January 17, 2022
The government will likely allow foreign students to enter Japan in stages, after suspending such entries due to the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus overseas, government sources said ...
The year 2022 will test Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. How should he deal with the pandemic, foreign affairs, the economy and other issues? This is the second installment in a series of articles on how...
The Japanese government believes that Friday’s firing of at least one ballistic missile by North Korea, the third such occasion this year, might be part of diplomatic maneuvering as well as technol...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Former Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu, who worked on political reform after the so-called Recruit stock-for-favors scandal in the 1980s, died of old age at a Tokyo hospit...
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida submitted to leaders of the Diet on Wednesday a final report on how to ensure a stable Imperial succession, a step taken to kick off discussions between ruling and opposit...
Tuesday marked the 100th day since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida assumed office. “I’ve been running so hard, I haven’t had time to pause for breath,” he said, recalling last year’s Liberal De...
Taro Kono is swiftly reforming the Liberal Democratic Party’s public relations strategy, using his high profile and experience to promote the LDP to the public while also expanding his own foothold ...
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced plans Tuesday to expedite the COVID-19 booster rollout and expand treatment services offered to patients at home or at recuperation facilities under the governme...
The government will significantly improve the functions of the AtheNa sodium experimental facility for fast reactor research in Ibaraki Prefecture, in connection with a next-generation fast reactor de...
The government has decided to strengthen its support for the promotion of tourism in areas designated as specific inhabited remote border islands, with a view to preserving territorial waters as well...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida suggested Sunday that the government will stop short of submitting a bill to revise the infectious disease law to allow stronger steps aga...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Japanese prefectures of Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima were placed under a COVID-19 state of pre-emergency on Sunday, enabling measures similar to those under a state of ...
National soccer team members for China and Saudi Arabia will be allowed to visit Japan exceptionally for two matches in the final round of Asian qualifiers for the World Cup in Qatar, The Yomiuri Shi...
WASHINGTON — Rahm Emanuel, who will soon arrive in Japan as the new U.S. ambassador, has expressed his intention to strengthen the bilateral alliance to realize a “free and open Indo-Pacific” t...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Japanese and U.S. governments are launching a new research and development agreement that will make it easier for the two countries’ scientists, engineers and others to co...
The government has made a strong protest through its embassy channels in Beijing to North Korea over its launch of a missile Wednesday that landed in the Sea of Japan.
Takehiro Funakoshi, director g...
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday asked that the U.S. military in Japan stay inside its bases to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Hayashi said he spoke o...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The missile launched by North Korea on Wednesday was a new-type ballistic one, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters on Thursday.
The North Korean missile appe...
SYDNEY (AP) — The leaders of Japan and Australia signed a “landmark” defense agreement Thursday that allows closer cooperation between their militaries and stands as a rebuke to China’s growi...
WASHINGTON (AP) — A deeply divided Congress is about to show the world a very unsettled view from the U.S. Capitol: Rather than a national crisis that pulls the country together, the deadly riot on...
MELBOURNE (Reuters) — Australia and Japan are set to sign a treaty to beef up defence and security cooperation at a virtual summit on Thursday, in the latest move to strengthen ties amid China’s ...
North Korea fired what appears to be a ballistic missile at about 8:07 a.m. Wednesday from an inland area eastward, the Defense Ministry said. The suspected ballistic missile is estimated to have fall...
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — After tough talk between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin over the Russian troop buildup on the Ukraine border, both sides insist they are hopeful that a pathway to e...
Tokyo, Jan. 1 (Jiji Press)—Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday said he will not hesitate to change policies that have already been decided if he can better serve the people by doing s...
Tokyo and Washington have begun efforts to reach an agreement at a Japan-U.S. joint committee as early as next summer on joint use of a part of the U.S. military’s Camp Foster, also known as Camp Z...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan has strongly protested against a recent drill held by the South Korean military for the defense of the disputed Sea of Japan islands of Takeshima in Shimane Prefecture, t...
The Foreign Ministry plans to set up a new embassy in Kiribati, an island nation in the South Pacific, next fiscal year.
The ministry will also open a consulate office in Noumea in New Caledonia, wh...
Japan will aim to put its first astronaut on the moon in the latter half of 2020s, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Tuesday at a meeting of the government body dealing with space policy.
The ...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The government adopted an action plan Tuesday to fight reputational damage over the planned release into the ocean of treated radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima No. ...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Japanese government Tuesday adopted priority measures to help lonely and isolated people, such as the establishment of around-the-clock consultation services for them and t...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday urged current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to maintain his Abenomics reflationary economic policy. The fundamental direction is tha...
The governments of Japan and Australia have entered the final coordination phase of an agreement on cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces and the Australian armed forces that may be concluded as...
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has mapped out a policy not to attend the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York that opens Jan. 4, due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant...
Japan has followed the lead of the United States and other countries that have announced diplomatic boycotts of the 2022 Beijing Winter Games over concerns about human rights in China, while giving so...
