Visitors to Japan in Jan.-Nov. Top Yearly High

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.

Retail regular gasoline prices in Japan fell below 160 yen per liter as of Monday for the first time since September 2021 thanks to government subsidies, the industry ministry said Wednesday.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January-November is estimated to have totaled 39,065,600, already exceeding the annual record high of 36.87 million marked last year, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

Princess Aiko, daughter of Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, hosted a duck-netting reception for foreign diplomats on Wednesday.

Mizuho Financial Group Inc. said Wednesday that it will acquire Indian investment bank Avendus Capital Private Ltd. for a maximum of around 47 billion Indian rupees to strengthen its operations in the growing Indian capital market.

Japan's Ministry of Finance disclosed Wednesday a fifth set of documents related to a dubious land sale to Moritomo Gakuen to the widow of a MOF regional official who committed suicide after being ordered to tamper with official records on the sale.