YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday proposed an economic zone connecting the Indian Ocean to Africa as the country seeks to play a greater role in the African continent while America’s presence there decreases and China’s influence rapidly grows.

The fall was sharper than the 2.1% contraction expected by economists polled by Reuters and compared to the 0.5% drop seen in June.

Japan's tourism boom continued in July, with record arrivals for the month despite a steep drop in visitors from Hong Kong due to typhoon-related flight disruption and jitters about possible earthquakes,

As the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II nears, Chinese parade soldiers are being put through their paces training intensely for a parade to mark the occasion.

Japan’s auction of 20-year government bonds on Tuesday will be closely watched as the risk of a government spending surge weighs on investor appetite for super-long debt.

A Japanese convenience store chain has suspended the sale of rice balls, or onigiri, and other deli items at 1,600 stores after it found that staff had faked their expiry dates.

A meteorite was seen lighting up the night sky over western Japan on Tuesday night. Dashcam footage filmed in Kagoshima showed the ball of light around 11 p.m. local time (1400GMT).

High temperatures across much of Japan are set to last for another month, according to the national weather forecaster, with the persistent heat potentially keeping power demand elevated.

Kenya's economic growth this year is expected to exceed official forecasts despite higher U.S. tariffs and other challenges, President William Ruto said at a conference on Wednesday, where Kenya and Japan also signed a yen-denominated loan deal.

A torn, bloodied shirt was found, local news media said, quoting police. A wallet, hat and watch were also located.

Japan' s tourism recorded 3.43 million visitors in July, up by 4.4 percent, a record high for the month, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.