The Latest Breaking News from The Japan News/Yomiuri

Reiwa Shinsengumi opposition party leader Taro Yamamoto, 48, won the party's first leadership contest since its foundation on Sunday. The election was held as his three-year term came to an end.

The Imperial Household Agency has announced that the visit by the general public to the Imperial Palace to celebrate the Emperor's birthday on Feb. 23 will be held next year.

NAGOYA -- The Aichi prefectural police are investigating the alleged assault by police officers of a man who died while in custody at a local police station. The victim's father is demanding answers and an apology.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took a leading role in discussions on securing financial resources to drastically boost defense spending, positioning the amount and the way to secure funds as non-negotiable while referring to "Japan's responsibility" to its ally, the United States, and friendly countries in Europe.

BEIJING / SHENYANG -- The end of Chi- na's zero-COVID measures is likely to dampen its economy for some time, as the abrupt policy change has unleashed a rapid spread of infections, with an increasing number of factories consequently forced to slow down.

OSAKA -- Bereaved families mourned the victims of an arson attack at a psychosomatic clinic one year later in the Kitashinchi area of Osaka City on Saturday.

The defense buildup approved by the government on Friday could see Japan's ranking in terms of defense expenditures rise to third in the world based on planned spending of about 11 trillion yen in fiscal 2027.

A Chinese Navy fleet of six warships, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning, sailed through waters between Okinawa and Miyako islands, both in Okinawa Prefecture, into the Pacific Ocean on Friday, the Defense Ministry announced on the day.

Books by elderly women describing how to enjoy life with ingenuity and without spending much money have recently become popular in Japan.