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Hisashi Yagi is full of enthusiasm as he reopens Iroha Bookstore at a temporary location in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 22, 2024

Beloved bookstore in quake-hit Ishikawa reopens at temporary site

The reopened Iroha Bookstore, which has a 75-year history, is lined with picture books taken from the original store and manga related to the prefecture.
The record high, which reflects rising prices, was the worst since the subject was added to the poll in 2008, according to a Cabinet Office official.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 23, 2024

Record 63% in Japan feel financially uncomfortable, government survey finds

The result, which reflects rising prices, was the worst since the subject was added to the poll in 2008, according to a Cabinet Office official.
A Filipino care worker talks to an elderly resident at a hospital in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 23, 2024

Japan to allow foreign nationals to engage in home care services

Currently, foreign technical intern trainees and foreign workers with so-called specified skills are banned from engaging in the services.
Takashi Kimura (center) won the Kumamoto gubernatorial election on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024

Ex-vice governor wins Kumamoto gubernatorial election

Backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, Takashi Kimura will be the first new governor of Kumamoto in 16 years.
As of December 2022, the village of Zamami, Okinawa Prefecture, had in its stockpile six of the nine items listed in a survey as necessary for women and 10 of the 11 items listed as necessary for babies and infants, doing much better than other municipalities in the prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Apr 1, 2024

Municipalities push gender-inclusive disaster risk management

Some areas in Okinawa involve more women in decision-making and make an effort at stockpiling relevant items.
The head of the Unification Church's Japan branch has been fined for the group's refusal to answer some questions sent by the culture ministry.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 26, 2024

Unification Church fined for not answering government questions

The Tokyo District Court ordered the group to pay a fine of ¥100,000 for its refusal to answer some questions put to it by the culture ministry.
The Cultural Affairs Agency in the city of Kyoto
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2024

One year on, benefits of culture agency's move to Kyoto unclear

The relocation of the Cultural Affairs Agency was decided in 2016
Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Adm. Ryo Sakai during a news conference at the Defense Ministry on Tuesday
JAPAN / Society
Mar 27, 2024

Japan MSDF punishes two officers for 'power harassment'

One was hit with a three-month suspension, while the other will see his pay cut by one-sixth for one month.
Those who are planning to move to new homes are finding themselves either struggling to make a reservation or facing increasingly higher costs.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2024

Japan's moving companies struggle to meet demand amid driver shortage

Charges have increased, even doubled, during the March-April peak moving season as a regulation capping overtime hours for drivers kicks in.
Princess Aiko visits the mausoleum of Emperor Jinmu in the city of Kashihara in Nara Prefecture on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2024

Princess Aiko visits Emperor Jinmu's tomb in Nara

The 22-year-old princess made a Shinto ritual offering at the tomb of Japan's mythical first Emperor to report her university graduation.
Hitoshi Matsumoto
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 28, 2024

Comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto's defamation trial kicks off

Identities of two women accusing the comedian of forcing them into having sex, as reported by Shukan Bunshun, becomes the focus on Day 1.
Williams' Alexander Albon drives during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Mar 29, 2024

Williams will have two cars but still no spare in Japan

Team principal James Vowles said that both Williams drivers would be racing at Suzuka.
Noriyuki Higashiyama (second from right), unveils Smile-Up as a new company name to replace Johnny's & Associates during a news conference in Tokyo in October.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 29, 2024

Smile-Up says two ex-Johnny's staffers were also sexual predators

The statement from Smile-Up, which is responsible for compensating victims, came after the BBC published an interview with its president.
Residents of Fukui Prefecture who filed petitions to suspend aging nuclear reactors at two Kansai Electric Power plants in the prefecture hold up signs in front of the Fukui District Court in Fukui on Friday, criticizing the court's decision to reject the decisions as "unjust."
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 29, 2024

Court rejects petitions to halt aging Kansai electric reactors

Plaintiffs claimed that the design basis earthquake ground motions for the plants are unreasonably low, given past past earthquakes observed in Japan.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical President Akihiro Kobayashi (second from left) and other executives apologize for the deaths and other health damage associated with its dietary supplements, in the city of Osaka on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 29, 2024

