Tokyo (EFE).- The number of centenarians in Japan has reached a new record by exceeding 99,000 for the first time, the government said Friday, days ahead of Respect for the Aged Day. According to data from the health ministry, they have registered a record 99,763 people aged 100 years or older in the archipelago, an … Read more
Tokyo (EFE).- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation Sunday, stepping down on the eve of a key Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) meeting that was expected to strip him of power following stinging electoral defeats. “I have decided to resign as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. According to the party statutes, the call … Read more
Tokyo (EFE).- Prince Hisahito of Akishino, the only grandson of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, turned 19 on Saturday and marked the occasion with a formal coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace. The ritual, held for the first time in four decades, introduces the young prince into official imperial … Read more
By Edurne Morillo Hiroshima, Japan, (EFE).- As the number of atomic bomb survivors dwindles nearly 80 years after the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, artificial intelligence is emerging as a key tool to preserve their stories for future generations. Japan’s public broadcaster NHK has launched an innovative project using artificial intelligence to ensure the memory … Read more
Nagasaki, Japan (EFE).- High school students from Hiroshima and Nagasaki participate each year in the “Messengers for Peace” initiative, aimed at preserving and disseminating the testimony of atomic bomb survivors throughout the world. The initiative has collected more than 2.5 million signatures calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. “Our actions may be small, but … Read more
Madrid (EFE).- The earthquake that struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday with a magnitude of 8.8 and a depth of 20.7 kilometers was the eighth most powerful ever recorded worldwide, seismological agencies said. According to the Institute of Geosciences (IGEO), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Complutense University of … Read more
By Sara Rodriguez Pachon Tokyo (EFE).- Cafes where people can sit with animals such as otters, capybaras and snakes have become viral in Japan but this seemingly harmless trend that appears to bring animals and humans closer can pose a threat to some species. In busy districts of Tokyo such as Harajuku, the epicenter of … Read more
Tokyo (EFE).- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in Japan Thursday in what is the first bilateral visit by a head of state of the two nations in 12 years. The visit marks a rapprochement between the two countries, and comes hours after a fresh missile test by North Korea. Yoon arrived around 11.30 am … Read more
Tokyo, Mar 14 (EFE).- Three of the largest Japanese banks, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, recorded significant losses Tuesday along with other Japanese financial entities in the first half of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange due to fears of their exposure to the bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Tokyo’s main … Read more
By Maria Roldan Tokyo (EFE).- Births in Japan reached a new low in 2022, falling below 800,000 for the first time, accelerating a demographic challenge to which the government wants to respond with economic measures many experts consider insufficient. The archipelago is “at a limit moment” regarding its sustainability, said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida … Read more
Seoul (EFE).- Thousands of South Koreans demonstrated in Seoul on Saturday against a controversial plan presented this week to compensate people who were subjected to forced labor by Japanese companies during World War II. Several victims or their families have spoken out against the plan, which in principle exempts the two Japanese companies involved from … Read more
New Delhi, Mar 3 (EFE).- The Foreign Affairs chiefs of the Quad, the alliance made up of Japan, the United States, Australia and India, denounced Friday the attempts to “increase tension” in the East and South China seas, without directly naming Beijing, and “debated” their responses to the Ukraine war. “We firmly oppose any unilateral … Read more