Notices by The Japan Times (thejapantimes@mastodon.social)

Members of Japanese ruling and opposition parties expressed their sadness over the death of former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama on Friday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/18/japan/politics/murayama-tributes/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #tomiichimurayama #yoheikono #shigeruishiba #mizuhofukushima #sanaetakaichi

Europe must break its dependency on U.S. tech monopolies by investing in decentralized, open-protocol social media platforms that empower users, foster innovation and protect democratic discourse. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/10/13/world/european-homegrown-social-media/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #socialmedia #bluesky #facebook #instagram #x #skyfeed #graysky #tech #bigtech

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will launch an additional Michibiki positioning satellite, the Japanese version of GPS, aboard an H3 rocket on Dec. 7. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/08/japan/michibiki-satellite-december/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #mitsubishiheavy #jaxa #space #satellites #kagoshima

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said President Donald Trump plans to call up 300 members of the state’s national guard, defying opposition from local and state leaders. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/05/world/politics/chicago-trump-national-guard/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #immigration #us #chicago #usmilitary #donaldtrump

Japan has decided to allow same-sex couples to be treated as being in de facto marriages under a total of nine more laws and ordinances, including the disaster condolence grant law. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/01/japan/same-sex-partners-law/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #samesexmarriage #japanesecourts #lgbtq

Nissan will revive its Xterra sport utility vehicle as a hybrid model and halt plans to make an electric vehicle in the United States. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/10/01/companies/nissan-production-plan-change-us/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #nissan #carmakers #electricvehicle #hybrids #us #tariffs

Google said it will pay $24.5 million to resolve U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that being banned from his YouTube channel after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol was illegal censorship. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/30/tech/google-trump-suit-jan-6-ban/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #google #youtube #us #donaldtrump #x #meta

Ukraine reacted with outrage on Saturday after the International Paralympic Committee lifted a partial suspension of Russia and Belarus imposed since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/paralympics/2025/09/28/paralympic-russia-belarus-suspensions/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #paralympics #russia #belarus #russiaukrainewar #ukraine #internationalparalympiccommittee #2026milanocortinaparalympics

Theoretical physicist Fumitaka Sato, known for his contributions to unraveling the mystery of black holes, died at a hospital in Kyoto on Sunday. He was 87. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/18/japan/black-hole-researcher-obituary/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #space #obituary #physics #kyotouniversity #fumitakasato

Federal Reserve officials lowered their benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point and penciled in two more reductions this year following months of intense pressure from the White House. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/18/economy/fed-rate-cut-powell-jobs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #us #federalreserve #jobs #jeromepowell

Some Republicans want to go further still and have proposed deporting Kirk's critics from the United States, suing them into penury or banning them from social media for life. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/14/world/charlie-kirk-mourn-threats/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #republicans #democrats #us #charliekirk #murder #donaldtrump

Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday as anti-corruption demonstrators defied a curfew and clashed with police, a day after 19 people died in violent protests triggered by a social media ban. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/09/asia-pacific/politics/nepal-prime-minister-quit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #nepal #socialmedia

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered all-out efforts on Saturday to respond to the arrests of hundreds of the nation's citizens in a U.S. immigration raid on a Hyundai car battery factory. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/06/asia-pacific/politics/south-korea-us-immigration-raid/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #ussouthkorearelations #us #southkorea #donaldtrump #leejaemyung #immigration

The National Police Agency's new cycling rulebook details 113 violations that will be subject to fines starting in April next year, including riding while looking at a smartphone. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/05/japan/crime-legal/japan-police-releases-rulebook-for-cyclists-amid-strengthened-control/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #japanesepolice #trafficaccidents #npa

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has said that it will launch the first HTV-X new resupply vehicle to the International Space Station at around 10:58 a.m. on Oct. 21. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/23/japan/science-health/japan-new-iss-resupply-vehicle/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #jaxa #space #astronomy #iss

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says Japan's $550 billion of investment funding in return for lower U.S. tariff rates will be directed by U.S. President Donald Trump to benefit the United States. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/08/20/economy/lutnick-cnbc-billion/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #ryoseiakazawa #tariffs #donaldtrump #trade #carmakers #us #japaneseeconomy #usjapanrelations #scottbessent #howardlutnick

The Japan International Cooperation Agency is set to designate four Japanese cities as “hometowns” for the African nations of Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana and Mozambique as Japan looks to strengthen exchanges. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/18/japan/society/jica-hometown-cities/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #africa #ticad #africajapanrelations #jica #tanzania #nigeria #ghana #mozambique

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will unveil Japan's plan to accelerate the development of the Nacala Corridor, a Japan-backed logistics network in Africa, at a major conference next week. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/16/japan/politics/ishiba-ticad-corridor/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #nacalacorridor #africa #ticad #shigeruishiba

U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is ready to end his war in Ukraine, but that peace would likely require at least a second meeting involving Ukraine's leader. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/15/world/politics/us-russia-talks/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #us #russia #ukraine #vladimirputin #volodymyrzelenskyy #donaldtrump #russiaukrainewar

McDonald’s Japan has issued an apology following a weekend frenzy in which many bought its Happy Meals in bulk to get their hands on limited-edition Pokemon trading cards, only to discard the food afterward. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/08/12/companies/mcdonalds-pokemon-apology/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #mcdonald039s #pokemon #socialmedia #waste #food