A Gunma prefectural official has been given a three-month disciplinary suspension for being absent from work without permission during an overseas trip, it was announced on Wednesday.

A total of 15 new measles patients were confirmed in Tokyo between March 7 and Thursday, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government.

No-fly zones where drones are not allowed to be operated will be expanded to one kilometer near certain key facilities and penalties for violations will be strengthened, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

The 27-meter-long, 3.6-meter diameter metal pipe that had risen about 13 meters above the ground in Osaka on Wednesday gradually sank back into the ground after water was pumped, with only 1.6 meters remaining above ground on Thursday morning.

The government has finalized plans to tighten requirements for being granted permanent residency starting April 2027. The move aims to optimize procedures based on the government’s basic policy for foreign nationals compiled in January.

NEW YORK — Japanese and Japanese American volunteers in the United States served about 1,000 meals to people in need at a soup kitchen in New York on Wednesday to mark the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed “serious concern” over attacks on vessels in the waters around the Strait of Hormuz during an online meeting of Group of Seven leaders on Wednesday.

Representatives of research institutes and think tanks worldwide on Wednesday issued a chairman’s statement for the Tokyo Conference 2026, emphasizing the importance of cooperation among middle powers, such as Japan and the European Union, to maintain and strengthen the rule of law.

Japan's response to the U.S.-Israel military operation against Iran, including support measures, is likely to be the focal point of the upcoming Japan-U.S. summit.

The government on Tuesday approved a bill to revise the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law at a Cabinet meeting and submitted the bill to the House of Representatives. The bill centers on the introduction of an electronic travel authorization system, or JESTA, to determine online whether visitors are eligible to enter Japan prior to travel. The government aims to introduce the system in fiscal 2028. The bill also raises the upper limit on fees for renewing or changing visas for the first time in 44 years.

A second flight chartered by the Japanese government for evacuating Japanese nationals in the wake of the deteriorating situation in the Middle East arrived at Narita Airport from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning.

The House of Representatives Budget Committee held public hearings in Kagoshima and Morioka on Sunday to hear experts’ views on the fiscal 2026 budget, the first time such regional hearings were held on a Sunday. This reflected the ruling bloc’s push to pass the budget in the current fiscal year.