Japan to Certify Essential Service Providers

Honda Motor Co. plans to reduce vehicle production at some plants in Japan and China from late this month through early January due to a shortage of semiconductors, company officials said Wednesday.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and British Defense Secretary John Healey have shared serious concerns over China's moves, including a recent joint flight by Chinese and Russian bombers off the Pacific coast.

More than half of cases reported to Japanese police of sexual deepfakes targeting those aged under 18 were created with the involvement of students from the same schools as the victims, National Police Agency data have shown.

Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. said Wednesday it will purchase British drinks giant Diageo PLC's alcohol business in East Africa for 465.4 billion yen.

Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday released a new version of its RAV4 SUV, the first model to use the Japanese automaker's Arene software platform for better safety.

Tokyo climbed to second place for the first time in global city power rankings released by a Japanese think tank Wednesday, buoyed by a surge in the number of visitors to Japan.

Japanese office and household goods supplier Askul Corp. resumed Wednesday shipping operations using its logistics system after a two-month hiatus caused by a cyberattack.

Japanese labor leader Tomoko Yoshino has expressed opposition to a proposal by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration to give legal validity to the use of former surnames after marriage.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged Wednesday to hold talks with China to improve deteriorating bilateral relations.

Former Maebashi Mayor Akira Ogawa announced her comeback bid on Wednesday, saying she will run in the Gunma prefectural capital's mayoral election to be held next month due to her resignation over hotel visits with a married male municipal government official.