Japan

Registrations of Chinese-branded cars roughly doubled from a year earlier in September to make up 12.7% of total sales across the region, led by hybrids, according to market researcher Dataforce

Japan's MMX mission will collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos and return it to Earth by 2031, aiming to resolve how Mars' two moons formed and evolved

Japan is set to launch a spacecraft on the world's first mission to bring back samples from Phobos, one of the two small, potato-shaped moons orbiting Mars. Scientists hope the mission, which is expected to take five years, will provide clues to how Phobos and its smaller sibling Deimos formed, and hopefully even shed light on the origins of life in the solar system. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's launch of the spacecraft Tuesday on a new Japanese mainstay H-3 rocket comes as the United States, China and others consider sending astronauts to Mars. Samples from Phobos will provide useful data for scientists to consider using a Martian moon as a base for a future manned mission to the planet, said MMX project manager Yasuhiro Kawakatsu. "Despite their potential importance, Martian moons have never been fully investigated," Kawakatsu said. "They are known as the most important unclimbed mountains in the solar system." Japan leads the international mission that includes ...

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a series of bilateral meetings with her counterparts from the UK, Switzerland and Japan in Bangkok and discussed ways to deepen financial and economic cooperation. In her meeting with UK Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF annual meetings, Sitharaman discussed the successful conclusion of the fourth India-UK Financial Markets Dialogue, fintech meetings and associated India-UK Financial Partnership (IUKFP) meetings, building on the outcomes of the previous Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD). Both sides agreed to hold the next EFD in December 2026, the finance ministry said in a post on X. Sitharaman also reaffirmed India's commitment to working closely with the UK on shared priorities and ensuring a constructive and inclusive G20 process. In a separate meeting with Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Finance Karin Keller-Sutter, the two sides discussed the India-EFTA Tra

India has outlined plans to become a major green hydrogen producer, even as developers worldwide have struggled to secure the long-term offtake agreements required to underpin large-scale investments

Japan has emerged as the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India during April-June of the current fiscal year, according to government data. FDI inflows from Japan stood at USD 5.71 billion in the first quarter of 2026-27, surpassing the USD 3.74 billion India received from the country during the entire 2025-26 fiscal year. It was USD 2.48 billion in 2025-26. The foreign inflows from Japan account for nearly 29 per cent of the total equity inflows (USD 19.81 billion) which India received during the quarter, the data showed. The investments from Japan are important as Japan had set a target of investing 10 trillion yen (about Rs seven lakh crore) in India in over a decade. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Japan last month to further boost bilateral trade and investment ties between the countries. Goyal in Nagoya stated that Japanese firms have already invested Rs 1 lakh crore of the 10 trillion Yen (around Rs 6 lakh crore) investment target in

While domestic investment funds have also shown interest in PHC, Toho is currently the only prospective buyer engaged in concrete discussions

Japan has previously challenged Pakistan's auto policy at the WTO over export targets linked to tariff reductions and import licences

Typhoon Dujuan is approaching Japan's Pacific coast, disrupting transport and prompting weather warnings

Japanese fighter aircraft operating from Indian soil for the first time marks a major milestone in defence cooperation between India and Japan, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said here on Sunday during an ongoing bilateral air exercise. The exercise, being held at Air Force Station, Jodhpur from September 9-22, involves Indian Air Force frontline aircraft, including the indigenous Tejas, Su-30MKI and Rafale, and Japan Air Self-Defense Force's F-2A fighters. Japanese Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff General Takehiro Morita said the deployment of Japanese fighters to India had taken defence cooperation beyond simply conducting exercises and demonstrated the ability to deploy air assets across the Indo-Pacific region. The Japanese air chief flew a Tejas jet with a pilot, while Air Chief Marshall Singh flew solo on a Tejas jet as part of their sorties under the Indo-Japan bilateral air exercise, Veer Guardian-2026. In a gesture of mutual respect and partnership, the two air force chi

South Korea's defence ministry said the ​rival North had fired an unidentified projectile

Japan's central bank on Friday raised the benchmark interest rate to 1.25 per cent from 1.0 per cent, a 31-year-high. The move Friday, coming at the end of the two-day monetary policy board meeting, was expected, widely figured into recent global markets. The raise by 0.25 percentage points to the policy rate comes after the Federal Reserve also raised its key rate this week. Pressures have been coming from the US for Japan to raise rates because of concerns about the weakening yen. The nations intervened together recently to prop up the yen. The US dollar is trading at about 155 yen.

