Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono has told his Egyptian counterpart that Japan is considering sending several senior Ground Self-Defense Force officials to the headquarters of the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai Peninsula.
The MFO is monitoring a ceasefire between Egypt and Israel.
The foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea have held talks amid worsening bilateral relations over wartime issues.
Taro Kono and Kang Kyung-wha met in the German city of Munich on Friday on the sidelines of an international conference.
The Japanese government has mapped out a bill to officially recognize the Ainu ethnic minority as an indigenous people of Japan.
The bill, which was endorsed at a Cabinet meeting on Friday, legally stipulates for the first time that the Ainu are an indigenous people and calls for the creation of a society in which they can take pride in their heritage.
The machine ticketing system for the Shinkansen bullet trains is partially down.
Customers have not been able to buy tickets since this morning, although they can still get them in person at ticket offices.
The mother of a ten-year-old girl who died due to suspected domestic abuse has reportedly told police that she and her husband confined their daughter to the hallway and bathroom of their apartment.
Mia Kurihara was found dead in the bathroom of the home in Noda City, near Tokyo, in late January.
Japanese officials say more than 3,000 facilities and structures nationwide could potentially be struck by ships being blown about by a strong wind. At least 360 cases of drifting ships were reported across Japan last year.
The Japan Coast Guard put together a list of such places after a tanker set adrift by a typhoon seriously damaged an access bridge for Kansai Airport in Osaka Bay, western Japan, last September.
The prefectural government of Aichi, central Japan, has decided to cull about 15,000 more pigs in a district struck by swine fever.
Fresh reports of the infection in Tahara City came from two neighboring farms on Wednesday and Thursday. The farms in the district reportedly share facilities, such as vehicles and compost sites. The first outbreak there was confirmed on February 6.
Japanese officials say more than 3,000 facilities and structures nationwide could potentially be struck by ships being blown about by a strong wind. At least 360 cases of drifting ships were reported across Japan last year.
The Japan Coast Guard put together a list of such places after a tanker set adrift by a typhoon seriously damaged an access bridge for Kansai Airport in Osaka Bay, western Japan, last September.
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has released video shot during a survey of what's believed to be fuel debris in its No. 2 reactor.
In the survey on Wednesday, a device for the first time made contact with the debris believed to be a mixture of molten nuclear fuel and structural parts.
Sources say a Japanese man was detained by Chinese intelligence authorities last year. He was later indicted.
Japan's Foreign Ministry and others say the man is in his 40s and an employee at major trading house Itochu.
Same-sex couples in Japan have jointly filed the first lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the country's rejection of their right to get married.
Japanese laws do not recognize same-sex marriages.
Thirteen couples in Tokyo and three other cities claim this violates the Constitution, which guarantees equality under law. They also note the growing awareness that discrimination based on sexual orientation is wrong.
Japan's top government spokesman has declined to comment on lawsuits jointly filed by same-sex couples seeking marriage equality under Japanese law.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was speaking at a Lower House budget committee meeting on Thursday.
An unknown donor has sent about 100 million yen, or about 910,000 dollars, to the government of Ehime Prefecture in western Japan.
A cardboard box containing bundles of 10,000 yen bills, addressed to Ehime Governor Tokihiro Nakamura, was delivered on January 29.
Japanese police say the number of fatal car accidents caused by elderly drivers increased by ten percent in 2018.
According to the National Police Agency, last year saw a total of 3,449 fatal traffic accidents on roads nationwide. That was the lowest number since 1963 when comparable statistics became available.