Japan's real gross domestic product in January-March is believed to have logged an annualized decrease of 1.7pctfrom the previous quarter, according to think tanks.時事通信社

A ceremony to mark the 68th anniversary of the official recognition of Minamata disease, a neurological disorder caused by polluted industrial wastewater, was held on Wednesday in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.時事通信社

Used car dealers in Japan are highlighting transparency in their vehicle sales, following a string of fraudulent business practices, including false auto insurance claims, discovered at Bigmotor Co.時事通信社

Japanese companies are increasingly engaging in upcycling efforts, or adding new value to used products and waste materials, as part of their environmental and social contributions and to generate profits.時事通信社

An increasing number of Tokyo's special wards have started offering attractive return gifts under Japan's "furusato nozei" hometown tax donation system, in a bid to stop outflows of tax revenue.時事通信社

The Japanese Natural Resources and Energy Agency asked the town of Genkai in Saga Prefecture on Wednesday to accept a "literature survey" for a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear plants.時事通信社

A new company called Wecars Co. was formed Wednesday to take over operations at Bigmotor Co., a scandal-tainted Japanese used car dealer, trading house Itochu Corp., one of the new firm's shareholders, said.時事通信社

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and her Nigerian counterpart, Yusuf Tuggar, agreed to enhance their countries' economic relationship, when they met in Nigeria on Tuesday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.時事通信社

Seventeen people, including three lawmakers of South Korea's biggest opposition Democratic Party, have landed on Sea of Japan islands claimed by Tokyo.時事通信社

Eight of Japan's 10 major power companies logged record-high consolidated net profits in fiscal 2023, according to their earnings reports released by Tuesday.時事通信社

Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te has expressed hopes for stepped-up cooperation between the self-ruled island and Japan.時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida departed for a tour of France, Brazil and Paraguay on Wednesday, aiming to display Tokyo's focus on promoting ties with developing and emerging market countries in the so-called Global South.時事通信社

Japanese police arrested two more men Wednesday as part of their investigation into the burned bodies of a Tokyo couple found in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture.時事通信社

Municipalities around Japan are rushing to secure "cooling shelters" people can use to cool down when there is high risk of heatstroke.時事通信社

East Japan Railway Co., Central Japan Railway Co. and West Japan Railway Co. reported higher consolidated revenue and profits for the year ended last March.時事通信社

While Wednesday marks four months since a massive earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in central Japan on New Year's Day, local residents are facing a tough decision: whether to leave or remain in the quake-hit areas.時事通信社

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Tuesday that his country plans to strengthen ties with Japan in economic fields, including energy and the environment, toward decarbonization.時事通信社

Climate, energy and environment ministers from the Group of Seven major powers agreed in principle to phase out coal-fired power plants by 2035, at their three-day meeting in Turin, northern Italy, through Tuesday.時事通信社

Japan's Emperor Naruhito on Wednesday reached the fifth anniversary of his enthronement, which marked the start of the current Reiwa period.時事通信社

Japan and the European Union on Tuesday confirmed they will deepen cooperation in the field of regulation of digital giants' online services.時事通信社

Japanese authorities are believed to have conducted yen-buying, dollar-selling foreign exchange market intervention worth some 5 trillion yen Monday, it was learned Tuesday.時事通信社

Chugoku Electric Power Co. said Tuesday that the planned restart of the No. 2 reactor at its Shimane nuclear power plant in western Japan will be delayed by about four months from August.時事通信社

The Japanese government has decided to skip submitting a bill on "active cyber defense," or detecting signs of cyberattacks and taking pre-emptive measures, during the current session of the Diet, it was learned on Tuesday.時事通信社

Japanese semiconductor materials maker JSR Corp. said Tuesday that it swung to a consolidated net loss of 5.5 billion yen in fiscal 2023 as the anemic chip market caused a sales drop.時事通信社