Tata Electronics will be signing 16 agreements at the SEMICON India conference with players across Europe, Japan, Singapore, and India, CEO Randhir Thakur said on Thursday, adding that the company's 'fab' in Dholera, Gujarat and the packaging facility in Assam are "on track" to meet scheduled commitments made to the government. Terming chips and semiconductors as an industry of the future, Thakur said India is ready to write the next chapter of the semiconductor story. "Five years ago, India Semiconductor Mission was formed. Today, there are 12 factories which are under different stages of completion, and we are already exporting Made in India chips to customers globally," he said, outlining India's growing prowess in the global chip-making ecosystem. The government is "in perfect sync with the semiconductor industry", bringing conducive policies that are building the foundational layer of a vibrant ecosystem and removing the barriers, he said, addressing the inaugural session of ..

Women account for nearly 88 per cent of Japan's centenarians, with 94,298 aged 100 or older, compared with 13,379 men, according to the latest data by Japan's health ministry

Japanese precision instruments and testing systems manufacturer Horiba on Monday said it is targeting a revenue of 20 billion yen from its India operations by 2028, as the country emerges as an increasingly important base for its global manufacturing and research roadmap. The company, which is marking 20 years of operations in India, reported an annual turnover of about 15 billion yen in FY 2025, at an average annual growth rate of over 15 per cent. "Looking at our global businesses, India is probably the most exciting and growing energetic market for us. Going forwardit would definitely be a key market for the Horiba Group. "India has grown from a market for our technology into a base where it is manufactured, adapted, and increasingly developed. Twenty years in, our commitment to this market remains as strong as ever, and we see India playing an even larger role in Horiba's global growth in the years ahead," Dan Horiba, Executive Director, Horiba Ltd, Japan, said in a statement.

Maruti Suzuki India on Monday said cumulative exports of the Made-in-India Jimny 5-door, Fronx, and e Vitara to Japan have surpassed 1 lakh units. Maruti Suzuki India began exporting the Fronx to Japan, one of the world's most competitive and advanced automobile markets, in August 2024, followed by the Jimny 5-door in December 2024. The Company's first Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), e Vitara, joined this export portfolio in September 2025, further strengthening India's role as a global manufacturing hub for Suzuki. Jimny 5-door and e VITARA are manufactured exclusively in India. With growing acceptance of Made-in-India vehicles, Japan stood as Maruti Suzuki's second-largest export market by volume in FY26, the company said, adding that it has retained the position during the first five months (April-August) of the current fiscal year. "The milestone of over 1 lakh exports of Jimny 5-door, FRONX, and e VITARA to Japan is a powerful endorsement of India's manufacturing excellence.

Bilateral merchandise trade has doubled over the past decade to $27.48 billion, while cumulative Japanese FDI in India stood at $48.14 billion through March 2026

Japan plans to use drones, artificial intelligence and new methods of warfare as it adapts its defence strategies to suit changing times, according to details of an 8.9 trillion yen ($55.6 billion) budget request for the coming fiscal year disclosed by the Defence Ministry on Monday. The preliminary total is only a small increase from the 8.8 trillion yen ($55 billion) defence budget requested for this fiscal year. It will be much higher eventually, but further details will come later this year after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government approves the new security and defence strategy aimed at strengthening Japan's counterstrike capability. Under its five-year defence strategy set in 2022, Japan has doubled its defence spending to about 2% of its gross domestic product to build up its Self-Defence Forces' offensive role to counter China's growing assertiveness. Beijing has criticized Japan's defence buildup as "new militarism." Japan now aims to "drastically strengthen its ...

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said India will take up the issue of greater market access for basmati rice with Japan during a review of the trade agreement, and explore opportunities for exports of processed food products. Responding to a question from an industry representative on increasing basmati rice exports to Japan, Goyal said the government would have to engage with the Japanese authorities as rice is a sensitive sector in Japan. "We in the government will have to work on it and will have to talk to the Japanese government. There are several areas which are sensitive for each country, and to the best of my knowledge, rice is a sensitive area in Japan," he said. He noted that Japan has restrictions on the quantity of rice that can be imported and duties are applicable beyond the permitted quantity. "We will talk to the Japanese government when we review the CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) and see what more areas of mutual ...