Japan

WATCH: Japan’s new rocket fails after engine issue, in blow to space ambitions

Japan's new medium-lift rocket failed on its debut flight in space on Tuesday after the launcher's second-stage engine did not ignite as planned, in a blow to its efforts to…

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Plastic consumption on course to nearly double by 2050 – research

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Plastic use in G20 countries is on course to nearly double by the middle of the century unless a comprehensive and legally binding global treaty to curb…

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Earthquake of 6.1 magnitude hits northern Japan, no tsunami warning

TOKYO, Feb 25 (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 hit off the eastern part of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on Saturday, authorities said, and no tsunami warning was…

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Leiji Matsumoto, manga creator of Captain Harlock space saga, dies aged 85

TOKYO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Leiji Matsumoto, the famed Japanese manga and anime creator of epic space sagas including "Galaxy Express 999" and "Space Pirate Captain Harlock", has died aged…

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UPDATED: US stages joint air exercises with Asian allies after North Korea’s ICBM launch

By Soo-hyang Choi SEOUL, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The United States held joint air exercises bilaterally with South Korea and Japan involving strategic bombers on Sunday, a day after North…

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Former UK PM Truss calls for tougher China policy in first speech since resigning

TOKYO, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Former British prime minister Liz Truss will call on Friday for Taiwan to be given more arms and for the Group of Seven nations to…

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Heavy snow in Japan disrupts flights and trains, closes roads

TOKYO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Heavy snow across much of Japan on Friday grounded 100 flights, blocked dozens of roads and disrupted train services, government authorities and operators said. Domestic…

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Washington weighing deploying medium-range missiles to U.S. forces in Japan

TOKYO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Washington has suggested deploying medium-range missiles in Japan as part of a plan to bolster defences against China along the East and South China Seas,…

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NATO chief stresses importance of Indo-Pacific partners amid security tensions

By Sakura Murakami TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday stressed the importance of NATO's working closely with partners in the Indo-Pacific, saying Europe could not…

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NATO, Japan pledge to strengthen ties in face of ‘historic’ security threat

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Japanese premier Fumio Kishida pledged on Tuesday to strengthen ties, saying Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its growing military cooperation with China had created the…

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Japan, Netherlands to join US in China chip controls -Bloomberg

Japan and the Netherlands will join the United States in implementing export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China soon, Bloomberg News reported on Friday. The trilateral talks are set to conclude…

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Japan cuts economic view as exports to Asia weaken

TOKYO, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Japan cut its view on the overall economy for the first time in 11 months in January, as China's COVID-19 infections and a slowdown in…

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UPDATED: Heavy snow causes havoc in Japan as cold snap sweeps through Asia

TOKYO, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Heavy snow blanketed wide swathes of Japan on Wednesday, snarling traffic, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations, disrupting train travel and leaving at least one person…

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Japan PM Kishida: it’s ‘now or never’ to stop shrinking population

Jan 23 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime minister Fumio Kishida pledged on Monday to take urgent steps to tackle the country's declining birth rate, saying it was "now or never" for…

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Japan’s passport is most powerful

Japan has the world’s most powerful passport. The country came out on top of the Henley Passport Index’s 2023 rankings. Japanese citizens can now visit 193 countries visa-free, which amounts…

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Pacific islands urge Japan to delay release of Fukushima waste over contamination fears

(Reuters) - Pacific island nations are urging Japan to delay the release of water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant over fears fisheries will be contaminated, the Pacific Island…

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Most big Japanese firms heed prime minister’s call to raise wages this year

53% committed to wage increases this year 81% of firms are pessimistic over next three months More than half of firms back increase in defence budget 29% support increase in…

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Kishida says G7 should show strong will on Russia’s Ukraine invasion

WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday that the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May should demonstrate a strong will to uphold international order and rule…

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Japan estimates Fukushima water release to start in ‘spring or summer’

TOKYO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The Japanese government gave an estimation for when the water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant will be released into the sea, saying at…

