Italian President Sergio Mattarella made his first visit to Hiroshima on Saturday, laying flowers before the cenotaph for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing in the western Japan city's Peace Memorial Park.Por 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Saturday that his ruling Liberal Democratic Party is likely to face "extremely tough" battles in upcoming elections for the House of Councillors and the Tokyo metropolitan assembly later this year.Por 時事通信社

Police arrested Tsuyoshi Furusho, mayor of Saza, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Saturday in a bid-rigging case over a public works project in the southwestern Japan town.Por 時事通信社

Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend three lines at two plants in Aichi Prefecture on Monday, company officials have said.Por 時事通信社

Asahikawa District Court in Hokkaido, northern Japan, has sentenced a 20-year-old woman to 23 years in prison in a high-profile murder case in which a female high school student died after being pushed off a bridge and into a river in Asahikawa in April last year.Por 時事通信社

The third meeting of signatories to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons ended its five-day session at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Friday, with participants adopting a declaration rejecting threats of using nuclear weapons.Por 時事通信社

A majority of Japanese expect Japan-U.S. economic relations to strengthen under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, launched in January, according to a Japanese Foreign Ministry survey.Por 時事通信社

Up to 5 centimeters of snow is forecast for central Tokyo by early Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Saturday, warning of traffic disruptions and icy roads.Por 時事通信社

Tokyo Metro Co. on Saturday marked the 25th anniversary of a subway derailment accident that killed five passengers and injured 64 others.Por 時事通信社

The Democratic Party for the People may support the fiscal 2025 budget bill if the ruling bloc agrees to raise the tax-free portion of annual income to 1.5 million yen, regardless of income levels, DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki has said.Por 時事通信社

Japanese and British foreign and economy ministers on Friday affirmed the importance of free and fair trade at a time when the international economic order has been shaken by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.Por 時事通信社

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his British counterpart, David Lammy, agreed Friday that the two countries will work together closely for a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine, while U.S. President Donald Trump is moving closer to Russia.Por 時事通信社

SBI Shinsei Bank said Friday it has reached an agreement with the Japanese government on measures to repay some 330 billion yen in remaining public funds.Por 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made counterarguments Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump complained about the Japan-U.S. security treaty unilaterally requiring the United States to defend Japan.Por 時事通信社

The board of Nissan Motor Co. is expected to meet as early as Tuesday to discuss the fate of President and CEO Makoto Uchida, people familiar with the matter said Friday.Por 時事通信社

Japan's House of Representatives election in October last year was found to be constitutional in terms of vote-value disparities by a total of 16 high court and high court branch rulings issued by Friday.Por 時事通信社

The Japanese government is considering shelving a plan to raise the ceiling of out-of-pocket expenses for high-cost medical care in August, it was learned Friday.Por 時事通信社

A Japanese high court ruled Friday that law provisions that do not allow same-sax marriage violate Paragraph 1 of Article 14 of the Constitution, which stipulates equality under the law.Por 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday expressed his eagerness to establish a security framework for the Pacific region with Australia and New Zealand.Por 時事通信社

The Japanese government Friday adopted a bill to create a database that would store all rulings in civil lawsuits in digital form, hoping to put it into service by summer 2027.Por 時事通信社

The Japanese government adopted at a cabinet meeting Friday a bill aimed at regulating debt-collection activities by malicious host clubs.Por 時事通信社

The Japanese government has the utmost confidence in the United States fulfilling its obligation to defend Japan under the bilateral security treaty, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Friday.Por 時事通信社

The Japanese government Friday adopted a bill to convert the Science Council of Japan from a special organization of the state into a special corporation.Por 時事通信社

U.S. President Donald Trump voiced fresh dissatisfaction with the Japan-U.S. security treaty Thursday.Por 時事通信社

An International Monetary Fund official said Thursday that the Bank of Japan should raise interest rates gradually, based on incoming economic data.Por 時事通信社

The Diet on Thursday approved a plan submitted by the government for industry minister Yoji Muto to visit the United States from Sunday.Por 時事通信社

