Japan

[ad_1] A rare message from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Japan expressing sympathy for a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day has raised speculation that Pyongyang may be signaling its openness to dialogue after showing no interest in Tokyo's aspiration to hold a bilateral summit.As the Japanese government assesses the intention behind the message addressed to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday, one official was optimistic, saying it […]

[ad_1] The Japanese and Tokyo Metropolitan Governments on Wednesday challenged a district court ruling that recognized the illegality of law enforcement's investigations into a case against spray dryer maker Ohkawara Kakohki.The national and Tokyo governments filed an appeal with Tokyo High Court against the Dec. 27 Tokyo District Court ruling, which determined that the arrests of three people in the case by the Public Security Bureau of Tokyo's Metropolitan Police […]

[ad_1] Plummeting temperatures, rain and continued aftershocks continued to plague relief efforts in earthquake-hit Ishikawa Prefecture on Wednesday as the death toll rose to 206, nine days after a massive temblor rocked the Noto Peninsula area.The hard-hit cities of Suzu and Wajima accounted for 91 and 83 of the dead, respectively. The number of people unaccounted for in the disaster, meanwhile, fell to 52 from 102 a day earlier.Relief efforts […]

[ad_1] After an 18-hour journey, a navy van pulls into a convention hall in the city of Nanao in Ishikawa Prefecture that is now a lifeline for evacuees from the massive Jan. 1 earthquake. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The government on Wednesday started construction work for the transfer of a key U.S. military base within Okinawa Prefecture after overriding the local government's objection and approving a modified landfill plan by proxy — an unprecedented move. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a regular news conference that the commencement marks the start of work, likely to take more than nine years, to reinforce soft ground at the relocation […]

[ad_1] The first 10 days of 2024 saw the attention of sumo fans drawn to events taking place at both the highest and lowest levels of Japan’s national sport.First up were various joint training sessions involving stables in the same ichimon (clan), which pitted top stars such as Kirishima, Daieisho and Kotonowaka against each other.Those practices were followed by the Yokozuna Deliberation Council’s sōken (open training session) on Tuesday at […]

[ad_1] LOS ANGELES – Closer Yuki Matsui said Tuesday the chance to play alongside Japanese compatriot Yu Darvish with the San Diego Padres was a big factor in his decision to join the club. "(Darvish) is a pretty big presence for me," said Matsui, who had 236 saves with a 2.40 ERA in 10 seasons with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Pacific League. "It'll be a big plus […]

[ad_1] Shielding Taiwan’s elections from potential interference by China is such a concern for the self-governing democracy that it’s been willing for years to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of eligible voters to do so.What bars so many from casting ballots is Taiwan’s insistence that all voting be done in person, a rule that’s been in place since the island of 23 million people first began direct elections almost three decades […]

[ad_1] PARIS – Gabriel Attal promised to be bold and act fast to help the middle class weather the rising cost of living, after President Emmanuel Macron, seeking to breathe new life into his second term, on Tuesday made him France's youngest ever prime minister.The appointment of Attal, 34, a popular and media-savvy rising star of French politics, signals a desire by Macron to move beyond divisive reforms and improve […]