Japan

Japan will contribute a record 376,7 billion yen ($3,4 billion) to the International Development Association, a World Bank fund for the poorest nations, in a bid to help them recover from the fallout of the pandemic

Tokyo Games' uniforms for 28.000 volunteers remain unused following Covid-19 forced absence of public and staff

Beaujolais Nouveau event returns after pandemic; the red wine, made from just harvested grapes and leased every year on the third Thursday in November, went on sale at the exact stroke of midnight

The Nikkei index hit a one-month high on Nov 1 on hopes for a stable government and more government spending, as PM Kishida - strong of party election win - promises to tackle crucial issues

A University of Tokyo team created calcium carbonate concrete, a new type of material, from waste cement and carbon dioxide captured from industrial waste gases; the process was inspired by the way some aquatic organisms harden into fossils over time

Suicides among Japanese schoolchildren reached a record high of 415 deaths during the last school year, according to an education ministry report; it is the highest number since tracking began in 1974

Fumio Kishida is expected to become the next prime minister after winning the leadership election in a hard-fought runoff; he said he is ready to "run at full speed" for "a bright future for Japan"

Two Japanese sisters, Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama, born on November 5, 1913, have been confirmed as the world's oldest living identical twins and the oldest identical twins ever at the age of 107 years old

For the first time in nearly 30 years since the end of the Cold War, the Ground Self-Defense Force has begun nationwide exercises involving all units, part of the plan to consolidate skills and increase regional deterrence

Tokyo Paralympic Games, on top of bringing together athletes isolated by the pandemic, spotlighted Japanese technology for the disabled, as Honda Motor Co.'s latest racing wheelchair model, featuring carbon technology also used in F1 and jets

Mizuho Bank suffered its fifth system failure of the year yesterday, that made impossible to complete deposits, withdrawals, transfers and other transactions at its branch counters across the country