TOKYO -- The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January was down 4.9 percent from a year earlier, marking the first year-on-year decline for the month in four years as Chinese tourists stayed away, government data showed on Wednesday.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the latest figure marked the first time since January 2022 that the monthly total dropped below the level of the same month in the previous year. (Japan-Tourism)
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SEOUL -- Three South Korean civilians sent drones to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) four times since the inauguration of the current government, South Korea's unification minister said Wednesday.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told a televised press briefing that the investigation results of the joint military-police investigative body revealed four drone infiltrations on Sept. 27, Nov. 16, Nov. 22 last year and Jan. 4 this year. (South Korea-Civilian Drone-DPRK)
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TOKYO -- Sanae Takaichi, president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was elected as the country's 105th prime minister on Wednesday by lawmakers in parliament.
At an extraordinary Diet session convened on the day, the lower house and the upper house held a prime ministerial appointment vote, respectively. (Japan-Takaichi)
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MANILA -- Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte announced on Wednesday that she will bid for the presidency in 2028.
Duterte formally confirmed her plans to seek the country's highest post at a press conference, the first to make public plans to run for president of the Philippines. (Philippines-VP) ■