Five major Japanese securities houses have reported improvements in their bottom lines in fiscal 2023, reflecting brisk trading demand from retail investors thanks to higher stock prices.時事通信社

Diario Brasil Nippou, the last remaining Japanese-language newspaper in Brazil, is struggling to keep its presses rolling.時事通信社

Japan's industry ministry plans to ask the town of Genkai, Saga Prefecture, on Wednesday to accept a "literature survey" for a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear plants, it was learned Tuesday.時事通信社

A Japanese government panel is reviewing the system allowing food products to be labeled as having specific health benefits, in the wake of deaths and hospitalizations of users of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.'s dietary supplements containing "beni koji" red yeast rice.時事通信社

Prices will be raised for 417 products of 195 major food and beverage makers in Japan in May, down by 50.2pctfrom 837 products a year before, research firm Teikoku Databank Ltd. said in a survey released Tuesday.時事通信社

Japan's Ono Pharmaceutical Co. said Tuesday that it will buy U.S. startup Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc. to strengthen its research and development capabilities in the field of oncology.時事通信社

The number of vacant homes in Japan stood at nine million as of Oct. 1 last year, hitting a record high, an internal affairs ministry survey showed Tuesday.時事通信社

Top Japanese bridal fashion designer Yumi Katsura has died at the age of 94, it was learned Tuesday.時事通信社

Some local governments in Japan are introducing or testing a selective four-day workweek to secure talent amid the diversification of lifestyles.時事通信社

Japan's industrial production in March jumped 3.8pctfrom the previous month, rising for the first time in three months as vehicle output rebounded after months of sluggishness amid test fraud scandals, the industry ministry said Tuesday.時事通信社

A man who is suspected of ordering the disposal of the bodies of a Tokyo couple has said that he was given instructions by another person, investigative sources said Tuesday.時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Tuesday he takes "seriously" the party's defeat in all three House of Representatives by-elections held Sunday.時事通信社

Japan's average ratio of effective job openings to seekers fell 0.02 point in fiscal 2023 from the previous year to 1.29, the first decline in three years, the labor ministry said Tuesday.時事通信社

Climate, energy and environment ministers of the Group of Seven major economies on Monday agreed in principle to abolish coal-fired power generation by 2030-2035, Andrew Bowie, Britain's minister for energy security and net zero, told Class CNBC of Italy in an interview.時事通信社

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Monday slammed a marine survey conducted by a Japanese city around the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands as an act of provocation.時事通信社

Japanese police on Monday arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly damaging the bodies of a couple from Tokyo, which were found burned near a river in the town of Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan.時事通信社

The Japanese government announced on Monday a list of 4,108 people recognized for this year's spring honors, including former Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, 79, who was given the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.時事通信社

Elliott Management Corp. of the United States, known as an activist investor, has invested several tens of billions of yen to build a large stake in Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp., Bloomberg reported Sunday.時事通信社

As many as 40pctof voters in Sunday's House of Representatives by-elections in Japan want Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to step down "as soon as possible," an exit poll by Jiji Press showed.時事通信社

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is certain to win all three by-elections for the House of Representatives on Sunday.時事通信社

East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, has announced that it has drawn up a policy for dealing with "customer harassment," or excessive demands and other problematic behavior by customers toward employees.時事通信社

Voting is underway in three House of Representatives by-elections in Japan on Sunday, with results expected in the night.時事通信社

As the yen continues to fall against other major currencies, the focal point is when the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan will intervene in the currency market to support the yen.時事通信社

Major Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp. is in the final stages of talks to sell all of its shareholdings in KFC Holdings Japan Ltd. to U.S. investment fund Carlyle Group, informed sources have said.時事通信社

Major Japanese telecommunications carrier KDDI Corp. has said that its tender offer for convenience store operator Lawson Inc. has ended successfully.時事通信社

A memorial ceremony has been held in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, for the 264 victims of the 1994 China Airlines plane crash in Japan.時事通信社