2025-05-21 22:54:00
A committee of experts has recommended that the eight people who died in Ishikawa Prefecture after the Noto Peninsula earthquake be recognized as disaster-related deaths. If the deaths are officially recognized by the local government, the death toll from the Noto Peninsula earthquake is expected to reach 600.
2025-05-21 22:05:00
On the evening of the 21st, a Nagano Electric Railway train traveling in Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture, collided with something like a shed, shattering the window glass and killing a passenger in his 50s who was in the car. Two other passengers were injured, and the police are investigating the details, believing that the shed-like object may have been blown away by strong winds and collided with the train.
2025-05-21 22:00:00
Amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, a school bus carrying children was bombed in southwestern Pakistan, killing six people, including four children. Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif has claimed, without providing any evidence, that it was an Indian-backed terrorist attack, raising concerns that tensions may escalate further.
2025-05-21 21:11:00
The Liberal Democratic Party, the Komeito Party, and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan have agreed to hold revision talks on the pension system reform bill from the 22nd. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is putting together the outline of an amendment to include a measure to raise the basic pension that was omitted from the government's bill, and how to handle this measure is expected to be a focal point.
2025-05-21 20:37:00
On the 21st, the bond market saw a surge in selling of government bonds due to the perception that demand was weak at the Ministry of Finance's auction of Japanese government bonds held on the 20th. The trend of rising long-term interest rates continues, with the 10-year government bond, which is a representative indicator of long-term interest rates, rising to 1.530%, and the yield on the 30-year government bond reaching an all-time high.
2025-05-21 19:30:00
Kuwana City in Mie Prefecture, which was the first city in the country to enact an ordinance that includes provisions for the publication of names of customers engaging in nuisance behavior, or so-called "customer harassment," held its first city committee meeting on the 21st to deliberate whether a consultation it had received constituted customer harassment.
2025-05-21 19:03:00
In the Diet, the second debate between Prime Minister Ishiba and the opposition party leaders was held following the one held last month. Constitutional Democratic Party leader Noda criticized the pension system reform bill as insufficient and called for the first-place LDP and second-place Constitutional Democratic Party to hold revision talks. Prime Minister Ishiba responded that he would like to reach a conclusion under the responsibility of both parties.
2025-05-21 18:50:00
In a case where a former prosecutor-general of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors' Office is accused of sexually assaulting a female subordinate, the female prosecutor has released a handwritten document that she claims she received from the former prosecutor-general after the incident. The document asks the female subordinate not to report the assault, citing "for the sake of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors' Office, to which you also belong."
2025-05-21 18:06:00
The National Police Agency is considering revising the "foreign license exchange" procedure, which allows drivers to exchange their driver's license obtained abroad for a Japanese license, by implementing stricter address verification procedures.
2025-05-21 17:32:00
US media has reported that the Trump administration has deported immigrants from Vietnam and other countries to South Sudan, where political instability continues, as a measure to combat illegal immigration. This may violate a previous court ruling that said immigrants cannot be deported to a third country if there are concerns.
2025-05-21 16:59:00
A large-scale exhibition showcasing defense equipment and the latest security technologies has been held in Chiba City since the 21st.
2025-05-21 16:34:00
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, an estimated 3.9 million foreign tourists visited Japan in April, the highest number of tourists in a single month on record, beating the previous record set in January of this year.
2025-05-21 16:18:00
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitcher for the Dodgers in Major League Baseball, took the mound in the game against the Diamondbacks on the 20th and pitched well, allowing only one hit and no runs in the seventh inning. The relief pitcher was hit and Yamamoto did not get the win, but the team won in extra innings with a walk-off, ending their losing streak at four.
2025-05-21 15:36:00
During construction work for the relocation of the U.S. military's Futenma Air Base to Henoko, Nago City, Okinawa, a work vessel collided with coral that the Okinawa Defense Bureau had been transplanting from the planned landfill site in order to protect the environment. Part of the coral was damaged, and the Okinawa Defense Bureau said it has taken measures to prevent a recurrence.
2025-05-21 15:30:00
Toyota Motor Corporation has announced a new model of car that can continuously improve safety features by updating the software installed in the car. In this field, overseas manufacturers are leading the way and competition is intensifying, so Toyota also wants to accelerate the launch of mass-produced cars on the market.
2025-05-21 14:13:00
The G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting will begin in the early hours of the 22nd Japan time. Opinions are expected to be exchanged on the impact of US tariffs on the global economy, and the focus will be on the extent to which the G7, which has promoted free trade up until now, can deliver a unified message.
2025-05-21 13:48:00
On the 20th, police found a man and woman believed to be a married couple who were found bleeding to death in an apartment in Ikeda City, Osaka, and found that both had been dead for several days. The woman, believed to be the 5-year-old daughter, also had a knife wound on her back, and police are investigating the possibility that the husband may have attempted a double suicide based on the circumstances at the scene.
2025-05-21 13:43:00
Regarding the option of separate surnames for married couples, LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Onodera expressed the view that if the system is introduced, it is necessary to carefully examine its impact on related laws and regulations.
2025-05-21 13:27:00
The revised NTT Act, which includes changes to the conditions that NTT is required to meet in order to provide uniform nationwide telephone services, was passed and enacted at the House of Councilors plenary session on the 21st.
2025-05-21 13:11:00
Reactions from around the country to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto's resignation following his remarks regarding rice.
