Japan City of Kusatsu Uses Name Mix-Up as PR Opportunity

Japan's government and ruling coalition plan to suspend the tax levied on automobiles in accordance with their fuel efficiency for two years from fiscal 2026, it was learned Tuesday.

Japan's ruling parties started discussions on Monday to ease the country's restrictions on exports of defense equipment.

The Japan Association of Corporate Executives, or Keizai Doyukai, decided Tuesday to appoint IBM Japan Ltd. General Manager and President Akio Yamaguchi as its new chairman.

The current session of the Diet, Japan's parliament, is expected to end on Wednesday as scheduled, as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is now negative about an extension.

The number of cases of groundwater use apparently by foreign individuals or entities totaled 49 in one prefecture and 11 municipalities in Japan as of October, a government survey showed Tuesday.

Japan's industry ministry plans to establish a system under which municipalities certify businesses in depopulated areas that provide essential services vital to daily life, such as medical and nursing care, and retail, it was learned Tuesday.

Japan will improve its weather advisory and warning system by creating a new category applied in the event of Level 4 emergencies for which municipalities issue evacuation orders, the government said Tuesday.

Chinese individuals and entities accounted for the largest share of non-Japanese buyers of land and structures near areas that are important in light of Japan's national security in fiscal 2024, a government survey report showed Tuesday.

The Japanese government plans to require new owners to provide nationality information when registering real estate, Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said Tuesday.

The Japanese government plans to establish a new framework for cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence with five Central Asian countries, informed sources have said.