Japanese authorities have asked hundreds of residents near Tokyo to evacuate as a sinkhole at an intersection grew to more than 40 meters wide, hampering rescuers racing to reach an elderly truck driver whose vehicle was swallowed by the hole.

An uptick in inflation in the Tokyo metropolitan area and solid outturns in other key Japanese economic data support the Bank of Japan’s plan to pursue more interest-rate increases.

A sinkhole that suddenly opened up on a road just northeast of Tokyo and swallowed a truck has captured national attention as the rescue operation of the driver has dragged on for days.

In the 24 hours through Sunday evening, up to 10 centimeters of snow is expected in the Koshin region, 7 centimeters in the Hakone area and western Tokyo, and 3 centimeters in flatlands of the southern Kanto region, including Tokyo's 23 wards.

Japan's energy security will benefit from U.S. President Donald Trump's push to increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, an executive at JERA, Japan's top LNG buyer, said on Friday, while allowing the company to diversify its suppliers.

Another sinkhole has since opened up nearby, and residents within a 650-foot radius had been evacuated, a spokesman said.

The Wallabies have locked in a Tokyo grudge match with Eddie Jones's Japan in Tokyo. Rugby Australia (RA) on Friday confirmed the Wallabies would play the Brave Blossoms in a historic clash in the Japanese capital on October 25.

Core consumer prices in Japan's capital rose 2.5 per cent in January from a year earlier, data showed on Friday, keeping alive market expectations for further interest rate hikes.The increase in the Tokyo core consumer price index (CPI),

Core inflation in Japan's capital hit 2.5%, marking the fastest annual pace in nearly a year, well exceeding the central bank's 2% target and keeping alive market expectations for further interest rate hikes.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke Friday with his counterparts in South Korea and Japan, vowing to strengthen military ties with both countries amid regional security concerns, according to their respective defense ministries.

TOKYO -- An oval-shaped pit suddenly formed on a busy road in Yashio, Japan, on Tuesday, taking down a truck and trapping the driver inside. Emergency crews battled unstable ground and debris.

The fading shadow of reflationists in the Bank of Japan, and the latest addition to the board of an academic favouring an end to ultra-low interest rates, will likely bring the central bank's thinking closer to global peers taking a more conventional approach on monetary policy.