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Japan Coast Guard officials search for missing people after the fatal sinking of the Kazu I tour boat off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2024

Japan to require passenger ships sailing in cold waters to carry life rafts

The move follows the deadly sinking of the Kazu I tour boat off Hokkaido in April 2022.
A Class 4 railway crossing without alarms and circuit breakers in Kani City, Gifu Prefecture, in June 2018.
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2024

Government looks to improve safety at Japan's dangerous railway crossings

The ministry will support the installation of manually operated gates and fences at crossings that do not have alarms or barriers.
Junichi Ishii (right) and Yoshitaka Saito, chairmen of the House of Councilors for the Liberal Democratic Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, respectively, meet for discussions inside the parliament building on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 7, 2024

Japan's party leaders' debate to be extended to 80 minutes

The debate pitting Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba against the heads of opposition parties is scheduled for Wednesday.
Internal affairs minister Seiichiro Murakami speaks during an interview at the ministry in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 7, 2024

Japan's new internal affairs minister looks to boost regional revitalization

Seiichiro Murakami aims to increase the number of regional development cooperation volunteers from 7,200 to 10,000.
Hideki Makihara enters the Prime Minister's Office on Oct. 3 before being appointed as justice minister.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2024

Japan's new justice minister admits ties with Unification Church

Such ties between Makihara and the controversial religious group had not been confirmed in a survey by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2022.
The vehicle taking Seiichi Katsurada to the Kushiro District Public Prosecutor's Office in Kushiro, Hokkaido, on Sept. 19
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 9, 2024

Hokkaido boat operator's president charged over fatal 2022 sinking

A total of 20 passengers and crew were confirmed dead and six are listed as missing following a tour boat sinking in April of 2022.
Over the past 10 years, the athletic performance of women in their 40s showed a decline in the total score as well as in individual categories, according to the Japan Sports Agency.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 15, 2024

40% of Japanese women in their 30s and early 40s don't exercise at all

The trend reflects the fact that women in this age group tend to be busy with child rearing or work, according to the Japan Sports Agency.
Voters listen to a stump speech in Tokyo's Toshima Ward on Tuesday as campaigning for the Oct. 27 Lower House election kicked off.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 16, 2024

Japan's opposition parties to clash in 80% of constituencies

The situation may help the ruling bloc as votes from those critical of the LDP-led government could be dispersed among opposition candidates.
Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki speaks about measures against the spread of bird flu on Thursday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 17, 2024

Hokkaido reports Japan's first bird flu case of the season

The report is the country's earliest confirmed bird flu case at a domestic poultry farm in over two decades. 
A condo complex in Tokyo
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2024

Japan's land ministry eyes bill to prevent overpriced condo repairs

The ministry plans to impose supervisory penalties on companies that are found to be in violation of the rules.
About 82% of all toilets in Japan have electric bidet toilet seats, with nearly all homes with flushing toilets having them installed.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 21, 2024

78% of electric bidet toilet accidents involve older models, report finds

Japan's product safety watchdog emphasizes the ubiquitous appliance's limited lifespan and advises users to regularly conduct safety checks to prevent mishaps.
Claudio Worm, a German university student who came to Japan on a sightseeing trip on Sept. 21, has gone missing in Wakayama Prefecture.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2024

German tourist goes missing in Wakayama

Claudio Worm, 21, was last seen in Tokyo before heading to Wakayama on Sept. 30. His family last heard from him on Oct. 10.
A man who works for a restaurant consults a social welfare council official in Tokyo about COVID-19 relief loans in June 2020.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2024

Welfare councils loaned ¥1.4 billion in COVID relief to ineligible borrowers

Individuals who were receiving welfare support were ineligible for the loans because they are already guaranteed a minimum standard of living.
The atomic bomb dome in Hiroshima. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui addressed Ireland's Parliament on Wednesday, seeking cooperation over the fight against nuclear weapons.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2024

Hiroshima mayor calls for cooperation in fight against nuclear weapons

Kazumi Matsui was invited by the Irish parliament to address the Seanad Eireann in Dublin
An 18-year-old American tourist arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of committing arson has denied the charge against him.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 24, 2024

