Новости за 17.05.2024

The head of political group Tsubasa no To and two other people were arrested Friday for allegedly disrupting the speeches of opponents in a parliamentary by-election in Tokyo last month.

The Liberal Democratic Party submitted a formal proposal to revise the political funds control law to the Lower House on Friday after discussions with its junior coalition partner Komeito reached a deadlock over the handling of political funding and matters related to the sale of tickets for fundraising parties.

A House of Representatives committee on Friday approved legislation to replace the foreign technical intern program with a new training scheme to allow foreigners to work in Japan for the medium to long term.

Nobuyasu Nikai, the third son of powerful former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, announced Friday he would follow in his father’s footsteps by running in the next Lower House election — a decision with larger implications for the LDP.

A Tokyo court on Thursday ruled against granting patents to inventions generated by artificial intelligence in a dispute over whether AI — not human beings — can be recognized as an inventor.

Lawmakers kicked off discussions on Friday about possible relaxations of the imperial family's strict succession rules, although women will likely remain barred from the Chrysanthemum Throne.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel on Friday made a 2,000-kilometer journey from Tokyo to Okinawa Prefecture’s remote Yonaguni Island — just 160 km from Taipei — as Washington and Tokyo look to present a united front amid growing concerns about a conflict over democratic Taiwan.

Toshiba’s privatization had been expected to lay the groundwork for sweeping changes, and the company duly made them this week in the form of mass job cuts and a new strategy.

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its eastern coast, the South Korean military said Friday, just hours after the powerful sister of the North's leader denied allegations of sending weapons to Russia.

The 7-Eleven convenience store chain this week marked the 50th anniversary of its first outlet opening in Japan, where convenience stores have become essential infrastructure for everyday life.

The United States’ two most powerful rivals, China and Russia, used a meeting this week to pledge deepened strategic ties as part of a “new era” in bilateral relations, in a display of their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.

Japanese lawmakers enacted legislation Friday that allows the option of joint custody of children after divorce.

Many major Japanese companies are concerned about slumps in their earnings for the current business year after enjoying record-high profits in the previous year thanks in part to the yen's plunge and price hikes.

A majority of Japanese companies consider the yen’s recent weakness a negative factor for their businesses, according to a recent survey.

Japan's Rapidus project, which brings together some of the world's biggest companies, is the "last opportunity" to put the country's once-dominant semiconductor sector back on the global map, its chairman warned.

Japan's parliament passed legislation on Friday to introduce a "blue ticket" fine system under which bicycle riders pay penalties for minor traffic violations to escape criminal punishment.

For more than half a century, Thailand’s state-owned tobacco monopoly mass-produced cigarettes at a sprawling industrial estate in Bangkok. A steady stream of heavy trucks brought raw tobacco into the heart of the city and hauled millions of cigarettes away.

On Thursday, U.S. information technology giant Meta Platforms' oversight board began soliciting public opinions about a post criticizing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on its Threads platform.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden this week imposed major new tariffs on a slew of Chinese imports. The move is consistent with hardening sentiment against China, yet reflects a radical shift: growing skepticism about, if not outright suspicion of, free trade and the principles that guided U.S. international economic policy for decades.

Israel's tanks pushed into the heart of Jabalia in northern Gaza on Thursday, facing anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs from militants concentrated there, while in the south, its forces pounded Rafah without advancing, Palestinian residents and militants said.

Turns out you can have too much of a good thing.

About a year and a half ago, I became one of Those People who track how many steps they walk each day. I know there’s nothing magical about the daily 10,000-step target, but it’s a fun little pastime, made more fun by the fact that I surpass 10,000 most days without really trying.

Of foreigners who fall victim to terrorism in Pakistan, Chinese people are the most represented group.

Posing as Americans, North Korean technology workers secured remote work contracts with hundreds of U.S. companies as part of a scheme to help fund Pyongyang’s illicit nuclear weapons and missile programs, the U.S. government said on Thursday.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has launched an innovative initiative to recover phosphorus from sewage sludge for use as a raw material for agricultural fertilizer.