Japan | Pakistan

Japan to remain the fourth-largest country by nominal gross domestic product this year

Former midwife channels her delivery-room experience into Japan’s Asian Games campaign

Japan fell just two-run short from target

Waheed scores twice as Green-shirts conquer Japan 4-3 in Group G classification stage

ISLAMABAD - Japan yesterday extended grant aid worth ¥350 million for the 2026 Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) Programme in Pakistan, aimed at strengthening the capacity of Pakistani government institutions through advanced education and training of public officials at leading Japanese universities.

Would provide scholarships for 17 federal civil servants to pursue postgraduate studies in Japan

Twenty-five cats stuck inside a shopping mall in Japan gutted in an explosion after a major earthquake have been rescued, the operator said on Thursday, triggering huge relief on social media. Momo, Kohaku, Tango, Shandy — a fluffy Norwegian Forest Cat — and the others were in Cat Cafe MOFF on the ground floor of the Aeon mall in Kashima when the deadly 7.1-magnitude quake hit on Tuesday. The mall was evacuated and employees returned to retrieve the cats when a huge explosion — likely caused by gas — ripped through the building, and staff “hurriedly evacuated”, the cafe said. At least 34 people died in the quake, according to authorities in the southwestern Kumamoto region. On Wednesday, with permission from the fire service, the police and the mall operator, MOFF’s manager entered the building and safely rescued all 25 cats, which were unharmed. Around 10pm (6pm PKT) the same day, the animals arrived safely in the city of Hiroshima in western Japan, where the company has another cat cafe, it said. View this ...

Rescuers were frantically searching on Wednesday for survivors of a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that shook southern Japan, killing at least 13 people, knocking out power to thousands of homes and rupturing roads across the region. Eight people were pulled from the rubble of a partially collapsed shopping mall near the city of Kumamoto that was torn apart by an apparent explosion about an hour after Tuesday’s earthquake. Of them, three have died. Mall operator Aeon said four workers at the Kumamoto shopping centre remained unaccounted for after checks of the roughly 2,700 staff. Customers had been evacuated right after the initial quake. Rescuers work at the damaged Aeon Mall shopping centre, where an explosion occurred after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture, in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, July 29, 2026. —Reuters “Even now, there are people waiting to be rescued, and this is a race against time. We will marshal all available resources on the ground to...

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands of homes, rupturing roads and leaving some trapped and others presumed dead inside a partially collapsed shopping mall. Speaking to reporters at her office in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage in the area, which was devastated by a deadly quake a decade ago. “We have already been informed that people have been injured. Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings,” Takaichi said. “I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location.” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to the media at the Prime Minister’s Office, in Tokyo after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit southern Japan on July 28, 2026. — AFP Around 300,000 people have been instructed to go to evacuation centres, the disaster ma...

They scored six tries against a Japan side

He made nine changes to face Japan

Japan marked the 1,000th match in World Cup history with a commanding 4-0 win over Tunisia in Group F on Saturday, as Ayase Ueda scored twice to send the North Africans out. Hajime Moriyasu’s side, who drew 2-2 with the Netherlands in their opener, went ahead after four minutes when a sweeping attack ended with Keito Nakamura cutting the ball back for Daichi Kamada to score. Tunisia, beaten 5-1 by Sweden in their first match and playing under new coach Herve Renard, struggled to cope with Japan’s pressing and movement from the outset. Japan almost doubled their advantage in the 11th minute with an attack down the right flank, with Tunisia’s Dylan Bronn turning a low cross away from Kamada. From the resulting corner, Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen produced a fine save, with goal-line technology confirming the ball had not crossed the line. Moriyasu’s team continued to dominate possession, their front line harrying Tunisia’s defence and preventing Renard’s side from establishing any rhythm in the Monterrey hea...

Severe tropical storm Jangmi ripped across Japan on Wednesday, with fierce winds and torrential rain disrupting transport and businesses, and knocking out power for tens of thousands of homes. The storm’s centre lay about 150 kilometres south of Tokyo as of early Wednesday afternoon, moving northeast with maximum sustained winds of up to 25 metres per second, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said. The storm is set to pass very close to the Pacific side of eastern Japan and heightened vigilance is needed, the agency added. At least 15 people have sustained minor injuries, according to authorities. The storm, with a central pressure of 985 hectopascals, has cut power to nearly 60,000 households so far, and authorities have been receiving reports of flooding, fallen trees and debris, and landslides across a wide stretch of regions, government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said during a regular press briefing. “If you sense any danger, please do not hesitate to take early action to protect your lives,” Kihara said. Eva...