An explosion occurred at a plant of Chuo Spring Co., a Toyota Motor Corp. affiliate, in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, at around 8 a.m. on Thursday, killing a 40-year-old male worker, according to local fire officials and other sources.Por 時事通信社

Japan Football Association President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said Thursday that FIFA's decision to only accept applications to host the 2031 Women's World Cup from member countries in Africa, North America, Central America and the Caribbean was extremely disappointing.Por 時事通信社

Police arrested a man in his 40s in the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, on Thursday for allegedly murdering another man in 2003.Por 時事通信社

The retrial of a 59-year-old man who served a seven-year prison sentence for the 1986 murder of a junior high school student in the central Japan city of Fukui began Thursday, with a ruling set for July 18.Por 時事通信社

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is considering fielding former House of Councillors lawmaker Renho, 57, for a proportional representation seat in this summer's election for the Upper House, CDP sources said Thursday.Por 時事通信社

The weighted average of wage hikes demanded by 2,939 member unions of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, in this year's "shunto" labor-management negotiations came to 6.09 pct, a Rengo survey showed Thursday.Por 時事通信社

Toru Akama has been protecting feral pets left behind following the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station as he feels a sense of responsibility as a former worker of the plant in northeastern Japan.Por 時事通信社

Japan will do its best to keep the United States engaged with the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday.Por 時事通信社

The U.N. Development Program said Thursday it has picked Japanese actress Mana Ashida as domestic goodwill ambassador, a post newly set up by the organization to focus on efforts in the Asian nation.Por 時事通信社

Seven & i Holdings Co. said Thursday it has named Stephen Hayes Dacus, 64, an outside director of the major Japanese retail group, as its new president and CEO to replace Ryuichi Isaka, 67.Por 時事通信社

A coupler connecting the Hayabusa No. 21 and Komachi No. 21 trains on the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train line in eastern and northeastern Japan came undone on Thursday, temporarily halting service.Por 時事通信社

Japan's Supreme Court has upheld lower court rulings that acquitted two former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. over the 2011 nuclear crisis at its Fukushima No. 1 power plant.Por 時事通信社

Japan will give reconstruction aid money to people whose homes have been heavily damaged by the wildfire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday.Por 時事通信社

A movement calling for women's clothing to include pockets is gaining traction in Japan, prompting a change in the apparel industry.Por 時事通信社

The percentage of women among board members of national sports federations in Japan stood at 32.7pctas of Oct. 1 last year, exceeding 30pctfor two years in a row, a survey by the Japan Sport Association, or JSPO, has shown.Por 時事通信社

Taiwan's food sanitation authorities plan to fully lift a ban on beef imports from Japan, according to Taiwan's official Central News Agency.Por 時事通信社

Trash cans have been installed in Nara Park, a popular tourist spot known for its many deer, for the first time in some 40 years.Por 時事通信社

A survey has found that 15.9pctof smaller companies in Japan would consider closing or suspending their business if minimum wages are raised 7.3pctin fiscal 2025 in line with a government target.Por 時事通信社

With the number of survivors of the 1945 Tokyo Air Raid dwindling and Monday marking the 80th anniversary of the devastating raid that is believed to have killed some 100,000 people in one night, efforts are being made to preserve related historical artifacts found recently to promote peace.Por 時事通信社

A group of high school students from Japan called for the abolition of nuclear weapons Wednesday in New York, where a meeting of signatories to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is underway.Por 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Italian President Sergio Mattarella agreed Wednesday that their countries will work together to support Ukraine and sanction Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.Por 時事通信社

Former Japanese abductee to North Korea Kaoru Hasuike on Wednesday called for Japan to work with the United States to press North Korea to help reunite Japanese abductees and their families.Por 時事通信社

Japan will work closely with the United States, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week accused Tokyo of devaluing the yen.Por 時事通信社

Japan's October-December gross domestic product growth in the government's upcoming revised report is expected to be unchanged from the preliminary reading of 0.7 pct, or an annualized 2.8 pct, according to 10 private think tanks.Por 時事通信社