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December 21, 2024
 

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Jessica Speed
Fire trucks gather around a building in Sapporo’s Susukino entertainment district on Nov. 26.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 20, 2024
Sapporo arson suspect dies in hospital
Police still intend to submit the arson case to prosecutors and are committed to piecing together the events that led to the blaze.
A McDonald's outlet in Kitakyushu where two teens were stabbed, one fatally, on Saturday. Police arrested a 43-year-old suspect on Thursday morning.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 19, 2024
43-year-old man arrested over Kitakyushu McDonald's stabbings
Two junior high school students were stabbed in the weekend attack, with one dying from her injuries.
Police inspect the scene of a stabbing at Sannomiya subway station in Kobe's Chuo Ward on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 18, 2024
Police detain woman in Kobe stabbing incident　
The suspect, Yuko Yamamoto, of unknown address and occupation, was detained on the spot on suspicion of attempted murder, according to local media.
The Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture. Brennon Washington was stationed at the base when he abducted a minor on Dec. 24, 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 13, 2024
U.S. serviceman sentenced over sexual assault of underage girl in Okinawa
Brennon Washington persuaded the girl to get into his car under the pretense of cooking and watching a movie together at his home. Once there, he assaulted her.
Children eat at a <i>kodomo shokudo</i> in the city of Osaka. The number of such cafeterias, which provide free or low-cost meals to children in need, has surpassed 10,000 nationwide.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 13, 2024
Number of cafeterias for children in need hits record high in Japan
There are now more kodomo shokudo, which offer free or low-cost meals, than elementary and junior high schools.
Illegally cultivated cannabis plants uncovered by police at a home in Chiba Prefecture. Revised cannabis-related laws now criminalize the use of marijuana in addition to its possession and sale.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 12, 2024
Japan tightens cannabis laws amid rising youth usage
The use of marijuana has been criminalized, with the maximum penalty for possession, transfer and now usage set at up to seven years in prison.
Japan ranked second in both literacy and numeracy, and tied with Finland for first place in problem-solving in an international OECD survey of adult skills.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2024
Japan retains strong results in OECD’s adult skills survey
Overall, Japan’s scores exceeded the OECD average across all age groups though they tended to decline with age.
Aletheia Clinic had experienced rapid growth, peaking in the fiscal year ended April 2021 with annual revenue of ¥16.3 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2024
Hair removal clinic chain goes bust in Japan's biggest beauty collapse
It's "extremely unlikely" that customers of Aletheia Clinic will see their money returned, according to its trustee.
Starbucks Coffee Japan will replace paper straws with plant-based biomass plastic straws from next month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 6, 2024
Starbucks in Japan to ditch paper straws for plant-based biomass plastic in 2025
The coffee company says the new straws are fully biodegradable in seawater and soil, and will not soften like paper ones.
A screenshot taken from video footage posted on the Metropolitan Expressway's X account shows an electric scooter entering the highway on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 5, 2024
Electric scooter seen unlawfully entering Tokyo expressway
Officials released video footage of the incident on social media to warn riders of the extreme danger.
Naomi Watanabe, a comedian known for challenging gender and beauty norms in Japan's male-dominated comedy scene
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2024
BBC honors two Japanese in annual list of inspiring women
The theme this year was resilience, celebrating women who "are pushing for change and improving lives at community or global level."
The average price of osechi traditional food for the 2025 New Year stood at ¥27,826 ($185), a 1.3% increase — or ¥360 — compared with that for the 2024 New Year.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 2, 2024
Osechi ryōri prices climb for a third consecutive year
The latest increase, at ¥360 ($2.40), is the smallest in three years, at less than half the increase for the 2024 New Year.
Tokyo police have arrested six Chinese nationals on suspicion of unlawful confinement and attempted extortion involving a 23-year-old exchange student who had become involved in a financial dispute over a yami baito, or a “dark” part-time job.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 29, 2024
Tokyo police arrest six Chinese nationals over yami baito scheme
The six people are being held on suspicion of unlawful confinement and attempted extortion involving a 23-year-old exchange student.
The health ministry's free "catch-up vaccination" program for the human papillomavirus will be extended to March 2025 for the initial dose of the vaccine.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 28, 2024
Deadline for ‘catch-up’ HPV vaccination program extended until March
The revised timeline allows eligible women to receive their first dose by the end of March 2025 and complete the remaining two within the following year.
Positioned as Google's answer to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Gemini aims to tap into Apple's vast user base to expand its footprint in a rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 15, 2024
Google launches Gemini app — with Japanese support — on iOS App Store
The app gives iOS users direct access to Gemini, which was previously accessible only by navigating through the main Google app or a web browser.
According to The Japan Fair Trade Commission, Kadokawa notified 26 subcontractors in January 2023 that it would unilaterally cut compensation rates for content slated for Lettuce Club from its April 2023 issue and beyond.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 13, 2024
Kadokawa warned over unfair payment practices
In a joint statement issued Tuesday, Kadokawa and its subsidiary pledged to pay the outstanding amounts once calculations are complete.
The Dahon Horize Disc Shimano Altus 8-speed folding bicycle was produced in China and 734 units were shipped to Japan from August 2021 until January of this year by Akibo, the bike's importer.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2024
Consumer watchdog warns against using faulty Dahon folding bicycles
The warning follows an incident in May where a man suffered severe injuries after his bike frame broke while he was riding.
Pocky Day has grown into an informal annual tradition since its introduction in 1999, with stores across Japan offering special edition flavors and creative packaging to mark the occasion on Nov. 11.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 11, 2024
Pocky Day: Japan’s sweetest occasion
Since 1999, Nov. 11 has marked Pocky Day, the date being a nod to the stick-like shape of the beloved treat.
An experiment by NITE shows an oil heater catching fire from leaked kerosene.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2024
Consumers urged to check heater safety ahead of winter accident surge
Past incidents typically surged in November and peaked in December, with elevated levels of heater-related accidents continuing through April.
FamilyMart has introduced discount stickers with teary-eyed characters and the plea "Please help me" on near-expiration rice balls, sandwiches and bento boxes.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2024
FamilyMart trials sobbing discount stickers to help prevent food waste
The convenience store chain hopes the stickers will tug on customers’ heartstrings and encourage them to purchase items nearing their expiration dates.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
A year after going private, structural reforms bearing fruit for Toshiba
Toshiba's Corporate Senior Executive Vice President Koji Ikeya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
With rare Asia carrier deployment, France seeks greater interoperability
The flight deck of the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during a stop at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May 2019

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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