18-year-old U.S. tourist arrested in Tokyo over arson

The police are currently investigating the suspect’s ties to a further six arson attacks.
Along with official videos from parties and candidates, individually produced videos are on the rise on YouTube and other platforms.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2024

Short social media videos gain traction in Japan's election campaign

Both official campaign and user-generated videos are on the rise, with experts warning that the latter may present misleading or out-of-context information.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during an interview with reporters at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday night
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2024

Japan faces political upheaval after LDP-led coalition loses majority

The electoral rout opens up a potential path for the opposition to steer the lower chamber’s agenda if they can act cohesively.
A Ground Self-Defense Force V-22 Osprey transport aircraft
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2024

GSDF suspends Osprey flights over accident during training

All GSDF Ospreys will remain grounded until the cause of the incident is identified and countermeasures are taken thoroughly.
Shoshi Maekawa speaks to reporters in Fukui on Monday following a decision by prosecutors to not object to the retrial of his case.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 29, 2024

Ex-convict to get retrial over 1986 murder in central Japan

Prosecutors decided against objecting to the retrial following a detailed examination of the court decision and a comprehensive consideration of evidence.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a news conference at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2024

Election result casts shadow on Japan's economic measures

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is hoping to secure cooperation from opposition parties to sustain his administration.
A man waits for a train at Ebisu Station in Tokyo on Oct. 4.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 29, 2024

Japan's rail fans disapprove of new Seishun 18 tickets

Train enthusiasts are up in arms over changes to the iconic and inexpensive all-you-can-ride pass that will limit how and when it can be used.
Passersby take a break under a cooling mist as the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures on July 9.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2024

Japan posts record number of heatstroke patients in five-month period

The number of people who were sent to a hospital for heatstroke from May to September came in at 97,578.
The Fukuoka Prefectural Police headquarters in the city of Fukuoka
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 30, 2024

U.S. serviceman detained after wife found dead in Fukuoka hotel

Security camera footage and hotel records showed that the couple entered the hotel Friday, and that the husband left alone Sunday morning.
The number of public elementary and junior high school buildings without quake-resistance in Japan totaled 135 as of April 1, down by 60 from a year before.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2024

Only 135 of Japan's public schools not quake-resistant

By prefecture, Ehime saw the lowest proportion of quake-resistant school buildings, at 98.0%.
A building in Tokyo housing the Tokyo District Court
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 30, 2024

Ex-ASDF colonel pleads not guilty to confidentiality breach

According to his indictment, So Kanno is alleged to have leaked information about the systems of E-2D early warning planes.
Vietnamese technical interns work at a food processing factory in Saitama Prefecture.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2024

Criteria revealed for technical interns in Japan looking to change jobs

Applicants can select from a wide range of specific "unavoidable" situations, such as being the victim of harassment, set out in a list attached to the application form.
Takeo Akiba, secretary-general of Japan's National Security Secretariat, meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 5, 2024

Japanese and Chinese diplomats discuss bilateral summit

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed a willingness to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this month in Brazil.
Takao Doi, a former astronaut and professor at Kyoto University, holds an engineering model of LignoSat wooden satellite during an interview at the university on Oct. 25.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2024

World's first wooden satellite, developed in Japan, heads to space

The palm-sized satellite is tasked to demonstrate the cosmic potential of the renewable material as humans explore living in space.
Since October, patients have been asked to pay more for brand-name drugs prescribed by medical institutions if the patents have expired.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2024

Japan raises out-of-pocket costs for off-patent drugs

With the increases, the government aims to reduce health care costs by encouraging greater use of generic drugs.
The National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo's Chuo Ward. A study by researchers at the hospital aims to determine whether restoring a healthy intestinal environment can enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy drugs used in cancer treatment.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 6, 2024

Japan explores intestinal flora transplants for cancer treatment

A study aims to determine whether restoring a healthy intestinal environment can make drugs used in the treatment of esophageal and stomach cancers more effective.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?