at Japanese office and household goods seller Askul Corp., it was learned Friday.

Six years after a fire, restoration work was nearly completed in July on the vivid red exterior of the "Seiden" main hall of Shuri Castle in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi vowed to contribute to promoting regional trade and investment at her first summit meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on Friday.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average hit a new record high for the third straight day on Friday, closing above 52,000 for the first time ever, backed by strong corporate earnings and the yen's weakening.

The city assembly of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Friday passed a second no-confidence motion against scandal-hit Mayor Maki Takubo, resulting in her removal from office on the same day.

Japan's industrial production in September rose 2.2pctfrom the previous month, up for the first time in three months, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Friday.

The core consumer price index for Tokyo's 23 wards rose 2.8pctin October from a year before, up for the 50th consecutive month, the internal affairs ministry reported Friday.

The Japanese government is considering holding a ministerial meeting to discuss policy on foreigners as soon as early next week, government officials said Friday.

The Japanese government on Friday approved an ordinance to enforce the revised Civil Code, which includes the introduction of a new joint child custody system for divorced parents, on April 1 next year.

Yoshihiko Noda, head of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said Friday that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may dissolve the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, for a snap election on the back of her cabinet's high approval ratings in recent media polls.

Japan's seasonally adjusted job-to-seeker ratio stood at 1.20 in September, flat from the previous month, the labor ministry said Friday.

Japanese trade minister Ryosei Akazawa on Thursday expressed strong concern over China's stepped-up rare earth export controls.

Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday that it expects to log a consolidated operating loss of 275 billion yen in the fiscal year through next March, due to the impact of high U.S. tariffs and sluggish sales reflecting intense competition.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said Thursday that it posted a group net loss of 712.3 billion yen for April-September, marking a record net loss for the first-half period.

Ministers from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum member economies concluded their two-day meeting in South Korea on Thursday, falling short of adopting a joint statement due to difficulties in coordinating views on free trade and artificial intelligence management.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at their first meeting Thursday agreed to advance bilateral relations in a future-oriented and stable manner.

The volume of rice imported into Japan by the private sector in April-September totaled 86,523 tons, up 208-fold from a year earlier amid soaring rice prices, government data showed Thursday.

Japanese major trading company Sojitz Corp. said Thursday it has begun importing heavy rare earths mined by its partner company in Australia.

Oriental Land Co., the operator of Tokyo Disney Resort, said Thursday that its consolidated sales in April-September went up 6.4pctfrom a year earlier to 316.1 billion yen, a record high for the period.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara on Thursday ruled out the possibility of replacing Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato, who is one of the Liberal Democratic Party members involved in the ruling party's "slush funds" scandal.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is showing signs of changing its position on the country's national security legislation, in an apparent shift toward realism to take the helm of the government.

Japan's Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko arrived at the Hayama Imperial Villa in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, on Thursday for a rest.

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki on Thursday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's order for the Defense Department to restart nuclear tests, describing it as "absolutely unacceptable."

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara on Thursday instructed relevant ministries and agencies to draw up an urgent package of measures against wild bears by mid-November amid a series of attacks on people across the country.

The yen fell past 153 per dollar in Tokyo trading on Thursday as hopes for an early interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan faded after the central bank decided to keep interest rates unchanged.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. on Thursday started the fifth round of the fiscal 2025 release of treated water from its disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean in northeastern Japan.

Three Japanese high courts ruled Thursday that the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the country's parliament, was constitutional in terms of vote-value disparities.

Income declared by companies in Japan that closed their books in fiscal 2024, which ended in March, grew 4.1pctfrom the previous year to 102,338.1 billion yen, hitting a record high for the fourth year in a row, the National Tax Agency said Thursday.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party will decide its proposal for economic measures, including those to address persisting inflation, by mid-November, the party's policy leader said Thursday.

Japan's newly developed HTV-X resupply vehicle arrived at the International Space Station in the small hours of Thursday Japan time.

Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp. has announced its plan to make Tokyo-based major information technology service provider SCSK Corp. a wholly owned subsidiary through a takeover bid valued at some 882 billion yen.

Six Japanese ruling and opposition parties on Wednesday agreed to explore the possibility of scrapping the provisional gasoline tax surcharge by the end of this year, Itsunori Onodera, tax chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said.

Honda Motor Co. has halted vehicle production at a plant in Mexico due to a semiconductor shortage linked to the disrupted supply from Netherlands-headquartered Chinese chipmaker Nexperia, officials have said.

Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, agreed Wednesday to develop the two nations' future-oriented relations in a stable way.

The foreign chiefs of Japan, the United States and South Korea affirmed their cooperation Wednesday, with in mind China's growing hegemonic behavior and North Korea's nuclear and missile development.