TOKYO -- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, aims to launch the improved Epsilon S rocket in fiscal 2026, which starts in April, using an existing second-stage engine, officials said Wednesday.

TOKYO -- PokePark Kanto, the first permanent theme park based on the popular Japanese video game series Pocket Monster, or Pokemon, opened inside the Yomiuriland amusement park straddling Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture on Thursday.

Foreign visitors to Phu Quoc Special Zone, an island administered by An Giang Province in southern Vietnam, are increasingly buying Phu Quoc fish sauce as gifts and for home use ahead of the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year holiday), drawn by its distinctive aroma and rich, savory taste.

Ro Phim, a popular Vietnamese app that streamed pirated movies and television shows, said on Thursday it had ceased operations, with users receiving shutdown notices on the app and its social media pages.

Hanoi will host 34 fireworks shows across the capital on Lunar New Year’s Eve, with each display lasting 15 minutes to welcome the Year of the Horse.

Can Tho City in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta has decided to stage fireworks displays at five locations on Lunar New Year’s Eve to mark the Year of the Horse.

Google Maps is preparing to update place names in Vietnam to reflect the recent reorganization of administrative units, according to mapping data experts.

Vietnam is seeking to present itself to the world as a developed, humane, creative, and trustworthy nation under a government-adopted strategy to promote the country’s image abroad, aimed at strengthening national identity and soft power to foster international cooperation, investment, tourism, and long-term development.

A house fire that broke out in a narrow alley in Ho Chi Minh City in the early hours of Thursday claimed the lives of a woman and her two children, authorities said.

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During the Lunar New Year holiday, pet services enter their busiest season, with dog walking increasingly sought after by busy owners and emerging as a lucrative line of work in Ho Chi Minh City.

Authorities in Khanh Hoa Province, home to the famed beach destination of Nha Trang in south-central Vietnam, have ordered stronger coordination among agencies to manage and address issues involving foreign nationals, including stricter checks on immigration, residency, and traffic violations.

SAPPORO -- A popular annual snow festival kicked off in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, on Wednesday, showcasing 210 ice and snow sculptures across three venues.

BANGKOK -- Thai and Japanese police authorities agreed to closely cooperate to eradicate human trafficking after a Thai girl was discovered to have been forced to provide sexual services at a massage parlor in Tokyo.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance has issued new regulations allowing foreign investors to trade through global brokerage firms without opening accounts at domestic securities companies, a move aimed at boosting the country’s upgrade to emerging market status.

SINGAPORE -- Boeing expects to begin delivering improved 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliners to airlines in the first half of this year, enabling longer flights or greater cargo capability, a senior executive said on Wednesday.

Vietnam and Jordan have agreed to boost bilateral trade to US$1 billion by 2035, with the latter proposing the establishment of a free trade zone for Vietnamese goods in its territory to help serve Middle Eastern markets, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnam needs exemplary court rulings and tough closure orders against tourism businesses where violence against visitors occurs.

Khanh Hoa Province in south-central Vietnam has received nine international cruise ship calls since the start of the year, bringing thousands of foreign tourists ashore and signaling a recovery in cruise tourism, local authorities said.

The shared future of Asia and Japan

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have uncovered a large-scale ring accused of producing and selling counterfeit RON A95 gasoline by blending genuine fuel with industrial solvents and colorants, a scheme that authorities say posed serious risks to consumers and disrupted the fuel market.

Dozens of people in Ho Chi Minh City were rushed to hospital for emergency treatment after developing symptoms consistent with food poisoning following a year-end party held a few days ago.

PARIS -- French police raided the offices of Elon Musk's social media network X on Tuesday and prosecutors ordered the tech billionaire to face questions in a widening investigation, amid growing scrutiny of the platform by authorities across Europe.

Authorities in Dak Lak Province, central Vietnam have suspended visitor access to three major waterfalls during the Lunar New Year holiday to ensure public safety, citing inadequate infrastructure and emergency preparedness.

Ethiopian Airlines said on Tuesday it is offering discounts of up to 80 percent on base economy fares for passengers departing from Singapore during the Lunar New Year holiday, as Africa’s largest airline steps up efforts to expand its presence in Vietnam.

An amateur fisherman in Da Nang City, central Vietnam caught a massive mackerel weighing 63 kilograms and measuring 1.7 meters while angling off the rocky coast of Son Tra Peninsula on Sunday.

Spring has brought renewed vitality to the century-old French-style villa at No. 1 Pasteur Street, a rare architectural relic in Da Nang City, which is poised to be transformed into a new cultural and tourism destination.

A Lexus driver has been prosecuted for violating road traffic regulations after opening his car door without checking for oncoming vehicles, triggering a chain collision that killed a five-year-old boy in Phu Tho Province, northern Vietnam, according to local police.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has defended ongoing renovation works at the iconic Ben Thanh Market and Ho Con Rua (Turtle Lake) roundabout after a proposal from the city’s Department of Planning and Architecture called for a temporary halt, citing public debate over aesthetics and landscape harmony.

Pham Thu Huong, Pham Thuy Hang and Ngo Chi Dung have been named among the world’s billionaires by Forbes.

Qantas Airways said on Tuesday it would sell its stake in low-cost carrier Jetstar Japan to focus on its core domestic offerings as the Australian flag carrier faces softer corporate demand and higher fuel costs.

Party General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday held separate meetings with Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, who is visiting Vietnam as special envoy of the Communist Party and the State of Cuba.

Electric-vehicle maker Tesla introduced a new variant of its Model Y vehicle in the United States priced at $41,990, the company's website showed on Monday.

GUANGZHOU -- China's annual Spring Festival travel rush, a 40-day period commonly referred to as the world's largest annual human migration, kicked off on Monday ahead of an extended Lunar New Year holiday.

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