2025-05-21 12:46:00
In a case where a man in his 40s who works as the president of a company was arrested for burying and abandoning the body of his father, a company executive, in a materials storage yard in Kitakyushu City, it was revealed through interviews with people involved that the father and son had frequent disputes over money and the management of the company. In response to police questioning, the son has reportedly denied the charges.
2025-05-21 12:37:00
On the 20th, the mayor's secretary and advisor were shot and killed by an unknown assailant in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, and an investigation is underway into the possibility that the crime may have been politically motivated.
2025-05-21 12:12:00
Regarding the next management structure of Fuji Television's parent company, the chief investment officer of a major shareholder investment fund visited the company's headquarters in Minato Ward, Tokyo on the 21st to explain his own list of director candidates. The company is opposed to the fund's proposal, and the focus is on whether the two sides can reach a compromise through direct discussions.
2025-05-21 12:03:00
Temperatures are expected to rise nationwide on the 21st, with temperatures already reaching over 30 degrees Celsius, especially in eastern and western Japan along the Sea of Japan coast, so please take precautions against heatstroke by drinking plenty of fluids. In addition, heavy rain has fallen in some areas of Kagoshima Prefecture due to the influence of the rainy season front, and caution is needed against landslides in southern Kyushu and other areas.
2025-05-21 12:02:00
A little after 10 a.m. on the 21st, a female student at a correspondence high school in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, stabbed three other students with a knife, and the three were taken to the hospital. According to the police, none of the injuries were life-threatening, and the police arrested the female student on the spot on suspicion of attempted murder.
2025-05-21 11:32:00
Cubs player Seiya Suzuki played well in the game against the Marlins on the 20th, hitting his 12th two-run home run, his first in five games, and had three hits and four RBIs, contributing to his team's victory.
2025-05-21 10:39:00
U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that he would like to deploy a next-generation system to defend the United States against missile attacks, including a mechanism to intercept missiles in space, and have it operational by the end of his term in office in 2029.
2025-05-21 10:13:00
A meeting was held at the United Nations Security Council to discuss maritime security, where the United States condemned China's actions in the South China Sea as "dangerous and illegal," while China countered that "the United States is stoking conflict," leading to an exchange of accusations.
2025-05-21 10:04:00
Archaeologist Yukihiro Omura, who has been involved in excavations at ruins in Turkey for many years and has produced many results that have revealed the origins of human iron production, has passed away. He was 78 years old.
2025-05-21 10:02:00
According to the Miyagi Prefectural Police Headquarters, a malfunction occurred in the system that manages driver's licenses on the 21st, making it impossible to process or renew licenses at driver's license centers and police stations across the prefecture.
2025-05-21 08:58:00
According to the April trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, the trade balance, which is exports minus imports, was in the red by 115.8 billion yen. This is the first time in three months that the trade balance has been in the red.
2025-05-21 08:28:00
Prime Minister Ishiba has decided to appoint Shinjiro Koizumi, former election campaign chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, as the successor to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto, who has submitted his resignation.
2025-05-21 07:54:00
Businessman Elon Musk, who made huge donations to support Trump in last year's US presidential election, said about his political donations for next year's midterm elections, "My donations will be much less. I think I've done enough already."
2025-05-21 06:31:00
All Nippon Airways has announced that from May next year it will introduce a new fare system that will allow prices to change more dramatically in response to demand.
2025-05-21 05:29:00
Regarding the telephone conversation between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said, "The two presidents truly recognize the need to resolve the Ukraine crisis," apparently aiming to show that Russia is not reluctant to seek a ceasefire, as President Trump has hinted at the possibility of stopping his mediation efforts.
2025-05-21 05:10:00
In a case where a man's body was found buried in a materials storage yard in Kitakyushu City on the 20th, police arrested the 40-year-old company president of an 87-year-old company executive for abandoning the body. The executive has been missing since April, and police are also investigating the circumstances of his death. The son has reportedly denied the charges during police questioning.
2025-05-21 04:54:00
Regarding the US tariff measures, Minister for Economic Revitalization Akazawa is scheduled to attend the next ministerial negotiations on the 24th Japan time. With US Treasury Secretary Bessent expected to be absent, Minister Akazawa is expected to look for areas where they can reach a compromise while assessing the reactions of the other two ministers.
2025-05-21 04:36:00
As generative AI becomes more widespread, AI spoofing on the Internet has become a problem, and a company led by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, is working on a new countermeasure. They have developed a system that uses the pattern of the eye, known as the iris, to authenticate and prove that the person is human, and the technology has recently been introduced in Japan.
2025-05-21 04:19:00
Prime Minister Ishiba has decided to replace Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto, who made statements such as "I have never bought rice." This is seen as a de facto replacement, and a final decision is scheduled for the 21st.
2025-05-21 04:17:00
The award ceremony for the Abel Prize, also known as the "Nobel Prize of mathematics," was held in Norway. In his speech, Kyoto University Professor Masaki Kashiwabara, the first Japanese to receive the award, emphasized the "importance of creativity" that he learned from his mentor.
2025-05-21 04:15:00
In an accident on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Mie Prefecture, where a passenger car was driving the wrong way and other cars that tried to avoid it were caught up in the accident, the suspect arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run explained to the police before his arrest that he had "taken a wrong turn." Police are investigating the possibility that he made a U-turn on the main road in an attempt to force his way back and drove the wrong way.
