Japan

[ad_1] The Oct. 27 general election — the first nationwide vote since a slush funds scandal was uncovered within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party — comes as an early test of the leadership of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is already grappling with a fragile party support base and public skepticism.Following in the steps of his predecessors, Ishiba chose to launch the party’s campaign in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, one of […]

[ad_1] Chiba – The Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) kicked off in Chiba on Tuesday for a four-day run. The trade fair showcases products and services that employ artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to try making lives more convenient and work more efficient. The event at the Makuhari Messe convention center brings together 808 companies and organizations from Japan and abroad, including startups and universities. "We have entered […]

[ad_1] Only a few smaller opposition parties in Japan are considering a reduction in the consumption tax rate ahead of the general election, with the main opposition and the ruling parties supporting the current rate of 10%.“If the consumption tax was abolished, it would create a hole of over ¥20 trillion in the budget,” Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan chief Yoshihiko Noda said during a debate hosted by Niconico, a […]

[ad_1] Gifu – Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Monday traveled to Gifu Prefecture by bullet train to attend the opening ceremony of national cultural festivals. The imperial couple arrived at Gifu-Hashima Station just before noon. They waved and smiled at citizens who gathered at the station. The emperor and the empress attended the opening ceremony of the 39th National Cultural Festival and the 24th National Arts and Culture Festival […]

[ad_1] Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is interviewed at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday. | Jiji The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will move to abolish policy activity allowances that political parties pay their member lawmakers, Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama said Monday. "There is no doubt about moving toward abolishing the allowances," Moriyama said in an interview. The LDP's campaign platform for the Oct. 27 election […]

[ad_1] PARIS – Butter prices have rocketed in recent months, trading at record highs across Europe in bad news for bakers and pastry makers already facing high chocolate and sugar costs as they prepare for Christmas celebrations.Strong demand for butter, tight supply and dairy processors' preference to use more milk for the most profitable products such as cheese have driven the price surge, analysts say.European butter was trading on world […]

[ad_1] Japan’s financial regulator plans to examine banks’ lending to private equity and other funds in the U.S. and elsewhere to determine whether they have proper risk management.Toshinori Yashiki, a senior official at the Financial Services Agency, said the business has attracted attention because the country’s largest banks are increasing what is known as subscription finance and lending to funds that provide equity or credit to private companies."It’s necessary to […]

[ad_1] JERUSALEM – After Israeli soldiers found Mohammed Shubeir hiding with his family in early March, they detained him for roughly 10 days before releasing him without charge, he said.During that time, Shubeir said, the soldiers used him as a human shield.Shubeir, then 17, said he was forced to walk handcuffed through the empty ruins of his hometown, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, searching for explosives set by […]

[ad_1] Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) said Monday that it has completed the fifth round of discharges of tritium-containing treated water from its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean for fiscal 2024. About 7,800 metric tons of the water, diluted with seawater, was released about 1 kilometer offshore through an undersea tunnel in the latest operation from Sept. 26, which marked the ninth round since Tepco […]