Japan

TOKYO, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Temperatures climbed in many places from western to northern Japan on Sunday, with the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warning scorching heat is expected to continue in the regions on Monday.

Daytime highs on Sunday hit 35.3 degrees Celsius in Toyota City in Aichi prefecture, 35.1 degrees in Shimanto City in Kochi prefecture, and 31.7 degrees in central Tokyo, according to the JMA.

Weather officials said temperatures are expected to reach 35 degrees in cities of Nara, Gifu, Nagoya and Kofu, and 32 degrees in central Tokyo on Monday.

TOKYO, July 1 (Reuters) - Japan's defence ministry said late on Friday it had spotted two Russian Navy ships in the waters near Taiwan and Japan's Okinawa islands in the previous four days, following a similar announcement this week from Taiwan.

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Tuesday it had spotted two Russian frigates off its eastern coast and send aircraft and ships to keep watch.

TOKYO, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's nuclear regulator on Friday finished inspecting a newly completed system to release radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the sea, local media reported.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) checked for leaks and other abnormalities by passing water through the system and inspected the emergency shut-off valves to make sure they function properly, public broadcaster NHK reported.

TOKYO, Jun 29 (NNN-NHK) – Toyota Motor Corp., today said, its global production of cars in May, increased to a record high for the month, amid improving availability of semiconductors.

According to the Aichi-based automaker, its global output of cars increased 33.4 percent from a year earlier to 847,000 units, helped by solid production in North America and Europe, with output in Japan jumping 72.2 percent to 248,287 units.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and South Korea agreed Thursday to revive a currency swap agreement for times of crisis, in the latest sign of warming ties as the countries work to smooth over historical antagonisms.

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki announced the agreement after meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Choo Kyungho. It was the first time the two countries have held annual financial talks in seven years, though Suzuki and Choo also met in South Korea in May.

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese regulators began a final inspection Wednesday before treated radioactive wastewater is released from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.

The inspection began a day after plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings installed the last piece of equipment needed for the release — the outlet of the undersea tunnel dug to discharge the wastewater 1 kilometer (a thousand yards) offshore.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan announced a decision Tuesday to reinstate South Korea as a preferred nation with fast-track trade status starting July 21, virtually ending a four-year economic row that was further strained during their bitter historic disputes.

Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters that Japan and South Korea have also agreed to set up a framework to review and follow up on the systems as needed.

TOKYO, Jun 25 (NNN-NHK) – The number of people reported missing in Japan came in at 84,910 in 2022, up for the second consecutive year, Japan’s National Police Agency, said.

The figure saw an increase of 5,692 from the previous year, according to the agency.

By age group, cases of missing people in their 20s saw the highest number, with those in their teens and 20s accounting for approximately 40 percent of all missing persons, the agency said, in its report.

TOKYO, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Passengers evacuated a train in a central subway station in Tokyo after a man was seen carrying a knife on Sunday, local media reported.

Three were injured during the rush to get off the train.

At around 4:15 p.m. local time, police received a call reporting a person wielding a knife in a train compartment at Shinjuku station on the JR Yamanote line, said local fire and police departments.

TOKYO, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Multiple civic groups in Japan have continued to oppose the country's plan of dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, exhorting the government to take the long-term impact into account to avoid entailing endless trouble to future generations.