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U.S. to increase number of anti-ship missiles in Japan -sources

The United States will significantly increase its anti-ship missile capabilities in Japan as part of a broader effort to deter China, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday. Although the…

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Jetstar flight makes emergency landing in Japan due to bomb threat

TOKYO, Jan 7 (Reuters) - A Jetstar flight made an emergency landing at Chubu Centrair International Airport in central Japan on Saturday due to a bomb threat, though no device was found,…

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Japan minister calls for new world order to counter rise of authoritarian regimes

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Japan's trade and industry minister said on Thursday post-Cold War free trade and economic inter-dependence had bolstered authoritarian regimes and urged the United States and other like-minded…

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Photo Story: Tuna fish reaches 257,000 euros at the first New Year’s auction

A sushi restaurant staff member holds the cut tail of the auctioned 212-kilogram Bluefin tuna after the New Year's first auction of the Toyosu Market, at the Kaiten Sushi Ginza…

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Japan to tighten COVID border controls for travellers from China

By Kantaro Komiya TOKYO, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Japan will toughen from Sunday its COVID-19 border control measures for travellers from China, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, in response to…

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Japan’s ‘anti-Russian course’ makes treaty talks impossible – TASS

Japan's "anti-Russian course" makes peace treaty talks impossible, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in comments published by the state TASS news agency on Tuesday. Russia and Japan have…

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Japan says it scrambled jets to monitor Chinese aircraft carrier operations

TOKYO, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Japan said on Monday it scrambled jet fighters and dispatched aircraft and warships over the past two weeks to keep tabs on China's Liaoning aircraft…

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Japan to develop 3,000 km long-range missiles, deploy in 2030s

TOKYO, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Japan's Ministry of Defence is arranging to develop multiple long-range missiles with a range of up to about 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) and aims to…

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Japan to make raising wages a top priority

Biggest challenge for Japan is lack of wage growth - Kihara Govt will increase focus on achieving wage growth - Kihara Remarks echo BOJ's view wages must rise for sustained…

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Japan marks record 415 COVID-19 deaths -health ministry

TOKYO, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Japan on Wednesday recorded 415 COVID-19 deaths, the highest-ever count for a single day, health ministry data showed. The country counted 216,219 newly confirmed coronavirus…

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Japan unveils record budget in boost to military capacity

TOKYO, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Japan unveiled on Friday a record 114.4 trillion yen ($863 billion) budget for the next fiscal year from April, pushed up by increased military spending…

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19

Dec

Japan backs African Union entry to G20

TOKYO, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Japan will support the African Union's entry to the Group of 20 (G20) forum of the world's largest economies, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on…

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Japan approves biggest military buildup since WWII amid China fears

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan unveiled a new national security strategy on Friday along with details of its biggest military build-up since World War Two, in a marked shift away from…

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Tokyo makes solar panels mandatory for new homes built after 2025

TOKYO, Dec 15 (Reuters) - All new houses in Tokyo built by large-scale homebuilders after April 2025 must install solar power panels to cut household carbon emissions, according to a…

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Japan’s ispace launches world’s first commercial moon lander

TOKYO (Reuters) -A Japanese space startup launched a spacecraft to the moon on Sunday after several delays, a step toward what would be a first for the nation and for…

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Photo Story: Tokyo Comic Convention 2022

A visitor takes pictures of a collectible figure displayed at the Tokyo Comic Con 2022 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, 25 November 2022. For the first time since 2019,…

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Third Japanese cabinet minister in a month resigns in blow to PM

By Elaine Lies TOKYO, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Japan's internal affairs minister resigned on Sunday in connection with a funding scandal, becoming the third cabinet member to leave in less than a…

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Japan’s inflation hits 40-year

Japan CPI +3.6% yr/yr vs forecast +3.5%, highest since 1982 Bulk of price hikes due to cost-push inflation, unsustainable BOJ sees consumer inflation falling below 2% next fiscal year By…

