News

Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's office gave gift certificates worth 100,000 yen to parliamentary secretaries attending a social gathering at his official residence, raising questions about the practice within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. This revelation follows a similar admission by current Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, suggesting the possibility of an established custom.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are finally returning to Earth after their nine-month stay on the International Space Station, thanks to the arrival of the SpaceX Crew-5 mission. The duo's extended mission was caused by problems with their Boeing Starliner capsule, which prevented it from docking with the space station as planned.

Asian markets were mixed on Tuesday, with Chinese markets retreating after a broad rally on Wall Street fueled by hopes the Trump administration may take a more targeted approach as it tees up a new round of tariffs on imported goods next week. The S&P 500 jumped 1.8% on Monday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.4%.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called for unity within the LDP to win two key elections this summer, acknowledging the public's distrust of politics and emphasizing the need for wage hikes and work-style reforms. The LDP faces an uphill battle to restore its strength after suffering a loss in the Lower House election last October.

A sociable ocean sunfish at the Kaikyokan Aquarium in Japan fell sick after the aquarium closed for renovations, but perked up after staff set up human cutouts to make it believe people were still watching. The sunfish's story went viral on social media, with many people expressing sympathy and looking forward to seeing it again after the aquarium reopens.