Search - japan

 
 
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2024

JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel

Japan Airlines canceled a flight last week from Dallas to Tokyo after its captain got drunk at a hotel in the U.S. city and was warned by local police.
JR East says it will not yield to unreasonable demands by customers who harass its employees.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2024

JR East says it will not respond to customer harassment

According to the policy, the company will not respond to customers who engage in harassment, such as physically or psychologically attacking employees.
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (center) speaks to reporters as election strategy committee chair Yuko Obuchi (left) and Deputy Secretary-General Hiroshi Kajiyama look on at party's headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday night.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 28, 2024

Main opposition CDP sweeps three Lower House by-elections in blow to LDP

The results were seen as a setback for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and could accelerate talks within the LDP about his political future.
Hikaru Sasaki enters the Metropolitan Police Department's Osaki police station in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on Monday after being arrested on suspicion of disposing of two bodies found in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, earlier this month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 29, 2024

Man, 28, arrested in Okinawa over burned bodies found in Tochigi

The man is an acquaintance of the construction worker who earlier turned himself to the police over his possible involvement in the case.
A polling station is set up at the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai for the Lower House elections in October 2021. Japanese nationals living abroad have to travel to diplomatic missions that serve as polling stations to cast their votes during elections.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 30, 2024

Internet voting for Japanese abroad remains a distant prospect

Apart from the need to revise an existing law, concerns remain over the integrity of online identity verification and the confidentiality of votes.
A pack of dietary supplements designated by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical as a functional food.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 30, 2024

Japan panel reviewing 'functional foods' label system

The system has been criticized for leaving it entirely up to functional food makers to guarantee the safety of their products.
Mitsunobu Inoike talks about the Kanakura district of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, known for its terraced rice fields, on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
May 1, 2024

Noto quake survivors face tough choice: leave or remain

In the disaster-hit areas, many damaged houses are being left as they are.
A forest road in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, near the site where the burned bodies of a Tokyo couple were found last month
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 1, 2024

Two more suspects arrested over burned bodies found in Tochigi

Police suspect the two men, both 20, were involved in the torching of the bodies of a Tokyo businessman and his wife.
A "cooling shelter" set up inside the city hall in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture
JAPAN
May 1, 2024

Municipalities setting up 'cooling shelters' in bid to prevent heatstroke

Operators of designated facilities will be asked to open them for use by people to escape the heat when a special alert for heatstroke is issued.
Tatsufumi Shibata, deputy director-general at the Financial Services Agency, is pushing for greater disclosure by companies of their cross-shareholding practices.
BUSINESS
May 2, 2024

Japan suspects firms are evading disclosure of cross-shareholdings

Some companies are thought to be masking cross-shareholdings as being owned for purely trading purposes.
Artist Mitsuo Miyagi talks about the plan to make a giant shiisā statue in Okinawa Prefecture using damaged tiles from the fire-ravaged Shuri Castle.
JAPAN
May 2, 2024

10-meter lion statue to be built in Okinawa with burned Shuri Castle tiles

The project aims to foster remembrance of the castle, which suffered significant damage in a fire in October 2019, using the prefecture's mythical symbol.
Yukio Tsunezuka holds a back issue of the Noto magazine in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on April 22.
JAPAN / Society
May 3, 2024

Local info magazine in quake-hit Noto region set for revival

The New Year's Day quake struck just as the latest edition was about to be printed.
Officials of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito hold talks on the revision of the Political Funds Control Law in the parliamentary building on April 24.
JAPAN / Politics
May 3, 2024

LDP eyes more disclosure on fundraising ticket buyers

The LDP is currently examining the idea of lowering the threshold for the mandatory disclosure from ¥200,000 per buyer per fundraising party.
An <i>awamori</i> distillery in Okinawa Prefecture. Shipments of the rice spirit in 2023 dropped more than 50% from their peak in 2004.
JAPAN
May 3, 2024

Okinawa's rice spirit industry seeks rebrand amid falling shipments

Producers are seeking to devise new marketing strategies to make awamori appealing to both young consumers and international markets.
Volunteers help carry out furniture in the town of Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture on April 26.
JAPAN / Society
May 5, 2024

Volunteer activities in full swing in Noto during Golden Week

Local governments prepare for an influx of traffic during the holiday period as some volunteers begin entering the area in their own vehicles.
A child receives cotton candy at a free cafeteria opened in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on March 31.
JAPAN / Society
May 6, 2024

