Japan's top LNG buyer, JERA, plans to increase its purchases of liquefied natural gas from the United States to diversify its supply and meet demand growth spurred by data centres and AI, a senior executive told Reuters.

Meta Platforms will begin test launching ads on its social media platform Threads with a few brands in the U.S. and Japan, it said on Friday, as the app hits over 300 million monthly active users.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, struggling to stabilize his minority government, says he will seek to maintain regional security and prepare for tough negotiations with U.S.

National Security Strategy called for an overhaul of Japan’s cybersecurity posture. This might be the year the legislation finally gets over the finish line.

The move comes in line with expectations from CNBC's survey, where an overwhelming majority of economists predicted a hike.

The Bank of Japan raised interest rates on Friday to their highest since the 2008 global financial crisis, underscoring its confidence that rising wages will keep inflation stable around its 2% target.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on January 24th.

Transit in most global cities is government-run. But in Japan, that’s not the case. There, private companies run a sprawling network of trains, subways, and buses, often considered the best in the world.

Sony is officially ending production of recordable Blu-rays. In an announcement from Japan spotted by Tom’s Hardware, Sony Storage Media Solutions said it will stop manufacturing the discs in February, alongside recordable MiniDiscs, MD-Data, and MiniDV cassettes, adding, “there will be no successor models.”

A popular TV host admitted trying to conceal a sexual assault complaint. This time, the reaction was swift and harsh, and aimed not only at him but also his employers.