Kobayashi Pharma says blue mold compound may be cause of health problems

The beni kо̄ji red yeast rice dietary supplements are now linked to five deaths and 114 hospitalizations.
U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Works facility is seen in Braddock, Pennsylvania. A group of automakers have warned that a deal by steelmaker Cleveland Cliffs for U.S. Steel could "drive up the cost of both steel and e-steel, and ultimately increase the cost of finished vehicles (including EVs) for American consumers."
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 30, 2024

Automakers urge White House to oppose U.S. Steel sale to Cleveland-Cliffs

Cleveland-Cliffs has said it would consider another bid for U.S. Steel if the deal with Nippon Steel — opposed by President Joe Biden — falls apart.
A man works at a supermarket in Tokyo last month. Price increases backed by higher ingredient costs have started to come back due to unstable weather, Teikoku Databank has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 30, 2024

Japan to see prices of 2,806 food items raised in April

The figure exceeds 2,000 for the first time since October last year, though down 48.1% from April last year, when prices increased for 5,404 items.
Commercial and residential buildings are seen on Ishigaki Island, in Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2024

Japan to set up new shelters on southwestern islands

The central government has picked five municipalities on the Sakishima southwestern islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
JR Tokai President Shunsuke Niwa speaks to reporters after meeting with transport ministry officials on Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2024

JR Tokai gives up on 2027 maglev target date for opening

JR Tokai gave up the 2027 goal as the Shizuoka Prefectural Government has declined to approve tunnel drilling work due to environmental concerns.
Cherry blossoms bloom at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 31, 2024

Tokyo marks final day of March with record high temperature for month

Cherry blossoms in the capital finally burst into bloom on Friday, marking the latest blooming in over a decade.
Beni kо̄ji has been widely used in Japan and elsewhere as a food additive, and features prominently in Okinawan cuisine, particularly in a dish called tо̄fuyо̄.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2024

Beni kōji purveyors fear growing aversion following supplement scandal

The ingredient has long been used in Japan and elsewhere as a food additive, and features prominently in Okinawan cuisine.
The Asaichi Dori morning market area in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Monday
JAPAN / Society
Apr 2, 2024

Three months after Noto quake, victims voice mixed feelings

While some local businesses have reopened, the streets are quiet and the future remains difficult to envision.
An audio work by Saga University's Art Works to Listen and Imagine project is available on the internet.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Apr 8, 2024

Experiencing art exhibitions through listening

Events and exhibitions are being held to encourage visitors to appreciate artworks with their ears and imagination.
Heita Kawakatsu, governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, explains his remarks at the prefectural government office on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2024

Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu to resign over latest gaffe

"Unlike (those who) sell vegetables, raise cattle and make things, you are basically highly intellectual people," he said to newly hired officials.
An official of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical speaks to reporters on Saturday in Osaka following the health ministry's inspections of the firm's plant.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 3, 2024

166 hospitalized over health issues linked to beni kōji

Taiwan's health ministry said the number of people experiencing ill health after taking Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's beni koji had risen to 11 as of Monday.
People take photographs of cherry blossoms at a park in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 3, 2024

Hanami budgets soar as cherry blossoms sweep Japan

People are spending the most on cherry blossom viewings in six years, with more traveling for the annual event, a survey has found.
Kiichi Okaguchi (right) walks to the parliament's Judge Impeachment Court in Tokyo in December.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 3, 2024

Impeachment court dismisses Japanese judge over social media posts

Kiichi Okaguchi has become the eighth judge dismissed in an impeachment trial in postwar Japan.
Police officers conduct a special inspection of Shinjuku Ward's Kabukicho in Tokyo in December.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 4, 2024

Japan's police crack down on host clubs

More than 200 administrative penalties have been issued against such establishments nationwide for various violations, National Police Agency says.
The health ministry said Japan's oldest man, Gisaburo Sonobe, has died at age 112.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2024

Oldest Japanese man dies at 112

Sonobe, born in November 1911, became the oldest male in the country in November 2022.
As they prepare lunch boxes, volunteer residents discuss anything from local supermarket offerings to life in the evacuation sites.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 5, 2024

Making lunch boxes for quake victims brings Noto community together

A spirit of camaraderie pervades among volunteer residents as they put together homemade delicacies for neighbors and fellow volunteers.

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Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat