Japan

TOKYO (AP) — A volcano in southern Japan erupted Wednesday with a massive column of gray smoke billowing into the sky.

The Japan Meteorological Agency raised the warning level for Mount Aso to three on a scale of five, warning hikers and residents to avoid the mountain.

NHK national television aired footage of a massive smoke column above the volcano.

The warning was issued for the city of Aso and two nearby towns in Kumamoto prefecture, which is in the north-central region of the southern island of Kyushu.

TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - A group of 10 naval vessels from China and Russia sailed through a strait separating Japan's main island and its northern island of Hokkaido on Monday, the Japanese government said, adding that it is closely watching such activities.

It was the first time Japan has confirmed the passage of Chinese and Russian naval vessels sailing together through the Tsugaru Strait, which separates the Sea of Japan from the Pacific.

TOKYO, Oct 18 (NNN-NHK) – Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, called an emergency meeting of Cabinet members, including Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno and Industry Minister, Koichi Hagiuda, to discuss the recent oil price hikes, local media reported.

“We are closely watching movements in the crude oil market, as well as, the impact on domestic industry and households,” Kishida told reporters, after the meeting, today.

TOKYO (AP) — Almost overnight, Japan has become a stunning, and somewhat mysterious, coronavirus success story.

Daily new COVID-19 cases have plummeted from a mid-August peak of nearly 6,000 in Tokyo, with caseloads in the densely populated capital now routinely below 100, an 11-month low.

The bars are packed, the trains are crowded, and the mood is celebratory, despite a general bafflement over what, exactly, is behind the sharp drop.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida donated ritual offerings Sunday to a Tokyo shrine viewed by Chinese and Koreans as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression, though he did not make a visit in person.

Kishida donated “masakaki” religious ornaments to mark Yasukuni Shrine’s autumn festival. It was the first such observance by Kishida since he took office on Oct. 4.

TOKYO (AP) — The leaders of Japan and South Korea spoke by phone on Friday, saying they would look to deepen ties in the face of regional security threats despite strained bilateral relations.

Although are both military allies of the U.S. and share common concerns over North Korea and China, ties between Tokyo and Seoul have suffered over the legacy of Japan’s World War II atrocities. Disagreements over compensation for wartime Korean laborers are another big problem.

TOKYO, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday that the government is planning to begin inoculating the third doses of COVID-19 vaccine in December in the country.

The health ministry made the decision last month to give booster shots to people who finished the second dose of the vaccination at least eight months ago, on the grounds that studies have shown antibodies to prevent this disease decrease over time.

"We will be making preparations based on the assumption that we will start it as early as December," Kishida told a Diet session.

TOKYO (AP) — In his first policy speech Friday, Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised to strengthen pandemic management and health care in case of another coronavirus resurgence, and turn around the battered economy while bolstering the country’s defenses against threats from China and North Korea.

Tasked with a crucial mission of rallying public support ahead of national elections expected on Oct. 31, Kishida promised to pursue politics of “trust and empathy.”

TOKYO (AP) — A powerful magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the Tokyo area on Thursday night, injuring more than 30 people, damaging underground water pipes and halting trains and subways.

Traffic disruptions continued Friday morning, with local trains delayed and commuters overflowing from stations.

The Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered in Chiba prefecture, just east of Tokyo, at a depth of about 80 kilometers (48 miles). There was no danger of a tsunami.

TOKYO, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday he plans to call a general election on Oct. 31.

Kishida made the announcement at a press conference on Monday evening after he was elected as the 100th prime minister in the Japanese political history in the afternoon.

As the term of the members of the House of Representatives is set to expire on Oct. 21, Kishida said he will dissolve the lower chamber of the parliament on Oct. 14.