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U.S., Japan, S. Korea vow ‘unparalleled’ response if N. Korea holds nuclear test

TOKYO, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The United States, Japan and South Korea warned on Wednesday that an "unparalleled" scale of response would be warranted if North Korea conducts a seventh…

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Japan rushes to rearm with eye on 2027 – and China’s Taiwan ambitions

TOKYO (Reuters) - Between China's 20th Communist Party Congress, that just ended, and the next one in 2027, Japan will undertake its biggest arms buildup since World War Two in…

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Japan considers extending nuclear plants’ life beyond 60 years

TOKYO, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Japan's government is considering extending its 60-year limit on the operation of nuclear power plants and may submit legislation on new rules next year, as…

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North Korea conducts longest-range missile test yet over Japan

Nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, prompting a warning for residents to take cover and a temporary suspension of train operations in northern Japan.…

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With flowers and a gun salute, Japan bids farewell to slain Abe at state funeral

With flowers, prayers and a 19-gun salute, Japan honoured slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday at the first state funeral for a former premier in 55 years -…

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Tokyo tightens security for slain Shinzo Abe’s funeral

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday is under the spotlight as authorities seek to avoid the kind of security blunders exposed in…

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Japan bans chemical weapons-related goods to Russia, concerned by nuke threats

TOKYO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Japan has decided to ban exports of chemical weapons-related goods to Russia in an additional sanction against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, and is…

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Typhoon lashes central Japan, killing two

TOKYO, Sept 24 (Reuters) - A typhoon lashed central Japan on Saturday with torrential rain and fierce winds, killing two and leaving tens of thousands of households without power, the…

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Japan weighing plan for ban on hotel guests without masks

TOKYO, (Reuters) - Japan's government is considering allowing hotels to refuse entry to guests who do not wear masks and follow other measures to control infection during an outbreak, Fuji…

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UPDATED: Typhoon batters Japan with record rain, killing two

TOKYO, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Typhoon Nanmadol brought ferocious winds and record rainfall to western Japan on Monday as one of the biggest storms to hit the country in years…

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Japan issues special typhoon warning as ‘unprecedented’ storm approaches

TOKYO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a special typhoon warning on Saturday for Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's main islands, as the region braces for…

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Japan set to resume visa-free tourist travel in October

Sept 15 (Reuters) - Japan is expected to lift a ban on individual tourist visa requirements and remove a limit on daily arrivals in October as it aims to benefit…

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Japan probes possible involvement of pro-Russian group in cyberattack

TOKYO, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Japan is investigating the possible involvement of a pro-Russian group following the failure of multiple government websites, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday.…

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Japan plans to develop longer-range missiles to counter China, Russia

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will develop and mass produce a cruise missile and a high-velocity ballistic missile, it said this week, as it seeks the ability to strike more distant…

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Japan police chief to resign over Abe shooting, citing ‘fresh start’

TOKYO, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Japan's National Police Agency chief said on Thursday he will resign to take responsibility for the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, citing the…

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Japan signals return to nuclear power to stabilise energy supply

TOKYO, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Japan will restart more idled nuclear plants and look at developing next-generation reactors, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday, setting the stage for a…

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Japan PM Kishida’s support tumbles, hit by questions over church and COVID

TOKYO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government has tumbled, battered by questions about the ruling party's ties to the Unification Church and its response…

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Japan PM Kishida infected with COVID, recuperating

TOKYO, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been infected with COVID-19 and is recuperating at his official residence, his office said on Sunday. Kishida, just returned…

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Japan considers deploying long-range missiles to counter China

TOKYO, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Japan is considering the deployment of 1,000 long-range cruise missiles to boost its counterattack capability against China, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday. The missiles…

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Japanese space mission shows Earth’s water may be from asteroids

Water may have been brought to Earth by asteroids from the outer edges of the solar system, scientists said after analysing rare samples collected on a six-year Japanese space mission.…

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