Japan

[ad_1] The good news is that it’s been a great year for movies. The bad news is that, now, the battle for best picture will be bloodier than ever.With such a wide field of acclaimed contenders, plenty of worthy films will be dealt a bad hand when the Oscar nominations are announced Jan. 23. Even today’s self-imposed assignment to narrow the list to the 10 likeliest nominees proved a harrowing […]

[ad_1] More than one-third of unmarried adults in their 20s to 40s have never been in a relationship and one-fourth have no intention of ever getting married, a recent survey found. At 34.1%, the ratio of single men and women who have never had a romantic relationship was at a record high since Recruit Holdings Co., a staffing service group, began conducting surveys on people's views on marriage in 2017. […]

[ad_1] Insured losses from the devastating earthquake in Japan could reach $6.4 billion, according to an estimate from U.S.-based catastrophe modeling firm Karen Clark & Co. Losses from residential properties account for more than two thirds of the total, according to KCC, as most commercial and industrial buildings in the affected cities are more seismic-resistant because of their predominantly steel construction. The government is considering designating the powerful earthquake as […]

[ad_1] Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and a top union leader amplified their calls for strong wage growth as companies prepare to engage in annual pay negotiations."I’d like to ensure that the growth in disposable income exceeds price rises,” the prime minister said at a New Year’s event hosted by Rengo, the nation’s biggest trade union federation. "We will mobilize all of our policies to achieve this goal.”Tomoko Yoshino, chief of […]

[ad_1] Six Japan Railways Group firms have reported that the number of train passengers during the year-end and New Year holidays increased 8% year-on-year. The combined number of users of bullet trains and other rail services came to around 9,869,000 for the period from Dec. 28 to Thursday, the firms announced Friday. According to West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, Hokuriku Shinkansen trains registered a 1% rise in the […]

[ad_1] Seoul – The United States is unlikely to cut back its forces in South Korea even if former U.S. President Donald Trump wins re-election, the South's minister tasked with matters related to neighboring North Korea said in a television interview.In the interview transmitted on Saturday, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho told broadcaster KBS this was because the U.S. Congress had already decided the matter in a defense bill it recently […]

[ad_1] Warsaw/Kyiv – After an initial outpouring of patriotism in the months after Russia's invasion began, the realities of the battlefield — and mobilization — have largely set in among Ukraine's population.Heavy casualties and almost two years of grinding trench warfare have sparked a fierce debate on the future of the draft, an ever more pertinent topic as the army struggles to fill its ranks.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned last month […]

[ad_1] Tokyo prosecutors have questioned the former secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Toshihiro Nikai, and former reconstruction minister Katsuei Hirasawa on a voluntary basis over a widening political funds scandal, sources close to the matter said Saturday.Prosecutors are investigating the LDP faction led by Nikai, as well as the largest faction, which was led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, over allegations they created slush funds through off-the-book […]

[ad_1] House of Representatives member Mito Kakizawa intends to admit to vote-buying allegations in a mayoral election in Tokyo despite an initial denial, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday. Kakizawa, 52, was arrested on Dec. 28 on suspicion of offering to pay ¥200,000 each to nine people, including assembly members of Tokyo's Koto Ward, between February and March to help Yayoi Kimura to win the ward mayoral election. The […]