Oct 08, 2022 (FRANCE 24 English) - In the 1970s and 1980s, North Korea organised a kidnapping campaign in "enemy" countries. As one of its closest neighbours, Japan became a prime target.
The programme, decided at the highest level of the Communist state, was likely intended to train North Korean spies in foreign languages and customs. It was a long wait until 2002, when the dictatorship in Pyongyang officially recognised some of the kidnappings.
Japan will face Tunisia in its second match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 21 in Monterrey, a northern Mexican city known for its mountains, modern skyline and unexpectedly strong connections with Japan.
Typhoon No. 7, named Mekkhala, formed east of the Philippines at 3 a.m. on June 20 and is forecast to move westward for the time being before approaching the Philippines early next week with a storm zone, while some simulations show it later turning northward toward the Okinawa area.
Eleven pupils and teachers were injured after a fire broke out at Takinogawa Daisan Elementary School in Tokyo's Kita Ward at around 11 a.m. on June 19, forcing more than 300 children to evacuate and briefly trapping several pupils on a narrow ledge outside a fourth-floor classroom.
Bear attacks and sightings are increasing across Japan, with multiple people injured on June 17 and experts warning that bears are becoming more accustomed to human environments, potentially leading to more dangerous and unpredictable encounters in the years ahead.
JR Central and JR West on June 17 announced pricing and service details for the new private-room seating that will be introduced on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen from October, creating a new top-tier class above the existing Green Car service.
Centrist Reform Alliance leader Ogawa has secured agreement from the leaders of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito to establish a consultative body to discuss a possible merger of the three parties.
A bill to revise the national referendum law, which sets procedures for constitutional amendments, was approved by the House of Representatives plenary session and is expected to enter deliberation at the House of Councillors Commission on the Constitution on June 24.
A draft of the joint statement from the G7 summit in France has revealed that all proposals put forward by Prime Minister Takaichi on energy security and critical minerals have been incorporated into the agreement.
Powerful gathering at the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains as President Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni, Sanae Takaichi, Mark Carney, Ursula von der Leyen, Antonio Costa, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attend a high-level working lunch.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced new agreements on supply chain resilience and space cooperation following a summit meeting in Italy on June 15th, as the two countries pledged closer coordination on economic security and international affairs ahead of the G7 Summit.
The Japanese government has approved its first basic plan outlining concrete measures to promote public understanding of LGBT people and other sexual minorities, based on the LGBT Understanding Promotion Law that came into effect in 2023.
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has partially revised a bill that would create a new offense for desecrating the national flag, removing provisions that would have punished the posting of such acts on social media.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in Italy early on June 15 Japan time, beginning the second leg of her European tour after concluding diplomatic meetings in the United Kingdom, where she reached agreements with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on strengthening cooperation in economic security, energy, advanced technologies and defense.
