Hirokazu Matsuno

Four Japanese ministers tendered their resignations on Thursday as unpopular Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reels from a major corruption scandal in the ruling party.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to fire several top ministers who are reportedly under investigation for alleged fraud, local media said yesterday, in what would be the second reshuffle in three months.

North Korea on Monday notified neighboring Japan that it plans to launch a satellite in coming days, which may be an attempt to put Pyongyang's first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit.

Japanese police on Friday detained a man who had holed up in a building after allegedly killing four people, including two police officers, in a gun and knife attack.

Masanori Aoki, 31, was taken into custody at his house outside a farm near the city of Nakano in the Nagano region, police said.

North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, Reuters reported, citing a South Korean military statement. It is the latest of several weapons tests as South Korea and the United States hold their largest joint military exercises in years.

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Tuesday, Seoul said, Pyongyang's second launch in three days and the first since South Korea and the United States began their largest joint military drills in five years.

Abe (67) was left unconscious after he was shot by an unidentified assailant, who was taken into custody by police at the scene, Kyodo reported.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said he did not know Abe's condition after the attack, and Kyodo news agency and NHK reported that Abe, 67, was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when he was taken to hospital.

The yen hit its lowest level against the dollar in two decades yesterday, extending recent falls as the gap widens between Japan's ultra-loose monetary policy and U.S. tightening.

Despite being traditionally considered a safe-haven currency, uncertainty fueled by the war in Ukraine has not caused the yen to strengthen.

Confidence weakened among Japan's major manufacturers for the first time in nearly two years, a key business survey showed on April 1, as concern grows over the impact of the Ukraine crisis.

The Bank of Japan's Tankan business survey showed a reading of plus 14 for major manufacturers, lower than the previous plus 17.