Japanese actor Shohei Hino, known for his portrayal of eccentric characters in television series and movies, died on Thursday at the age of 75, his talent agency said Wednesday.Von 時事通信社

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani met with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on Thursday and urged the Chinese side to take thorough measures to prevent a recurrence of the recent violation of Japanese airspace by a Chinese military plane.Von 時事通信社

South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani will visit the country by the end of this year.Von 時事通信社

Nippon Life Insurance Co. said Thursday it will raise its promised yields on some retail insurance products with regular premium payments for the first time in about 40 years.Von 時事通信社

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday broadly approved a plan to abolish the policy activity funds that political parties provide to member lawmakers, amid criticism of a lack of transparency in the use of the funds.Von 時事通信社

The Shizuoka prefectural government is considering collecting entry fees of 3,000 yen to 5,000 yen per head from people climbing Mount Fuji from the central Japan prefecture's side, beginning next summer, officials said Thursday.Von 時事通信社

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Thursday that the outcome of the central bank's next monetary policy meeting on Dec. 18-19 is "unpredictable."Von 時事通信社

A U.S. Osprey military transport plane landed at Amami Airport in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kagoshima around 4 p.m. Thursday without requesting in advance to use the airport, local authorities said.Von 時事通信社

Japan's agriculture ministry held an emergency online meeting with officials from prefectural governments across the country on Thursday, in response to the ongoing spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country.Von 時事通信社

Japan's economy and education ministries have drafted a guide for companies and universities to help people with doctoral degrees find jobs, it was learned Thursday.Von 時事通信社

Kansai Electric Power Co. said Thursday that the No. 3 reactor at its Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, has resumed operations that had been suspended since October due to damage to a pipe.Von 時事通信社

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has obtained an arrest warrant for a Chinese youth in his 10s over graffiti at the Japanese capital's war-related Yasukuni Shrine, investigative sources said Thursday.Von 時事通信社

Japanese flash memory maker Kioxia Holdings Corp. will go public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in mid-December, it was learned Thursday.Von 時事通信社

Of married people in their 20s in Japan, 24pctsaid they met their spouses through dating apps, a private organization survey showed Thursday.Von 時事通信社

Japan will convene an extraordinary session of the Diet, its parliament, on Nov. 28 for a 24-day run until Dec. 21, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Thursday.Von 時事通信社

Honda Motor Co. said Thursday that it will start trial production of all-solid-state batteries at a research base in Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, in January next year.Von 時事通信社

The head of the Shizuoka District Public Prosecutors Office in central Japan is preparing to apologize in person as early as Wednesday to Iwao Hakamata, 88, recently acquitted in a retrial, sources said Thursday.Von 時事通信社

Former yokozuna sumo grand champion Kitanofuji, who was popular in recent years for his witty comments in live sumo tournament broadcasts, died on Nov. 12. He was 82.Von 時事通信社

Tokyo police have sent public prosecutors papers on three people involved in criminal investigations into machinery maker Ohkawara Kakohki Co. on suspicion of making, using and destroying documents containing falsified information.Von 時事通信社

Japan is expected to compile a draft fiscal 2024 supplementary budget with general-account expenditure of around 13.9 trillion yen to fund its envisioned economic package, it was learned Thursday.Von 時事通信社

Digital regional currencies managed by local governments in Japan are increasingly being exploited by fraudsters, and investigative authorities are calling for stronger security measures such as stricter identity verification.Von 時事通信社

A U.N. General Assembly committee approved on Wednesday a draft resolution condemning North Korea's human rights violations, including its abductions of Japanese and South Korean nationals.Von 時事通信社

Transport for London, the British capital's transport authority, said Tuesday that it will entrust the operation of the Elizabeth Line to GTS Rail Operations Ltd., a joint venture of companies including Tokyo Metro Co. and major Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp.Von 時事通信社

Japanese prosecutors on Wednesday dropped a case against Olympic marathon medalist Eric Wainaina for injuring a train station employee in Tokyo.Von 時事通信社

