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December 26, 2024
 

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Kathleen Benoza
Death row inmate Chisako Kakehi, who was convicted of murdering three elderly men between 2012 and 2013 with the intent of inheriting their assets, has died, local media reported Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 26, 2024
Chisako Kakehi, sentenced to death for cyanide murders, dies in custody
The 78-year-old death row inmate was convicted of murdering three men — her husband and two common-law spouses — to inherit their assets.
Education costs for children who attend private schools from kindergarten through high school have hit a record high of approximately ¥19.76 million, according to a survey released by the education ministry.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 26, 2024
Cost of private education through high school hits record high in Japan
Total education costs for children who attend private schools from kindergarten through high school, including tuition and cram school fees, are approximately ¥19.76 million.
The wreckage of a Japan Airlines plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 5, three days after the crash.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2024
Human error caused JAL jet collision at Haneda Airport: safety board
The pilot and co-pilot of the Japan Coast Guard plane mistakenly believed they got cleared to enter the runway just before the Jan. 2 incident.
This is set to be the first time Toyota will donate to a U.S. inauguration ceremony.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 25, 2024
Toyota to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration ceremony
President-elect Trump says he plans to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico, triggering concerns from automakers that rely on Mexican production for the U.S. market.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky delivers a speech during a handover ceremony of Self-Defense Force vehicles to Ukraine, at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, in May last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 22, 2024
Zelenskyy to replace Ukraine ambassador to Japan
Sergiy Korsunsky played a key role in galvanizing Tokyo’s support for Kyiv amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Tsuneo Watanabe (center) attends a gathering with former prime ministers Yasuhiro Nakasone (right) and Toshiki Kaifu in Tokyo in 2009.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 19, 2024
Tsuneo Watanabe, editor-in-chief of Yomiuri Shimbun Group, dies at 98
Watanabe was an influential figure in Japan's political and professional sports arenas.
Space One's Kairos No. 2 rocket is launched in Wakayama Prefecture on Wednesday. The launch subsequently failed.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 18, 2024
Tokyo startup's second satellite launch attempt ends in failure
Space One was again bidding to become the first private Japanese company to place a satellite into orbit.
The three Cambodian women are seeking compensation for damages over alleged sexual abuse and unpaid overtime wages.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 17, 2024
Cambodian interns accuse farmer of sexual abuse and wage theft
One woman was raped nearly every day and endured conditions “akin to sexual slavery,” the three women's lawyer said in a statement.
New fencing was installed along the sidewalk near a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Monday to prevent tourists from jaywalking and to improve safety.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2024
New fencing installed to help manage tourists at Mount Fuji photo spot
The area in Fujikawaguchiko, a popular photography spot because of how Mount Fuji rises behind the convenience store, has gained traction on social media.
MUFG Bank CEO Junichi Hanzawa (left) and other senior officials bow in apology at a news conference in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 16, 2024
MUFG Bank apologizes for theft of ¥1 billion in valuables from deposit boxes
The manager accused of the thefts allegedly used backup keys to access the boxes.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes part in an online meeting of Group of Seven leaders at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo early Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 14, 2024
Ishiba urges deeper G7 security cooperation as North Korea gets closer to Russia
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said recent developments have a "direct impact" on security in the Indo-Pacific region.
The failed launch of a small rocket by Tokyo-based startup Space One is seen at the Spaceport Kii site in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, in this screenshot taken from an online broadcast on March 13.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 14, 2024
Japanese firm delays bid to be first to put a satellite into orbit
This delay comes after the failure of its first rocket, which erupted into flames just seconds after liftoff earlier this spring.
The head priest of Kiyomizu Temple writes the kanji "kin," which was chosen by the public as the character that best represents 2024, on Thursday in Kyoto.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2024
'Kin' selected as the kanji of 2024 after strong year for Japanese athletes
The choice also reflected the Liberal Democratic Party’s slush-fund scandal and the spate of robberies involving shady part-time jobs.
Prince Hisahito, who is second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, is currently a third-year student at the University of Tsukuba’s affiliated high school.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2024
Prince Hisahito to enroll at University of Tsukuba
The 18-year-old, who is a student at the university’s affiliated high school, secured admission through a recommendation-based exam.
The silhouettes of Mount Fuji, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building and Shinjuku skyscrapers are seen during sunset in Tokyo in November.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2024
Tokyo remains third in global city index for ninth consecutive year
While Tokyo notched improvements in research and development, cultural interaction, livability, and accessibility, its score declined in the economy category.
A health ministry survey showed that 5,824 people age 65 and older died in a bathtub in their home or other residential facilities in 2022, more than double the number of people who died in a traffic accident.
JAPAN / Explainer
Dec 10, 2024
Winter chill, hot baths and the risk of heat shock: How to stay safe
Heat shock has come under the spotlight after popular actor and singer Miho Nakayama was found dead at her home last week.
PayPay Bank is competing for funds as rates rise.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 5, 2024
PayPay Bank paying big to attract deposits, with offer of 2% on dollars and yen
The offer is many times the rates advertised by competing banks and applies to yen deposits of up to ¥5 million, with no limit for dollar deposits.
People gather in Hyogo Prefecture on Nov. 17, an election day.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 4, 2024
Japan’s civic space status upgraded to highest tier
Japan is now ranked in the same category as nations such as Taiwan and Denmark, reflecting increased freedoms for civil society and peaceful protest.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike says she will continue to review work styles flexibly to ensure that women do not have to sacrifice their careers due to life events.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 4, 2024
Tokyo government to introduce four-day workweek to empower women
The capital is joining a growing number of local governments introducing similar measures to improve working conditions amid a labor shortage.
Kentaro Okuda, CEO of Nomura Holdings, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 3, 2024
Nomura CEO takes pay cut after former employee charged with attempted murder
The CEO and four other executives will take a 30% pay cut for three months, while five members of the board will take a 20% pay cut for the same period.
Human error caused JAL jet collision at Haneda Airport: safety board
The wreckage of a Japan Airlines plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 5, three days after the crash.
Step into ukiyo-e: A digital journey through Japan’s traditional art form
"Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition" includes an installation of Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.”
Toyota to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration ceremony
This is set to be the first time Toyota will donate to a U.S. inauguration ceremony.
South Korean temple pledges to return Buddha statue next spring
The Kanzeon Bodhisattva statue, which was taken from Kannonji Temple in Nagasaki Prefecture to South Korea by a South Korean thief ring
North Korean hacker group behind DMM Bitcoin’s cryptocurrency leak
A North Korean hacker group is believed to have planted a virus on the computer of an employee at Ginco — a company that was entrusted with the deposit and withdrawal of DMM Bitcoin’s virtual currency — through a fake job recruitment message sent via LinkedIn.
Step into ukiyo-e: A digital journey through Japan’s traditional art form
"Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition" includes an installation of Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.”
High levels of PFAS found in water from 44 private suppliers across Japan
The Self-Defense Forces facilities are believed to have become sources of PFAS contamination because they used firefighting foam containing the toxic chemicals in the past.
For baseball fans, 2024 brought The Summer of Shohei Ohtani
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts to a standing ovation from fans after hitting his 50th home run of the season, against the Marlins in Miami on Sept. 19.
Trump's Pentagon policy pick pushed for Japan to spend 3% of GDP on defense
Elbridge Colby (center) speaks at the Threat and the Strategy panel during the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, in September 2019.
A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,' Japan's edible tradition for the new year
Japan's traditional New Year cuisine has a long history, though modern developments have led to slight changes in the way things work.

Podcast

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

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?
By Kathryn Wortley

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