2025-03-04 20:49:00
South Korean media reported that the South Korean police arrested an airline employee on suspicion of selling reservation information for flights with members of the popular group "BTS" to fans. The fans who purchased the reservation information are believed to have boarded the same flight and tried to contact the members.
2025-03-04 19:37:00
At the trial of a defendant aged 19 at the time who is accused of murder and other crimes for allegedly killing a 17-year-old high school girl by pushing her off a bridge into a river in a valley in Asahikawa City, Hokkaido, in April last year, the defendant explained that the 22-year-old defendant, who was also indicted alongside him, had pushed the high school girl, causing her to fall, and apologized while shedding tears.
2025-03-04 19:06:00
A vote was held on the House of Representatives plenary session on the 4th regarding a bill related to tax reform. The bill was passed by a majority vote with amendments made to the "1.03 million yen annual income barrier," including raising the minimum taxable income to 1.6 million yen.
2025-03-04 18:44:00
The Imperial Household Agency has announced that Princess Kako, the second daughter of Prince and Princess Akishino, will make an official visit to Brazil in early June to mark the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
2025-03-04 18:42:00
A bill to amend the Public Offices Election Act to prohibit the inclusion of disrespectful content in election posters was put to a vote in the House of Representatives, passed with a majority in favor from the Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and other parties, and sent to the House of Councillors.
2025-03-04 18:04:00
JR East has announced plans to introduce new train cars for the Tohoku Shinkansen in fiscal year 2030. The new train cars will be the "E10 Series," which will have improved earthquake safety.
2025-03-04 17:47:00
The Hyogo Prefectural Government's 100-Article Committee, which is investigating the whistleblower documents filed by Governor Saito, compiled its report on the 4th. While stating that the allegations of power harassment "contained certain facts," it pointed out that the prefecture's response to the whistleblower documents "lacked objectivity and fairness throughout, and there were major problems."
2025-03-04 17:13:00
In connection with a request for a dissolution order against the former Unification Church, the Supreme Court ordered the church to pay a fine of 100,000 yen for failing to respond appropriately to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's exercise of its right to question. It also ruled for the first time that the requirements for a dissolution order include torts under civil law. This may affect the ongoing hearing in the Tokyo District Court on whether to issue a dissolution order against the church.
2025-03-04 16:51:00
The new fiscal year budget proposal was amended based on an agreement between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party, and the Japan Restoration Party, and was then voted on in the House of Representatives plenary session, where it was passed by a majority vote. This is the first time in 29 years that the government's initial budget proposal has been amended in the Diet.
2025-03-04 15:15:00
An earthquake occurred at around 3:12 pm on the 4th. There is no need to worry about a tsunami caused by this earthquake. The epicenter was in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, the depth of the epicenter was 50 km, and the magnitude, which indicates the scale of the earthquake, is estimated to be 4.0. The seismic intensity in each city and town is as follows. ▼Seismic intensity 3: Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture; Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture; Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture; Shimotsuke City, Tochigi Prefecture; Mibu Town, Tochigi Prefecture; Noda City, Chiba Prefecture.
2025-03-04 15:01:00
Ayako Sono, a writer known for her novel "God's Dirty Hands" and essay collection "For Whom Do We Love?", who also devoted herself to welfare activities in developing countries, passed away on February 28th due to old age. She was 93 years old.
2025-03-04 13:29:00
The Tokyo-based venture company's lunar lander, which was launched in January and is currently flying toward the moon, has announced plans to land on the moon on June 6th.
2025-03-04 13:28:00
Yuki Nagasato, who contributed to Japan's first ever World Cup victory in 2011 as a member of the women's national soccer team, Nadeshiko Japan, has announced her retirement.
2025-03-04 12:35:00
The Liberal Democratic Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's House of Councillors Diet Affairs Committee chairpersons met to discuss the schedule for deliberation on the new fiscal year budget bill, and agreed that if the budget bill passes the House of Representatives on the 4th and is sent to the House of Councillors, it will begin deliberation in the House of Councillors Budget Committee from the 5th.
2025-03-04 12:27:00
In an accident at the amusement park "Fuji-Q Highland" in Yamanashi Prefecture last month, in which an employee was crushed between the vehicle and the rails while inspecting a roller coaster and died, it was explained in an interview with the police that another employee who was inspecting the vehicle at the same time had mistakenly moved the vehicle. The police are currently investigating the details of the situation at the time to see if there were any problems with safety management.
2025-03-04 12:07:00
Due to the influence of the front and cold front, snow fell in central Tokyo on the 3rd. Heavy snow will fall again in the Kanto-Koshin region from the evening of the 4th, mainly in mountainous areas, and it is expected that snow will accumulate even on flat land, resulting in heavy snowfall in some areas, so caution is required regarding the impact on traffic. The Kanto Regional Development Bureau and others announced that they would implement large-scale preventive road closures on expressways and other roads in the afternoon of the 4th to avoid vehicles being stranded on major roads, with human lives being the top priority due to the heavy snow.
2025-03-04 12:00:00
The new fiscal year budget proposal and the amendment based on the three-party agreement between the ruling party and the Japan Restoration Party were voted on in the House of Representatives Budget Committee, and both were passed by a majority vote. The budget proposal will be amended to reflect specific measures for free education, and then passed by the House of Representatives plenary session and sent to the House of Councillors.
2025-03-04 11:32:00
The third Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which bans the development, possession, and use of nuclear weapons, has begun at the United Nations Headquarters. On the first day of the meeting, the representative of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, called for the abolition of nuclear weapons, saying, "Atomic bombs are devil's weapons."
2025-03-04 11:08:00
As the number of dilapidated apartment buildings continues to increase, the government decided at a cabinet meeting on the 4th to revise apartment-related laws, including the Condominium Act, in order to facilitate the management and renovation of buildings.
