Rat parts found in sliced white bread in Japan, sparking recall

A major Japanese food supplier has recalled more than 100,000 packs of a popular brand of sliced white bread after rat parts were found inside some loaves.

The latest scare adds to a raft of food safety scandals plaguing Asia’s second biggest economy, which has a longstanding r…[Read more]

Japan enacts revised law for swift removal of defamatory online posts

Japan’s parliament on Friday enacted an amended law aimed at facilitating the swift removal of defamatory content on social media platforms like Facebook and X with more transparency.

The revised provider liability limitation law mandates the operators of such platforms to set…[Read more]

Germany: Jewish and Muslim communities search for solidarity

Six months of Israeli retaliation in Gaza for the October 7 Hamas terror attacks have put Jewish-Muslim relations in particular peril. Germany’s hypersensitivity to antisemitism adds an extra layer of difficulty.

Violence in the Middle East brings with it a tragic predictability. For…[Read more]

Germany: COVID rule ‘armed resistance’ group to face trial

The Landgericht Koblenz court in western Germany announced on Friday that it had accepted the charges against the trio.

They are accused of forming a group they called “Paladin” that allegedly planned to offer armed resistance to COVID-related “lockdowns” and other restrictions in…[Read more]

Germany: Former Russian consulate targeted by protesters

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it would lodge an official complaint with the German government after six people threatened to take over a building that once served as a Russian consulate in the eastern city of Leipzig.

It said two staff members from the Russian Embassy had…[Read more]

Gaza updates: Germany joins US in hint at Israel arms pause

Germany’s defense minister, visiting the US, said he could “understand” President Biden mooting potential Israeli weapon exports changes. Netanyahu said the country would use its “fingernails” if necessary.

UN General Assembly backs Palestinian bid for membership in symbolic vote
The…[Read more]

Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ keeps baffling experts by waking up. It has shared images from its latest lunar ‘day’

Japan’s “Moon Sniper” lander has defied the odds for a third time, surviving yet another long, frigid lunar night despite not being designed to endure such harsh conditions, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Temper…[Read more]

Toyota posts record ¥4.94 tril net profit

Toyota said Wednesday that it achieved a record net profit of 4.94 trillion yen in the year to March on revenues of 45.1 trillion yen, which was also an all-time high.

But the world’s largest automaker by sales warned net income would fall 27.8 percent this financial year to 3.57 trillion yen because of…[Read more]

Environment minister apologizes for interruption of Minamata victims’ remarks

Japan’s environment minister apologized Wednesday after his officials interrupted remarks by some victims of the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease by muting their microphones at a meeting in Kumamoto Prefecture last week.

“It is regrettable that the microphones were…[Read more]

Japan, Philippines agree to work for early conclusion of defense pact

The Japanese and Philippine defense ministers have agreed to work toward the early conclusion of a reciprocal access agreement to boost security cooperation and facilitate joint drills, amid concern over China’s increasingly assertive actions in regional waters.

During their…[Read more]

‘Monster’ Inoue, Nery prepare for Tokyo Dome world title fight

Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue and Mexican challenger Luis Nery both made weight Sunday for their title showdown at the 45,000-plus seater Tokyo Dome.

Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since 42-1 underdog James…[Read more]

Kishida vows to tackle global challenges with South America

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Saturday to work together with South American countries to tackle global challenges including climate change, economic disparity and poverty.

Kishida made the remarks in a speech in Sao Paulo on Japan’s policies toward Latin America and the…[Read more]

ICJ rejects emergency measures over German arms exports to Israel

The International Court of Justice has ruled against issuing emergency measures over German arms sales to Israel as requested by Nicaragua, which had argued that there was a serious risk of genocide in Gaza amid Israel’s assault on the Palestinian territory.

Nicaragua also d…[Read more]

German court jails teen over murder of 6-year-old

A court in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Thursday sentenced a 15-year-old to seven years and nine months in prison over the death of a 6-year-old.

What we know about the crime
The court heard that the victim, known to the German media as Joel, had been out playing in his…[Read more]

Germany’s foreign minister reaches Australia — finally

A plane carrying German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock landed in the southern Australian city of Adelaide on Thursday for a trip that had to be abandoned last August.

Baerbock made the journey on one of Berlin’s new VIP planes named Konrad Adenauer — the predecessor of which was dog…[Read more]

German police bust Europe’s ‘largest’ scam call center

Police in Germany announced on Thursday that they, along with colleagues from Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo and Lebanon, had busted what is thought to have been Europe’s largest scam call center.

In a separate statement, the European police agency Europol said that 12 call centers had been raided…[Read more]

Kishida to stress rules-based global order, support for emerging nations at OECD meeting

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday that he will stress the need for a rules-based international order in the face of global challenges and tensions when he attends a meeting of the Organizations for Economic Cooperation and Development in…[Read more]

Yen falls to lower 155 zone against dollar after suspected intervention

The yen slipped to the lower 155 range against the U.S. dollar on Thursday in Tokyo after another suspected yen-buying intervention by Japanese authorities sent the currency to as high as 153 overnight.

The yen gave up some gains as Japanese importers bought the dollar,…[Read more]

Foreign traveler caught trying to sneak into Japan by climbing down rope from cruise ship

On Monday, the MSC Bellissima started its latest Japanese voyage, departing the port of Yokohama in the evening and sailing west through the night. The ship, operated by Switzerland’s MSC Cruises, docked in Kobe at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon the fol…[Read more]

Biden blames China, Japan and India’s economic woes on ‘xenophobia’

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that “xenophobia” from China to Japan and India is hobbling their growth, as he argued that migration has been good for the U.S. economy.

“One of the reasons why our economy’s growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we…[Read more]