An advisory panel to the Japanese education minister on Monday proposed raising allowances for public school teachers that are paid instead of overtime pay, for the first time in about five decades.Oleh 時事通信社

The Bank of Japan on Monday announced a reduction of its outright purchases of Japanese government bonds for the first time since it lifted its negative interest rate policy in March.Oleh 時事通信社

The Yamanashi prefectural government in central Japan said Monday that it will start accepting online reservations for climbing Mount Fuji from the Yamanashi side May 20.Oleh 時事通信社

Synthetic methane is crucial for the decarbonization of city gas, Japan Gas Association leader Takashi Uchida has said.Oleh 時事通信社

A U.S. Republican senator again made remarks Sunday justifying the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Oleh 時事通信社

In hope of boosting sales of bread, whose consumption slows down during hot season, some specialty stores and manufacturers in Japan are focusing on selling "cold bread," which can be eaten like a dessert.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese scriptwriter Mieko Osanai, known for the hit television drama series "Mr. Kinpachi in Class 3B," died of old age on May 2. She was 94.Oleh 時事通信社

An official of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in a television program Sunday, stressed that the ruling bloc's proposals for revising the political funds control law would be effective in eradicating law violations, while opposition party officials claimed that there are many loopholes.Oleh 時事通信社

Wage hikes are spreading among small companies in Japan, which account for about 70pctof the country's employment, on the back of labor shortages and price increases, according to a Japanese government white paper.Oleh 時事通信社

The third "Japan Parade" aimed at spreading Japanese culture was held in Manhattan, New York, on Saturday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Princess Aiko on Saturday visited the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo to view a special exhibition featuring Japanese literature from the country's Heian period, which continued from the eighth to 12th centuries.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday reiterated his eagerness to realize a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in an effort to swiftly resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago.Oleh 時事通信社

The U.N. General Assembly on Friday passed overwhelmingly a resolution that supports the request of Palestine to be a U.N. member and urges the U.N. Security Council to "reconsider the matter favorably."Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese police on Saturday served a fresh arrest warrant to a 25-year-old man, a construction worker who had been arrested for allegedly damaging the bodies of a Tokyo couple, on suspicion of murdering them.Oleh 時事通信社

A team of researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Fujitsu Ltd. and others said Friday they have developed a large language model that can serve as a foundation for generative artificial intelligence, using the Japanese supercomputer Fugaku.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's ruling bloc met with criticism from opposition forces Friday over its proposals for revising the political funds control law in the wake of a high-profile slush funds scandal.Oleh 時事通信社

A system glitch hit East Japan Railway Co.'s Mobile Suica payment smartphone app and other online services on Friday.Oleh 時事通信社

Honda Motor Co. on Friday reported record consolidated revenue and profits for the year ended March thanks to strong sales of hybrid vehicles in North America, a weak yen and increased chip supply.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese mobile phone operator NTT Docomo Inc. said Friday that it will promote Senior Executive Vice President Yoshiaki Maeda to president and CEO on June 14.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese manufacturers reported robust earnings for the year ended last March thanks to increases in product prices and a weaker yen.Oleh 時事通信社

Imported wheat prices in Japan remain elevated amid a weak yen, keeping pressure on households struggling with rising inflation as prices for snacks and noodle products are expected to rise.Oleh 時事通信社

The outstanding amount of Japan's national debt hit a record 1,297,161.5 billion yen at the end of March, or the end of fiscal 2023, the Finance Ministry said Friday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's industry ministry said Friday it will provide up to 42.1 billion yen in subsidies to SoftBank Corp. for building a supercomputer for use in developing artificial intelligence technology.Oleh 時事通信社

Ride-hailing services, which have been allowed to operate in Tokyo and some other areas in Japan since April, have been used more frequently than traditional taxis so far, a transport ministry report showed on Friday.Oleh 時事通信社

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. on Friday withdrew its consolidated earnings forecasts for the business year to December 2024, citing difficulties in assessing the impact of a scandal involving its supplement products containing "beni koji" red fermented rice.Oleh 時事通信社

The University of Idaho will give an honorary doctorate to Japanese atomic bomb survivor Keiko Ogura at a commencement ceremony on Saturday, university officials said.Oleh 時事通信社

The chief accountant of a faction in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party broadly admitted in court on Friday to charges against him over a high-profile political funds scandal involving LDP factions.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged again to strive further to realize a Japan-North Korea summit when he met with family members of victims of North Korea's abductions Friday.Oleh 時事通信社

The Diet on Friday enacted a bill to set up a joint operations command at the Self-Defense Forces that will direct the operations of the Ground, Maritime and Air SDFs.Oleh 時事通信社

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Japan from May 20 to 23, the Japanese government said Friday.Oleh 時事通信社

The Diet, Japan's parliament, enacted on Friday a bill to introduce a security clearance system for individuals who are allowed to handle important information related to economic security.Oleh 時事通信社

The musical series "Shock" starring pop idol Koichi Domoto, 45, has marked its 2,018th performance, becoming the most performed play in Japan with the same lead actor.Oleh 時事通信社

Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. said Friday that it will sell subsidiary Phoenix Resort Co., the operator of the Phoenix Seagaia Resort complex in the southwestern Japan city of Miyazaki, to Fortress Investment Group LLC.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese household spending in fiscal 2023, which ended in March, dropped 3.2pctfrom the previous year in price-adjusted real terms, the first fall in three years, according to data released by the internal affairs ministry Friday.Oleh 時事通信社

Genkai Mayor Shintaro Wakiyama said Friday that the southwestern Japan town will accept a so-called literature survey to determine whether the town is suitable to host a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's current account surplus in fiscal 2023 soared 2.8-fold from the previous year to hit a record high of 25,339 billion yen, mainly thanks to a smaller trade deficit, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report Friday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank Corp. President Junichi Miyakawa has indicated that he hopes to reach an agreement by July with South Korean technology firm Naver Corp. over their current equal stakes in LY Corp. through an intermediate holding company.Oleh 時事通信社

History issues continue to cast a shadow over relations between Tokyo and Seoul even as ties have improved greatly since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took power two years ago.Oleh 時事通信社

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Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday its group net profit in fiscal 2023 soared 92.3pctfrom the previous year to 426.6 billion yen, backed by unit vehicle sales growth in major markets excluding China and the yen's depreciation.Oleh 時事通信社

A video of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Izumo that was circulating on social media is likely real, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.Oleh 時事通信社

Nippon Steel Corp. remains committed to acquiring United States Steel Corp. as soon as possible after the deal was postponed until December, Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori said Thursday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, on Thursday broadly agreed on proposals for revising the political funds control law in the wake of a high-profile slush funds scandal involving LDP lawmakers.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's parliament began deliberations Thursday on a bill aimed at barring people with sex crime records from jobs involving contact with children.Oleh 時事通信社

Six people filed their candidacies for the May 26 gubernatorial election in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Thursday, with voters expected to focus on the candidates' responses to the planned Chuo Shinkansen magnetic levitation line.Oleh 時事通信社

The English proficiency of public junior and senior high school students in Japan is continuing to improve, an education ministry survey showed Thursday.Oleh 時事通信社

Ahead of the second anniversary of his inauguration on Friday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday that his country and Japan should cooperate for the future.Oleh 時事通信社

Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani, has agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges of bank fraud, the U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japan's composite index of coincident economic indicators rose 2.4 points from the previous month in March, the first increase in three months, the Cabinet Office said Thursday.Oleh 時事通信社

Japanese figure skater Shoma Uno, who won the men's singles silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and went on to become the world champion in 2022 and 2023, announced his retirement on Thursday.Oleh 時事通信社