JIJI English News-時事通信英語ニュース-

Two elementary school sisters from Tokyo have discovered a rare cicada fossil dating back about 300,000 years by breaking open a rock sold as a souvenir by a museum.

A liquefied petroleum gas carrier affiliated with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. has become the second Japan-linked vessel that crossed the Strait of Hormuz under a de facto blockade, it was learned Saturday.

Members of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party have voiced opposition to a bill to reform the retrial system that the government is considering submitting.

An investigative group of lawyers has blasted the University of Tokyo over recent corruption scandals, urging the prestigious national university to reform its governance system.

The International Monetary Fund recommended on Friday that the Bank of Japan continue to gradually raise its policy rate toward a neutral level to bring down underlying inflation.

The Japanese government is planning to consider carefully whether it will ask companies and the general public to cut back on electricity and petroleum product consumption, several government sources said Friday.

A Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. vessel carrying liquefied natural gas has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently under a de facto blockade by Iran, it was learned Friday.

Major Japanese industrial gases supplier Air Water Inc. said Friday that it had overstated its operating profit by a total of 21.2 billion yen over six years from fiscal 2019.

An expert panel on Friday broadly approved a draft revision of Japan's corporate governance code presented by the Financial Services Agency and the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The Japanese government will strengthen its calls for Myanmar to improve the Southeast country's internal situation following the election of former military chief Min Aung Hlaing as president, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Friday.

Prices of rice sold from March 23 through Sunday in Japan averaged 3,935 yen per 5 kilograms, down 43 yen from the previous week, marking a seventh straight weekly decline, the agriculture ministry said Friday.

The Japanese government will use an artificial intelligence system to help draft answers to parliamentary questions to reduce the burden on government officials, digital transformation minister Hisashi Matsumoto said Friday.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which documents the world's first atomic bombing in the western Japan city of Hiroshima in August 1945, attracted 2,580,926 visitors in fiscal 2025, hitting a record high for the third straight year, its operator said Friday.

Microsoft Corp. said Friday it will invest 10 billion dollars in Japan between 2026 and 2029 to beef up artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure capacity in the country and reinforce cybersecurity cooperation with the government.

The average value of assets of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her 18 ministers stood at 65.91 million yen as of Feb. 18, the government said Friday.

The Japanese Communist Party requested Friday that the government play a leading role in mediating the conflict between the United States and Iran.

As the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, efforts are underway in Japan to establish alternative routes for transporting crude oil from the Middle East.

The Japanese government on Friday adopted a bill that requires operators of mega solar power plants to submit plans on how they will dispose of used panels.

Liberal Democratic Party members are forming intraparty groups in a bid to expand their sway in the Japanese ruling party, after most of the party's factions disbanded following a slush funds scandal.

Tohoku University's International Research Institute of Disaster Science has started joint research with SoftBank Group Corp. to develop generative artificial intelligence technology dedicated to disaster prevention.

Japanese health minister Kenichiro Ueno on Friday urged the public to exercise caution as measles cases are increasing.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Faisal Al-Saud, affirmed the countries' close cooperation to de-escalate the conflict in Iran in a call on Thursday.

The cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi approved Friday amendments to the criminal proceeds transfer prevention law to give police stronger ammunition to crack down on money laundering by scammers.

The Japanese government Friday adopted a bill to revise the staple food law to require rice producers to make proactive efforts to align their production with demand.

Toyota Motor Corp. released two U.S.-made models in Japan on Thursday.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito should merge with the Centrist Reform Alliance fully, including at the local level, CRA leader Junya Ogawa said in an interview with Jiji Press on Tuesday.

The Japanese government adopted on Friday a bill designed to overhaul Japan's adult guardianship system for people with dementia and others, aiming to improve user convenience amid an aging society.

A Chinese maritime survey vessel that had been operating without permission in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture has left the area, according to the Japan Coast Guard.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, have reaffirmed cooperation to ensure security and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Local authorities in Japan are warning people to watch out for bears as they emerge from hibernation.

The Imperial Household Agency on Friday released a list of 1,753 guests for an upcoming spring Imperial garden party in Tokyo, including figure skating pair Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who won gold at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics earlier this year.

The number of people in Japan who plan to travel abroad during the upcoming Golden Week holiday period is expected to rise 8.5pctfrom a year earlier to 572,000, a survey by major travel agency JTB Corp. showed Thursday.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako met with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Thursday.

Narita International Airport Corp. has abandoned its plan to open a new runway in March 2029 due to challenges in acquiring necessary land, it was learned Thursday.

The Japanese government and Okinawa Prefecture have decided to hold the first field drill to evacuate residents of the southernmost prefecture's remote islands under the civil protection law, it was learned Thursday.

Japan's industry minister Ryosei Akazawa on Thursday instructed senior officials from relevant government ministries and agencies to grasp the supply chain situation of critical products amid the ongoing military conflict between the U.S.-Israel camp and Iran.