kyodo news

US Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, on Wednesday, praised Japan's economic resilience and highlighted the importance of economic security during meetings with senior Japanese leaders on Tuesday as part of his Asia visit. The visit came ahead of US President Donald Trump's upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing from May 13-15.

A South Korean man was arrested at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine for displaying a banner with political messages, including calls against praying for "war criminals" and territorial claims. The incident occurred during an annual spring festival, as shrine visits by Japanese officials continue to draw criticism from China and South Korea over Japan's wartime past.

Classified Japanese diplomatic information was leaked following Chinese cyberattacks on the country's Foreign Ministry in 2020, a Japanese government source said on Monday, kyodo news reported.

kyodo news agency confirmed the Japanese Self-Defence Forces' helicopter crash reports as false. A person in Oita saw a low-flying aircraft in a mountainous area. The earlier claim of a crash was incorrect. Police verified the sighting. No crash occurred in the southern prefecture, clarifies Kyodo.

Tokyo Olympic organisers plan to follow roughly the same schedule, delayed by a year, for the nationwide torch relay preceeding the postponed summer Games, kyodo news reported on Thursday.

Japan's government has decided to stage this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without overseas spectators due to concern among the Japanese public about COVID-19, kyodo news agency said on Tuesday, citing officials with knowledge of the matter.

A ship carrying about 100 people was swept away by the huge tsunami that hit Japan on Friday and its fate was unknown, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing police.

JAPAN: Over 90 per cent of Japanese business leaders have a negative view of the economy, according to a poll published by kyodo news agency.

Japan is considering limiting the number of people who will be allowed to accompany foreign ministers and leaders for the delayed Tokyo Olympics due to health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, kyodo news agency reported on Sunday. The Tokyo Games, postponed last year due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus, were rescheduled for July 23 to Aug. 8 this year.

Japan will temporarily suspend exemptions allowing foreign athletes to train in the country ahead of the Summer Olympics, kyodo news reported, as it closes its borders to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases just six months before the Games.

There is "no Plan B" for the Tokyo Games, says International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who reaffirmed his commitment to holding the showpiece event this year in an interview with kyodo news on Thursday.

A Japanese business person was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in China on espionage charges, as confirmed by the Japanese embassy in Beijing. Detained since March 2023, the individual, identified by kyodo news as an Astellas Pharma Inc.

Coronavirus infections in Japan topped 2,000 cases on Tuesday, according to a Reuters calculation based on ministry data and media reports.

A consulting firm hired by Tokyo's Olympic bid committee paid some $370,000 to the son of an International Olympic Committee member before and after Japan was picked to host the Games, reports said on Monday.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has accepted an invitation from US President Donald Trump to visit the United States this spring. The leaders discussed strengthening the Japan-US alliance and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The visit, potentially in late March, follows recent regional tensions and Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan.

A former senior UN official suggests that Japan should take China to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the ban on Japanese fishery imports due to the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The official argues that filing a complaint with the WTO could pressure China to end the ban and broaden international understanding.

Tokyo Olympic organisers plan to prepare 300 hotel rooms for athletes who test positive for the coronavirus at this summer's Games but show no or minor symptoms of COVID-19, kyodo news agency said on Sunday.

Though under Japan's laws people who find money can keep it, the quake and tsunami-hit people, most of whom have lost all their life earnings, have not been tempted by wads of currency notes found in the rubble.

The Japanese government is considering offering the coronavirus vaccine for free to all citizens, kyodo news reported on Wednesday.

A senior official of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizing committee said on Saturday it is not at the stage of deciding whether or not to postpone or cancel the event, kyodo news agency reported.

Japan said Friday that international trade should be "smooth" after media reports said China was delaying Japanese imports as well as rare-earth exports, as their two-month-old spat escalates. "Generally speaking, I believe that international trade in rare earths should proceed smoothly, and I consider this to be extremely important," Kihara told a regular briefing.