Japan, the United States and South Korea held the first meeting in Seoul on Wednesday of their joint secretariat to coordinate trilateral cooperation in various fields including national security.Von 時事通信社

Japanese Environment Minister Keiichiro Asao on Tuesday called for contributions to the fight against climate change from capable countries, apparently with China and other high-emitting developing nations in mind.Von 時事通信社

The Japanese government plans to require companies that emit more than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year to participate in the country's carbon emissions trading system to be introduced at full scale in fiscal 2026, it was learned Wednesday.Von 時事通信社

Japan's National Institute of Technology and Evaluation has started creating videos with a science YouTuber, aiming to educate young people about potential dangers from everyday products.Von 時事通信社

Japanese agriculture minister Taku Eto on Wednesday made his first visit to Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, since he took office this month, holding talks with local business owners.Von 時事通信社

The Japanese icebreaker Shirase on Wednesday departed the port of Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, for the country's Showa Station research facility in Antarctica.Von 時事通信社

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in October is estimated to have surged 31.6pctfrom a year before to 3,312,000, setting a new record for a single month, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.Von 時事通信社

A Japanese district court on Wednesday rejected a request for an injunction against nighttime and early morning flights at Atsugi Air Base, which is used jointly by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military.Von 時事通信社

Japan's ruling coalition and the opposition Democratic Party for the People on Wednesday reached an agreement on the government's planned comprehensive economic package.Von 時事通信社

Japanese hibakusha atomic bomb survivors think the Nobel Peace Prize, to be awarded to their group, Nihon Hidankyo, is not a goal, as they tackle the task of passing their stories on to future generations.Von 時事通信社

Japan incurred a customs-cleared trade deficit of 461.2 billion yen in October, against the year-before deficit of 702.9 billion yen, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report Wednesday.Von 時事通信社

The World Health Organization on Tuesday approved the emergency use of a mpox vaccine made by Japan's KM Biologics Co.Von 時事通信社

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will visit Japan in 2025, it was confirmed on Tuesday.Von 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday pledged to conclude soon discussions on the so-called policy activity funds, often criticized for lack of transparency.Von 時事通信社

All three major Japanese nonlife insurance firms posted record consolidated net profits in April-September thanks to gains from the sale of cross-held shares and strong overseas operations.Von 時事通信社

Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies ended two-day talks in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, agreeing to continue combating climate change ahead of Donald Trump's return as U.S. president next year.Von 時事通信社

Sony Group Corp. is considering acquiring major Japanese publisher Kadokawa Corp., it was learned Tuesday.Von 時事通信社

Japanese baseball legend Ichiro Suzuki was among the nominees announced Monday for induction into the U.S. National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025.Von 時事通信社

Japanese companies are increasingly asking their employees to quit voluntarily to reduce labor costs as part of their business restructuring efforts, Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd. said Tuesday.Von 時事通信社

Tokyo police on Tuesday arrested a senior member of the Philippines-based "JP Dragon" crime ring and two others on suspicion of stealing cash in a special fraud case, investigative sources said.Von 時事通信社

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party will accept the abolition of the controversial policy activity funds that political parties provide to member lawmakers, it was learned Tuesday.Von 時事通信社

China has admitted that its military aircraft intruded into Japanese airspace in August, while claiming that it was due to an air current, Japanese foreign and defense ministry officials said Tuesday.Von 時事通信社

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition and the opposition Democratic Party for the People are coordinating for the government's planned economic policy package to reflect the DPFP's proposals to review the 1.03-million-yen income tax threshold and cut the gasoline tax, it was learned Tuesday.…

Tokyo police arrested a man on Tuesday on suspicion of possessing a handmade handgun.Von 時事通信社

Norinchukin Bank said Tuesday that its consolidated net loss totaled 893.9 billion yen in April-September, the largest fiscal first-half loss ever, reflecting sales of U.S. and European government bonds with latent losses due to higher interest rates.Von 時事通信社

Japan's Nippon Steel Corp. on Tuesday pledged not to import steel produced abroad to the United States in a letter to workers of United States Steel Corp., which the Japanese steelmaker is seeking to acquire.Von 時事通信社