'Children's cafes' persevere in Noto despite quake damage

Some kodomo shokudō operating in the Okunoto region are struggling and need support.
A picture of the forest fire on Mt. Akiha near the city of Nanyo in Yamagata Prefecture, uploaded on social media platform X by the Nanyo municipal government on Saturday. Efforts to extinguish the flames continued for a third day on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
May 6, 2024

Efforts to extinguish forest fire in Yamagata continue

The fire, which began Saturday, has spread over 135 hectares, resulting in the closure of several roads and an evacuation order for two districts.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Monday after his trip to France, Brazil and Paraguay.
JAPAN / Politics
May 7, 2024

LDP weighs proposal to disclose usage of party's 'policy activity funds'

Policy activity funds are provided to lawmakers from parties to which they belong. How they are used is not presently subject to disclosure.
A building in the city of Osaka housing the Osaka District Court
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 8, 2024

Court orders deletion of disparaging portrayal of Osaka area

The comments were targeted at a "dowa" district — an area designated under an assimilation project to help integrate marginalized communities.
Taro Aso (center), vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, hands the party's proposals for securing a sufficient number of imperial family members to Lower House Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga (left) at the parliamentary building on April 26.
JAPAN
May 8, 2024

Interparty talks on shrinking imperial family may start next week

The talks are likely to focus on retaining female imperial family members after marriage and adopting male relatives.
A 51-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of stabbing a young woman to death in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 8, 2024

Man arrested over fatal stabbing of young woman in Shinjuku

A 51-year-old man from Kawasaki was arrested at the scene.
A man who fired a shot after an early morning traffic dispute in western Tokyo on Wednesday is described as being in his 40s, about 170 centimeters tall with a thin build. He was wearing a black baseball cap, matching jersey top and bottom, and spectacles at the time of the incident.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 8, 2024

Police search for man who discharged firearm in Tokyo traffic dispute

He fired a single shot during an altercation with another driver after their cars nearly collided at an intersection in the city of Chofu, western Tokyo.
A police officer from the Metropolitan Police Department visits a homeowner in Tokyo to increase awareness of roof inspection scams. The number of complaints made to the National Consumer Affairs Center in relation to such scams tripled between 2018 and 2022.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 9, 2024

Tokyo police warn against costly roofing scams

Deceitful contractors coax homeowners into undertaking costly and unnecessary repairs by falsely claiming their roofs are damaged.
A container was used as a temporary toilet facility at a roadside station in Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in January after the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
JAPAN
May 9, 2024

High-tech containers provide relief to quake-hit Noto areas

The land ministry is advocating the use of these containers to enhance the disaster-relief capabilities of roadside stations.
An education ministry survey has shown that the English proficiency of public junior and senior high school students in Japan is continuing to improve.
JAPAN
May 9, 2024

Japanese students' English proficiency is improving

The levels of English skills greatly varied depending on the region, according to the education ministry.
The apartment complex where Toshino Hirasawa was stabbed in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, on Thursday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 10, 2024

Man arrested over fatal stabbing of woman had lent victim ¥18 million

It has emerged that the suspect, Manabu Wakui, was arrested for stalking the victim, Toshino Hirasawa, two years ago.
Koichi Domoto performs in the musical "Endless Shock" on Thursday in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 10, 2024

Pop idol Koichi Domoto's musical rewrites Japan record for most performances

The musical "Endless Shock" broke the record for most performances, which "Horoki," a play starring Mitsuko Mori, previously held.
A toddler tries to pull an electric kettle cord. Parents can often recognize the dangers within their own home, but may not be as vigilant when visiting new places during the holidays.
JAPAN / Society
May 10, 2024

Indoor child safety warnings issued for caregivers in Japan

Parents can often recognize the dangers within their own home, but may not be as vigilant when visiting new places during the holidays.
A screen shot shows the large-scale language model developed using the Fugaku supercomputer.
JAPAN
May 11, 2024

Japan team uses Fugaku supercomputer to develop language model for AI

The large language model unveiled Friday is expected to lead to research on generative AI tailored to domestic needs.
Princess Aiko visits an exhibition featuring Japanese literature from the Heian period held at the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN
May 12, 2024

Princess Aiko visits Heian literature exhibition

It was the first time for the 22-year-old princess, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, to perform official duties alone.

Longform

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