2025-03-04 11:02:00
It has been learned from interviews with people involved that the Fair Trade Commission conducted simultaneous on-site inspections on the 4th at approximately 20 construction companies on suspicion of repeated illegal adjustments in which the company to receive the order and the price were decided in advance through discussions in connection with large-scale repair work to be carried out on aging apartment buildings in the Kanto region.
2025-03-04 10:29:00
On the 4th in the Tokyo foreign exchange market, after US President Trump mentioned Japan as one of the countries that is pursuing a policy of weakening its currency, there was a widespread trend of buying yen and selling dollars, and the yen temporarily rose to the 148 yen range per dollar.
2025-03-04 09:59:00
At a cabinet meeting on the 4th, the government approved a bill to amend the Whistleblower Protection Act, which includes provisions to impose criminal penalties on individuals or corporations that fire or discipline employees for reporting internal fraud.
2025-03-04 09:54:00
On the 3rd, multiple US media outlets reported that President Trump had ordered the suspension of all military aid to Ukraine. Among them, Bloomberg cited a senior Pentagon official as saying that the suspension of military aid will continue until President Trump judges that the Ukrainian leader has demonstrated a sincere commitment to peace. When President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky met at the White House last week, they had a heated argument, and afterwards, President Trump criticized President Zelensky, saying that he was "not a man who wanted peace."
2025-03-04 09:16:00
On the 4th, the Nikkei average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange temporarily fell by more than 500 yen. As U.S. President Trump reiterated his intention to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada on the 4th, concerns about the negative impact on the U.S. economy spread in the market, and sell orders were placed mainly on export-related stocks.
2025-03-04 08:31:00
The national average job availability ratio for January this year was 1.26, up 0.01 points from the previous month. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare commented, "There are moves to increase job openings due to labor shortages, but some companies cannot afford to hire new employees due to high prices, so we need to keep a close eye on future trends."
2025-03-04 08:28:00
Regarding the ongoing forest fire in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture, the prefecture has revealed that the area burned has grown to approximately 2,600 hectares as of 6:00 a.m. on the 4th.
2025-03-04 08:02:00
Regarding the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip in Palestine, tensions remain high as the gap between Israel and the Islamic organization Hamas remains unbridged over the transition to the second phase, which would see Israeli troops completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip and achieve a permanent ceasefire.
2025-03-04 07:38:00
On the 3rd, US President Trump signed an executive order to impose a new 10% additional tariff on imports from China. He claims that this is because China has not taken measures to prevent drugs from entering the US. Speaking to reporters on the afternoon of the 3rd, President Trump stated his intention to impose additional tariffs on China from the 4th. An additional 10% tariff has been imposed on China since the 4th of last month, bringing the total tariffs to 20%, which is likely to further intensify trade friction.
2025-03-04 07:33:00
A senior Thai police official in charge of the investigation into the base of special fraud in eastern Myanmar responded to an interview with NHK and said that "it has been revealed that most of the Japanese in the group came to Myanmar voluntarily" regarding the Japanese who were believed to have been at the base. The police plan to further investigate the case in cooperation with the Japanese side.
2025-03-04 07:29:00
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it would indefinitely ban foreign minister Iwao and nine other representatives of Japanese organizations and companies from entering Russia, citing the sanctions imposed by Japan.
2025-03-04 07:12:00
Due to the influence of the front and cold front, snow fell in central Tokyo on the 3rd. Heavy snow is expected to fall again in the Kanto-Koshin region from the evening of the 4th, mainly in mountainous areas, and even on flat land, snow is expected to accumulate and become heavy, so caution is advised regarding the impact on traffic.
2025-03-04 07:05:00
US President Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for saying that "we are far from reaching a ceasefire agreement with Russia," calling it "the worst possible statement." The Trump administration has doubts about Ukraine's stance toward a ceasefire, and there is no prospect of the conflict being resolved.
2025-03-04 06:31:00
On the 3rd, US President Trump told reporters, "If countries like China and Japan devalue their currencies, it would be extremely unfair and disadvantageous to the US." He then said, "All I have to do is tell Secretary of Commerce Lutnick, 'We have to raise the tariffs a little,'" indicating his recognition that tariffs will be necessary as a means of responding to the policies of other countries to devalue their currencies. With President Trump pointing out China, Japan and other countries by name for their devaluation policies, the focus will be on the reaction of authorities and financial markets in each country.
2025-03-04 06:15:00
The new fiscal year budget plan has been revised to reflect specific measures for free education agreed upon by the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito Party and the Japan Restoration Party, and is expected to pass the House of Representatives on the 4th. This will be the first time in 29 years that the government's initial budget plan has been revised in the Diet, and it is certain to be passed by the minority ruling party.
2025-03-04 06:04:00
The forest fire in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture, continues to spread, and the burned area has expanded to about 2,100 hectares as of the morning of the 3rd, and there is still no sign of the fire being contained. Several houses have been newly damaged, and firefighters are working through the night to prevent further damage to residential areas.
2025-03-04 05:33:00
Speaking to reporters on the afternoon of the 3rd, US President Trump reiterated his intention to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada from the 4th. He also indicated his intention to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese products, which have already been imposed since the 4th of last month, bringing the total tariffs to 20%, by adding an additional 10% tariff on top of the tariffs that vary by item. President Trump emphasized that the reason for the tariffs is the influx of drugs such as fentanyl into the US from Mexico, Canada, and China.
2025-03-04 02:27:00
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest contract manufacturer of semiconductors, plans to invest $100 billion in the United States over the next four years, or more than 15 trillion yen, according to reports from major American newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal. The investment will be used to build a factory to produce cutting-edge semiconductors, and President Trump is expected to make an announcement on the 3rd.
