Japan, S. Korea Leaders Agree to Develop Bilateral Ties

Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan chief Yoshihiko Noda is expected to make a final decision on whether to submit a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's cabinet after attending a meeting of party leaders, including Ishiba, on Thursday.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. is expected to lower its electricity rate for a standard household by 616 yen from the previous month to 8,236 yen in July, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

Japan's ruling and opposition parties are discussing skipping a vote on opposition-sponsored surname bills in the current Diet session, which ends on Sunday, informed sources said Wednesday.

Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Akio Toyoda's executive compensation totaled 1,949 million yen in fiscal 2024, the highest ever for a Toyota executive, according to the automaker's securities report published Wednesday.

East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, said Wednesday that it will suspend some services on the Tohoku and Yamagata Shinkansen train lines, following malfunctions found on E8 series Shinkansen trains.

Skymark Airlines said Wednesday it will operate charter flights between Kobe and Taipei in October.

Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido has announced that memorial services at sea will be held for former residents of the four Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands claimed by Tokyo to mourn their ancestors, between July 20 and Aug. 21.

Japan, the United States and South Korea conducted a joint aerial exercise in the airspace south of South Korea's Jeju island Wednesday morning, according to the South Korean Air Force.

Dai Nippon Printing Co. said Tuesday that it will acquire Cayman Islands-based Rubicon SEZC to enter the biometric authentication service business in emerging economies.

The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, has called for an immediate end to hostilities in the wake of Israel's recent attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.