Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, agreed Wednesday that relations between the two countries remain important.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan on Thursday put into effect revised cannabis and narcotics control laws that criminalize the use of cannabis and impose a penalty of up to seven years in prison for the crime.Oleh 時事通信社

Three co-chairs of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Oslo on Wednesday, the day after the Japanese hibakusha group received the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.Oleh 時事通信社

The Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers' Unions said Wednesday that it plans to seek monthly pay-scale hikes of 12,000 yen in next year's "shunto" spring wage negotiations.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday expressed his willingness to meet with members of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, which received this year's Nobel Peace Prize.Oleh 時事通信社

Nissan Motor Co. said Wednesday that it will replace Chief Financial Officer Stephen Ma with Jeremie Papin, currently chair of the Americas, effective on Jan. 1.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito ruling coalition and the opposition Democratic Party for the People reached a deal Wednesday to ensure the passage of the government's supplementary budget bill for fiscal 2024 during the ongoing extraordinary Diet session.Oleh 時事通信社

Uber Japan said Wednesday that it has launched a new service to allow children aged 13 to 17 to safely use taxis, including on their way to extracurricular activities.Oleh 時事通信社

The Japanese government and the ruling camp are considering a plan to start raising corporate and tobacco taxes in April 2026 to boost the country's defense spending, informed sources said Wednesday.Oleh 時事通信社

The group of Tokyo metropolitan assembly members from the Liberal Democratic Party is suspected of failing to report some of its income from sales of fundraising event tickets, it was learned Wednesday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's ruling bloc on Wednesday proposed raising the upper limit on annual income of university and other students working part-time jobs eligible for a special tax deduction program for dependent family members to 1.3 million yen from the current 1.03 million yen.Oleh 時事通信社

The 50 cc version of Honda Motor Co.'s "Super Cub" motorcycle has been attracting strong demand since the maker's announcement that Super Cub 50 production will end by autumn next year.Oleh 時事通信社

Nippon Life Insurance Co. said Wednesday that it will acquire U.S. life insurer Resolution Life Group Holdings Ltd. for roughly 8.2 billion dollars, making it the largest ever acquisition in Japan's insurance industry including nonlife insurers.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday denied that Tokyo had ever supported the idea of Russia returning only two of the four disputed northwestern Pacific islands to Japan.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Prince Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, is set to enter the University of Tsukuba next April, informed sources said Wednesday.Oleh 時事通信社

The leading opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan submitted to parliament Wednesday an amendment to the government's draft fiscal 2024 supplementary budget.Oleh 時事通信社

Theme park Universal Studios Japan in the western city of Osaka opened the new "Donkey Kong Country" zone, based on Nintendo Co.'s Donkey Kong video game series Wednesday.Oleh 時事通信社

Citizens in Oslo celebrated Nihon Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize win Tuesday evening with chants of "no more hibakusha" in a march in the Norwegian capital.Oleh 時事通信社

East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, has announced plans to drastically expand the functions of its Suica smart transit card, including its smartphone app version.Oleh 時事通信社

The Bank of Japan's "tankan" quarterly survey for December, due out Friday, is expected to show slightly weaker business sentiment among both major manufacturers and nonmanufacturers, according to forecasts by think tanks.Oleh 時事通信社

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration plans to block Nippon Steel Corp.'s proposed buyout of United States Steel Corp., a media report said Tuesday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his visiting Finnish counterpart, Petteri Orpo, agreed Tuesday to advance their countries' security cooperation after Finland joined NATO in April last year.Oleh 時事通信社

Nippon Life Insurance Co. plans to acquire U.S. life insurer Resolution Life Group Holdings Ltd., it was learned Tuesday.Oleh 時事通信社

While Japan's Nihon Hidankyo has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize, the feat came at a time when the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, or NPT, framework, which has been at the center of the world's efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear arms and promote disarmament, has lost its substance.Oleh 時事通信社