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida might deliver a speech at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to be held in New York from Jan. 4, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
It is unusua...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Japanese and U.S. governments are considering holding a planned meeting of their foreign and defense ministers online, considering the rapid spread of the omicron variant of...
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno announced Friday that Japan will not send government representatives to the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.
Yasuhiro Yamashita, president of the Japanese Olympic ...
The Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Japan Coast Guard have conducted a joint exercise to simulate a maritime security operation in the event of a Chinese military vessel approaching waters near th...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A government panel discussing ways to ensure stable Imperial succession adopted a final report on Wednesday featuring two plans to secure the number of Imperial Family members. ...
The government’s draft budget for fiscal 2022 is likely to feature total spending of about ¥107.6 trillion, setting a record high for the 10th consecutive year. About ¥1 trillion more than the ini...
The government has decided to hold monthly talks exclusively with women, starting in January 2022.
Former Justice Minister Masako Mori, who has been appointed special advisor to the prime minister i...
With the rapid spread of the omicron variant in the United States, there is growing concern about a sixth wave of coronavirus infections in Japan. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to face eve...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan will ask people who have had close contact with cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus to be isolated at accommodation facilities for 14 days, Prime Minister Fumi...
The Liberal Democratic Party is set to embark on a full-scale drive to revise the Constitution, with the party holding its first general meeting of its Headquarters for the Realization of Revision of ...
Japan has agreed with the United States that it will provide ¥1.0551 trillion from fiscal 2022 to fiscal 2026 as host nation support for U.S. forces stationed in this country.
With the ascent of C...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The assembly of the city of Musashino in Tokyo at a plenary meeting Tuesday voted down a proposed ordinance for allowing foreign residents to vote in referendums in the city. ...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The government Tuesday adopted a basic policy for creating a children’s and families’ agency in fiscal 2023 that will serve as the “control tower” for various policies ...
Tokyo Electric Power Holdings Inc. on Tuesday filed for approval of its plan to release treated radioactive water from its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant with the Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
...
The Japanese and U.S. governments have officially agreed that up to ¥20 billion will be allocated to procure equipment for military training each fiscal year from 2022 to 2026 as part of the Japanese...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi has extended his congratulations to Rahm Emanuel on the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of his appointment as new ambassador to Japan, ...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida indicated a plan Saturday to extend the country’s tightened border control measures in place amid fears over the spread of the new omicr...
WASHINGTON (Jiji Press) — The U.S. Senate on Saturday confirmed by a majority vote the appointment of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as new ambassador to Japan.
Now that the approval process h...
Medical workers and senior citizens will be offered COVID-19 booster shots six to seven months after their second shot as part of efforts to mitigate the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant.
...
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday held phone talks with U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla, apparently requesting that the supply of booster doses of ...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday that he currently has no plans to attend the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
“At the moment, I’m not planning to a...
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party approved Wednesday the government’s basic policy proposal on a new agency to be in charge of children’s affairs, giving a green light to a name change from the ...
Allowing the Self-Defense Forces to transport foreign nationals exclusively in the event of an emergency abroad is being considered by the government, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
According to t...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The House of Representatives passed on Wednesday the government’s fiscal 2021 supplementary budget designed to finance measures aimed at recovering the country’s economy fr...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry had tampered with data for statistics on construction works since 2013, it was learned Wednesday. The ministry was fo...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed Tuesday to strengthen bilateral cooperation on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. In their phone ...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The government adopted on Tuesday its basic policy for helping developing countries to improve their capacity in the field of cybersecurity.
The importance of promoting digit...
Nearly three-quarters of voters are dissatisfied with the current political situation, according to an opinion survey conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun and Waseda University’s Institute for Advanced ...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that municipalities will be allowed to provide ¥100,000 in benefits per child aged 18 or younger in a cash lump sum without conditions...
In one of the most unusual outcomes of the recent House of Representatives election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) are now sharing a ...
LIVERPOOL, England (Jiji Press) — The Group of Seven foreign ministers Sunday warned that Russia will have to pay “severe cost” if it invades Ukraine.
In a joint statement issued after their ...
LIVERPOOL, England (Jiji Press) — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Saturday met with his counterparts of five more countries individually on the sidelines of the ongoing Group of Seve...
LIVERPOOL, England (Jiji Press) — Tokyo and Washington on Saturday agreed to continue arrangements for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to visit the United States early.
The agreement was re...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his family Saturday moved into the prime minister’s official residence, which had been vacant for nine years.
“I feel refreshed ...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Nobuteru Ishihara, former secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, resigned on Friday as a special adviser to the Cabinet over a related political group’s con...
Japan might not send a minister-level official to the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned from several government and ruling-party sources.
The governme...
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The ruling coalition on Friday adopted its fiscal 2022 tax system reform package focusing on measures to cushion the continuing impacts of the novel coronavirus crisis on househ...
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday wrapped up his two-day democracy summit, an event that was more about starting a global conversation about how best to halt backsliding than producin...
