A total of 158 public- and private-sector cooperation deals, including in the fields of natural resources and digital technology, have been reached between Japan and five Central Asian countries, the Japanese government announced Saturday.Af 時事通信社

The Bank of Japan's decision on Friday to raise its policy interest rate further is expected to affect households and businesses in both positive and negative ways.Af 時事通信社

A farewell ceremony for former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who died in October at the age of 101, was held in the southwestern city of Oita on Saturday.Af 時事通信社

The United States recognizes Japan as "a global leader and a valuable partner" on nuclear nonproliferation and advancing nuclear arms control, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Friday.Af 時事通信社

Japan and five Central Asian nations adopted a joint declaration at their first summit, held in Tokyo for two days through Saturday.Af 時事通信社

Japanese electronic device maker Nidec Corp. has announced the resignation of its founder, Shigenobu Nagamori, as chairman amid an accounting scandal.Af 時事通信社

Four major Japanese banks said Friday that they will raise their annual interest rates on ordinary deposits to 0.3pctfrom current 0.2 pct, effective Feb. 2, 2026, following the Bank of Japan's latest rate hike decision.Af 時事通信社

Japan and five Central Asian nations kicked off their first-ever leaders' meeting in Tokyo on Friday, aiming to deepen cooperation on energy and mineral resources and on artificial intelligence.Af 時事通信社

Japan's ruling parties agreed Friday to seek to reduce the country's medical costs by 188 billion yen per year, by revising the eligibility of certain drugs for insurance coverage.Af 時事通信社

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering adding Japanese language proficiency as a requirement for permanent residency for foreigners, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.Af 時事通信社

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. said Friday that it plans to invest some 396.2 billion Indian rupees, or about 682.3 billion yen, in major Indian nonbanking financial company Shriram Finance Ltd.Af 時事通信社

Japan's Emperor Naruhito held separate meetings with the visiting presidents of four Central Asian countries--Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan--at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday.Af 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday instructed relevant government agencies to work to hold a summit on artificial intelligence in Japan as early as possible.Af 時事通信社

Japanese opposition parties on Friday urged Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to dismiss a senior government official who has said that the country should possess nuclear weapons.Af 時事通信社

A man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in a stabbing incident near the Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka told investigators he was targeting members of the idol group HKT48, investigative sources said Friday.Af 時事通信社

The ruling bloc of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party ()削除 adopted on Friday a tax system reform package for fiscal 2026, including a rise in the taxable income threshold to 1.78 million yen.Af 時事通信社

The Fair Trade Commission on Friday recognized bid-rigging by Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Tokai, and five other firms regarding inspection work for bridges installed over railroad tracks in violation of the antimonopoly law, ordering them to end the malpractice and prevent a recurrence.Af 時事通信社

The U.S. military has rejected Okinawa's requests to conduct on-site inspections at U.S. bases in the southernmost Japan prefecture, after per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, were detected around the facilities, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Friday.Af 時事通信社

Japan's Sony Group Corp. said Friday it will make Peanuts Holdings LLC, the U.S. company holding the copyright for the popular comic strip "Peanuts," known for its beloved character, Snoopy, a consolidated subsidiary.Af 時事通信社

In a worst-case situation, up to around 18,000 people would be killed chiefly in Tokyo and its three neighboring prefectures if a powerful inland earthquake with a magnitude of around 7 occurs in the heart of the capital, the government said in its new damage estimate on Friday.Af 時事通信社

Japanese real interest rates are "very low" even after the Bank of Japan's decision to implement its first interest rate hike since January, BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said Friday.Af 時事通信社

Buichiro Kuroda, vice grand steward of Japan's Imperial Household Agency, will be promoted to grand steward, effective on Wednesday, the government said Friday.Af 時事通信社

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. President Eisaku Ito has expressed the company's readiness to support the revival of Japan's shipbuilding industry by taking the leadership in ship designing and development with its technological prowess.Af 時事通信社

The Institute of Science Tokyo is expected to be the second university eligible to receive aid from a Japanese government-financed 10-trillion-yen fund to support universities, according to a report by a government panel released Friday.Af 時事通信社