Spectators at a top beach volleyball competition in Japan this weekend will be banned from taking photos or videos after organisers said fans had been responsible for “malicious” shots of players. The Japan Volleyball Association said recording images on any device, including smart glasses, would be prohibited at the Tonarino round of the country’s beach volleyball tour for men and women, taking place on Saturday and Sunday. The ban carries on from last week’s round in the coastal city of Hekinan, where the JVA said players had complained that they were “unable to concentrate on their performance”. “Despite our repeated guidance and reminders regarding the rules and etiquette for photography, we have observed malicious photography by some spectators at the Hekinan round,” the JVA said upon introducing the ban. “We take a very serious view of the fact that inappropriate photography has not improved despite repeated warnings.” The JVA expanded its ban for this weekend’s event to include binoculars, opera glasse...

Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik met with the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, Akamatsu Shuichi, during his visit to the Geoscience Advanced Research Laboratories (GARL) of the Geological Survey of Pakistan on Tuesday.

Wildfires that scorched forests in northern Japan, reportedly the second biggest in over 30 years, have been brought under control after 11 days, officials have said. Hundreds of firefighters and more than 1,000 military personnel had battled the blazes since late April, as they burned around 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) across the mountainous Iwate region. The affected area is almost five times the size of New York City’s Central Park. At least eight buildings were damaged, and two people suffered minor injuries, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Thousands of people were evacuated as fires picked up. Otsuchi town mayor Kozo Hirano told reporters on Saturday that he had been “informed that… the fire had been brought under control” after visiting the area with fire officials. He credited aerial and ground firefighting operations, as well as heavy rainfall, for containing the flames. But Hirano said authorities would remain vigilant as there was a possibility that smouldering embers would re...

Japan has deployed 1,400 firefighters and 100 Self-Defence Force personnel to battle mountain blazes in ​the northern part of the country, with the fires, ‌now burning on Sunday for a fifth straight day, continuing to threaten a picturesque coastal town. The area consumed by the fires reached 1,373 hectares as of early Sunday morning, up seven per cent from ​a day earlier. A helicopter conducts firefighting operations, as wildfires continue in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan on April 26, 2026. — Reuters The fires threaten residential districts of Otsuchi ⁠on the Pacific Coast — a town that lost nearly a ​tenth of its population in one of Japan’s worst disasters, the ​March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Evacuation orders are in place for 1,541 households or 3,233 residents, roughly a third of Otsuchi’s population. A firefighter works as wildfires continue in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan on April 26, 2026. — Reuters “Although the Self-Defence Forces are ​fighting the fires from the sky (with helicopters), t...

Japan on Tuesday unveiled its biggest overhaul of defence export rules in decades, scrapping restrictions on overseas arms sales and opening the way for exports of warships, missiles and other weapons. The move aimed at strengthening Japan’s defence industrial base marks another step away from the pacifist restraints that have shaped its postwar security policy. It has been made in tandem with efforts to deepen ties with other nations in Asia to counter China’s growing regional influence. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are also straining US weapons production, expanding opportunities for Japan. At the same time, US allies in Europe and Asia are looking to diversify suppliers as Washington’s long-held security commitments look less certain under President Donald Trump. “No single country can now protect its own peace and security alone, and partner countries that support each other in terms of defence equipment are necessary,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a post on X. While countries suc...

An 80-centimetre tsunami wave hit a port in northern Japan on Monday after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region, Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The wave was observed at 5:34pm (1:34pm PKT) at a port in Kuji, Iwate, JMA said. It previously said a 70-centimetre wave had struck at 5:32pm. A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan earlier, the country’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, issuing a tsunami warning for waves up to three metres. The quake hit at 4:53pm (12:53pm PKT) in Pacific waters off northern Iwate prefecture and the tremor was strong enough to shake large buildings as far as Tokyo, hundreds of kilometres away. “Evacuate immediately from coastal regions and riverside areas to a safer place such as high ground or an evacuation building,” it said, warning that damage due to tsunami waves was expected. “Tsunami waves are expected to hit repeatedly. Do not leave safe ground until the warning is lifted,” it said. Footage from national broadcaster NHK did not show any...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday received separate telephone calls from the prime ministers of Japan, Sanae Takaichi, and Canada, Mark Carney, highlighting Islamabad’s peace efforts that culminated in a ceasefire between the US and Iran.