It is important to pass on the memories of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors to avoid repeating historical mistakes, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in an interview with Jiji Press in Oslo ahead of this year's Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Tuesday agreed to strengthen multilateral cooperation including between their countries and South Korea.Oleh 時事通信社

The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, received the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize at an award ceremony in the Norwegian capital of Oslo on Tuesday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan, the United States and the Philippines held their first maritime talks in Tokyo on Tuesday, affirming a policy of opposing any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the South China Sea, where China is increasing its hegemonic moves.Oleh 時事通信社

Tokyo remained in third place in global city rankings released by a Japanese think tank on Tuesday, retaining the spot for the ninth consecutive year.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday that an opposition-proposed ban on donations from companies and other organizations could violate Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press and all other forms of expression.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force said Tuesday that it will suspend flights of its fleet of V-22 Osprey transport aircraft for the time being, after the U.S. military temporarily halted flights of its own V-22 fleet.Oleh 時事通信社

The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, has proposed measures to be taken by the government to achieve 1,000-trillion-yen nominal gross domestic product in fiscal 2040.Oleh 時事通信社

Kentaro Kitagawa, former head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, will plead not guilty of raping a female prosecutor while in office in September 2018, his lawyer said Tuesday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese freelance television announcer Tomoaki Ogura, who served as host of a popular morning show for 22 years, died of bladder cancer at his home in Tokyo on Monday, his talent agency said Tuesday. He was 77.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday again voiced his eagerness to establish an Asian version of NATO.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's parliament Tuesday began debates on a proposed fresh revision of the political funds control law over a slush funds scandal that involved the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.Oleh 時事通信社

Nihon Hidankyo won this year's Nobel Peace Prize after decades of efforts by now-deceased hibakusha atomic bomb survivors who spearheaded antinuclear activities while grappling with severe injuries, illnesses and the loss of their families.Oleh 時事通信社

The government adopted an ordinance Tuesday to regulate technology giants with at least 40 million users per month in Japan under a new law to restrict activities of such companies.Oleh 時事通信社

Nippon Steel Corp. has countered arguments made by the United Steelworkers, or USW, labor union over its plan to acquire United States Steel Corp. in a letter addressed to U.S. Steel's employees.Oleh 時事通信社

"Shogun," a feudal Japan-set drama starring and produced by Hiroyuki Sanada, was nominated for four Golden Globe awards in the television series category, it was announced Monday.Oleh 時事通信社

A leader of the Japanese hibakusha group Nihon Hidankyo, the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner, spoke to the world's press on Monday, the day before the award ceremony in Oslo.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese power generation company Jera Co. said Monday that it has agreed to merge offshore wind power generation operations with British energy giant BP PLC.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that he will urge a working group within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to speed up discussions on the introduction of a selective dual surname system for married couples.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese chipmaker Kioxia Holdings Corp. said Monday that it will sell shares at 1,455 yen apiece for its initial public offering next week.Oleh 時事通信社

A court in Beijing late last month held the first hearing of a trial of a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc., who has been charged with espionage in China, people familiar with relations between the two countries said Monday.Oleh 時事通信社

The number of initial public offerings in Japan is expected to total 134 in 2024, up 10 from the previous year, as a robust domestic stock market encourages companies to raise funds, the Tokyo Stock Exchange said Monday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed his intention Monday to examine effective investigative techniques including allowing detectives to go undercover against "dark part-time jobs" like robberies that have successively happened recently in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures.Oleh 時事通信社

Bear hunters in Hokkaido, northern Japan, have been shocked by a recent high court ruling that upheld the Hokkaido prefectural government's decision to revoke the shot gun license of a local hunter.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting Indonesia and Malaysia in early January, government sources said Monday.Oleh 時事通信社

The Japanese government hopes that the collapse of dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime will help improve the humanitarian situation in Syria, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Monday.Oleh 時事通信社