Japan Gets New Island After Undersea Volcano Erupts

A new island has been discovered near the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Composed mostly of rock masses, it could continue to grow if volcanic activity persists.

A new island has formed after a volcanic eruption occurred approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 mi) offshore near Iwo Jima in the Ogasawara…[Read more]

Japan to ban cannabinoid HHCH from Dec 2 after gummies make many ill

A Japanese health ministry panel on Tuesday decided to ban HHCH, a synthetic cannabinoid, from Dec 2 after many people who consumed gummies containing the compound had to go to the hospital.

The panel will add hexahydrocannabihexol to the list of illicit drugs in Japan,…[Read more]

Toshiba shareholders OK stock consolidation; set for December delisting

Toshiba Corp’s shareholders approved a consolidation of the company’s shares at an extraordinary meeting Wednesday, paving the way for its delisting from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Dec 20 and marking the end of its 74-year history as a public company.

The move will allow a…[Read more]

Fast-Rising Number of Japanese Detained in China is an International Issue

A Japanese man in his fifties who was detained in China in the summer of 2019 on espionage charges was recently sentenced to twelve years in prison by a court in Hunan Province. Furthermore, earlier in 2023, a Japanese executive with Astellas Pharma, a major pharmaceutical…[Read more]

Security in the Pacific Islands Region Gets New Priority in the US and G7

Global geopolitics surrounding the Pacific Islands is heating up once again. United States President Joe Biden hosted the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders at the White House in September 2023. It was the second US-PIF Summit in Washington DC.

There, the leaders jointly…[Read more]

Israel kills 7 more Palestinians as West Bank death toll hits 255

At least seven Palestinians were killed Wednesday by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, taking the death toll there since Oct. 7 to 225, according to the Health Ministry

A ministry statement said the bodies of six slain Palestinians were taken to Tulkarm Hospital in the…[Read more]

Tokyo’s busiest train line to be partially shut down this weekend as part of Shibuya renovations

here’s no more convenient way to get around downtown Tokyo than the Yamanote Line. Operated by East Japan Railway, the Yamanote is a loop line the encircles the center of the city, with trains leaving once every few minutes to carry passengers to the…[Read more]

Kishida invited by Biden for state visit in early 2024

apanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday he has been invited by U.S. President Joe Biden to make a state visit early next year, an announcement made as the two countries step up cooperation bilaterally and trilaterally with South Korea in the face of increasing security challenges…[Read more]

China, Japan reaffirm strategic relationship in rare leader talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida committed to pursuing mutually-beneficial relations in their first face-to-face talks in a year, a sign that Asia’s two largest economies are looking to patch up strained ties.

The two leaders also discussed…[Read more]

Japan panel proposes child care plan covering 100% of income

In the hope of encouraging more fathers to take paternity leave, a health ministry panel on Monday proposed a plan to increase child care leave allowance so that it covers 100% of income — up from around 80% — if both parents each take 14 days of leave or more.
When working parents tak…[Read more]

Mass Production of Bio-Jet Fuel in Japan: Embracing the Challenge

Sanyu Plant Service is working to be the first in Japan to mass-produce bio-jet fuel, answering the aviation industry’s need for sustainable fuel alternatives.

n business for 75 years, Sanyu Plant Service (Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture) has established a reputation for…[Read more]

Turkey’s Erdogan calls Israel a ‘terror state’, criticises the West

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called Israel a “terror state”, stepping up his condemnation of the Israeli assault on the besieged Gaza Strip ahead of a sensitive visit to Germany.

Erdogan said on Wednesday that Israel’s military campaign against the Palestinian…[Read more]

Pacific island nations express concern over Japan’s tainted water release

Leaders of Pacific island nations expressed strong concerns over the release of treated radioactive water from Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean during a regional summit through Friday, according to Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark…[Read more]

Thousands sheltering at Gaza City’s hospitals flee as Israel-Hamas war closes in

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip
Thousands of Palestinians sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war at Gaza City’s main hospital fled south Friday after several reported strikes in and around the compound overnight. They joined a growing exodus of people escaping intense urb…[Read more]

Pacific island nations express concern over Japan’s tainted water release

AVARUA
Leaders of Pacific island nations expressed strong concerns over the release of treated radioactive water from Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean during a regional summit through Friday, according to Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark…[Read more]

Pressuring North Korea to Resolve Abductions Has International Support

In the United Nations, an online symposium was recently held on the issue of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese and citizens of other countries. It was aimed at finding a resolution to the issue.

Japan, Australia, South Korea, and the European Union jointly hosted the…[Read more]

Japan’s Kishida vows to prioritize economic steps to fight inflation

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sought to boost his flagging fortunes by pledging to prioritize an economic package to help combat inflation.

“What I have in my mind right now is one thing: ‘Never miss the flow of change, seize it,'” Kishida said Monday in a policy speech…[Read more]

Japan LDP heavyweight Hosoda dies after quitting as house speaker

Former Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda died Friday at age 79, his office said, less than a month after he left the post due to health reasons while insisting on running in the next general election.

Hosoda, who became lower house chief in November…[Read more]

Japan SDF planes fly to Djibouti to ready for Israel’s evacuation

Three Air Self-Defense Force airplanes left Japan for Djibouti in East Africa on Saturday to prepare for the possible airlifting of Japanese nationals from Israel, where tensions are rising following Palestinian militant group Hamas’s massive attack a week ago.

The ASDF’s KC767…[Read more]