News On Japan

Japan expands sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine

Tokyo adds 57 Russian new organisations to its trade blacklist in latest measures to punish Moscow.

TOKYO, Dec 16 (Al Jazeera) - Japan has expanded its sanctions targeting Russia over its war in Ukraine, banning Russian diamonds for non-industrial use and adding dozens of firms and organisations to its trade blacklist.

The expanded export blacklist announced on Friday includes 57 organisations in Russia and six organisations in the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Uzbekistan and Armenia.

The latest measures bring the total number of Russian organisations under sanctions to 494.

Twenty-seven entities from Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies, have also been sanctioned. ...continue reading

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The economic policy bannered by Prime Minister Takaichi as “Sanaenomics” is beginning to take shape, with expectations centering on lower gasoline prices and the restart of electricity and gas subsidies even as critics say the program’s substance remains unclear and insufficiently developed; framed as a successor to Abenomics with greater emphasis on growth strategy, the plan raises questions about what will change in people’s daily lives and how the administration intends to run policy behind the scenes.

As of 3 p.m. on November 5th, a tropical depression over the sea near the Caroline Islands was slowly moving northward, with the Japan Meteorological Agency forecasting that it would develop into a typhoon within the next 24 hours. Once it forms, it will be designated as Typhoon No. 26.

Emergency contraceptive pills, used to prevent unintended pregnancies, are set to become available over the counter in Japan as early as by the end of this fiscal year, marking a major shift after nearly a decade of debate.

The number of U.S. military personnel arrested for criminal offenses in Okinawa has reached 77 so far this year, already surpassing the record total for all of 2024 as of the end of September.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare plans to introduce a new system starting in June 2027 that will, in principle, deny changes or renewals of residence status for foreign residents who fail to pay their national health insurance premiums despite repeated requests for payment.

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A bar manager and his female employee in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district were re-arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of forcing a female staff member to work under threat and violence, after previously being detained for compelling her to engage in prostitution.

The number of U.S. military personnel arrested for criminal offenses in Okinawa has reached 77 so far this year, already surpassing the record total for all of 2024 as of the end of September.

Thirteen Japanese nationals are among 57 foreigners detained in a police raid on a special fraud base in southeastern Cambodia, according to local reports. Footage captured by JNN showed Cambodian authorities raiding a facility believed to be used for large-scale international scams.

A police officer responding to a traffic accident in Hyogo Prefecture died after falling from a bridge on November 3rd in Nishinomiya City, with authorities investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Japan’s record-breaking bear crisis has entered a new and deadly phase, with authorities confirming that a 79-year-old woman missing in Akita Prefecture was found dead in the mountains, believed to be the 13th fatality from bear attacks this year.

A woman armed with a knife was subdued by police after causing a disturbance inside a movie theater in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district on November 2nd.

Police in Yokohama are investigating a possible case of corpse abandonment after a headless and partially dismembered body was found floating near Yamashita Park.

A suspicious package was discovered at Keihan Railway’s Chushojima Station in Kyoto on November 1st, prompting police to investigate the possibility of an explosive device.