Japan remains committed to the three non-nuclear principles of not possessing nuclear weapons, not producing them and not permitting their entry into the country, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Friday.Af 時事通信社

Japan's government and ruling parties are considering convening next year's ordinary session of the Diet, the country's parliament, on Jan. 23, 2026, informed sources said Friday.Af 時事通信社

The Bank of Japan on Friday decided to raise its policy interest rate to a level unseen in 30 years in its first rate hike since January this year.Af 時事通信社

The number of criminal law violations recognized in Japan in 2024 rose 4.9pctfrom the previous year to 737,679, increasing for the third straight year and returning to almost the same level as 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Justice Ministry said Friday.Af 時事通信社

Japan's core consumer price index in November rose 3.0pctfrom a year earlier, lifted by continued increases in food prices and higher electricity bills, government data showed Friday.Af 時事通信社

The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Thursday condemning North Korea's human rights violations, including its abductions of Japanese and other foreign nationals.Af 時事通信社

Loved by many children in Japan for decades for its colorful covers featuring photographs of insects and plants, the Japonica Gakushucho school notebook series has gone through a revamp to now feature illustrations on the covers.Af 時事通信社

Japan's smartphone software competition promotion law came into full effect Thursday to regulate major information technology companies in the smartphone operating system market.Af 時事通信社

The number of people leaving Japan for overseas travel during the year-end and New Year holidays is projected to reach 1 million, up 31.5pctfrom a year earlier, according to a survey by JTB Corp.Af 時事通信社

Japan will host its first summit with five Central Asian nations from Friday, aiming to deepen cooperation with the resource-rich region and strengthen supply chains.Af 時事通信社

Former Japanese internal affairs minister Toranosuke Katayama, who served as co-chief of the Japan Innovation Party ()削除, died of old age at a hospital in Tokyo on Thursday. He was 90.Af 時事通信社

The Japanese government and ruling parties decided Thursday to implement a planned income tax hike in January 2027, as part of efforts to secure funding for increased defense spending.Af 時事通信社

Japan's Emperor Naruhito held a meeting with visiting Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Thursday.Af 時事通信社

Bipartisan U.S. senators on Wednesday introduced a resolution expressing support for Japan and condemning China's economic and military pressure amid Tokyo-Beijing tensions over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on a potential Taiwan contingency.Af 時事通信社

Japan's ruling bloc and opposition Komeito on Thursday agreed to pay a monthly fee of 5,200 yen per student to make public elementary school meals free, starting in fiscal 2026.Af 時事通信社

Two helicopters of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force were hit by laser beams over Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the GSDF has said.Af 時事通信社

The Bank of Japan is expected to raise its policy interest rate by 0.25 percentage point to a 30-year-high of 0.75pcton Friday, its first increase since January.Af 時事通信社

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara on Thursday welcomed the United States' decision to extend Japan's import permit for the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project in Russia's Far East.Af 時事通信社

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party for the People agreed at a meeting of their tax panel chairs on Thursday to raise the taxable income threshold from the current 1.6 million yen to 1.78 million yen.Af 時事通信社

The Japanese government conducted for the first time a tabletop exercise under the scenario of a major infrastructure disruption, given an increase in cyberattacks globally.Af 時事通信社

Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare Co. said Thursday that it will start over-the-counter sales of an emergency contraceptive pill in Japan on Feb. 2, marking the first time in the country that such a pill will be sold without a prescription.Af 時事通信社

West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, showed to the press Wednesday its recently completed facility to preserve its train that crashed in April 2005 to kill 106 passengers and the train's driver.Af 時事通信社

Japanese public prosecutors sought a life sentence Thursday for defendant Tetsuya Yamagami on charges of murdering former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a homemade gun in 2022.Af 時事通信社

Japanese and U.S. officials met online on Thursday to discuss which U.S. projects will receive Japanese funding as part of a trade agreement between the two countries, the Japanese government said.Af 時事通信社

Japan's National Police Agency aims to submit a bill to tighten rules on drone flights near key facilities based on a report by an expert team released Thursday.Af 時事通信社

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday approved a government plan to increase state funds provided for the development of Okinawa Prefecture by 500 million yen from the previous year to 264.7 billion yen in fiscal 2026.Af 時事通信社