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Shinnosuke Oka competes in the men's gymnastics qualification round on Saturday in Paris.
OLYMPICS / Gymnastics
Jul 28, 2024

Bathwater mishap forces Japan gymnast Oka to swap cardboard bed

Oka said a "water leak" from the bath had caused damage to the cardboard frame.
The Ishizawa River in Yurihonjo, Akita Prefecture, is seen bursting its banks on Friday due to heavy rain.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2024

Two dead and three missing in Tohoku deluge

Yamagata and Akita prefectures are likely to see severe rain continue until around Tuesday.
Disaster response vehicles parked at a roadside rest station at Noto Airport in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 17.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2024

Japan to pick more roadside stations for disaster relief

The ministry plans to increase the number of such roadside stations to about 100 from the current 39 so that each of the country's 47 prefectures will have one or two.
France's Leon Marchand celebrates after winning the Olympic final of the men's 400-meter individual medley at the Paris Games on Sunday.
OLYMPICS / Swimming
Jul 29, 2024

Magic Marchand delivers 400 meters IM gold for France as Matsushita takes silver

The 22-year-old Marchand, nicknamed the "French Michael Phelps," carried the expectations of a nation into his first event but he simply crushed his rivals.
A crashed helicopter with a pilot and a mechanic on board was heading for Saga Airport on Sunday afternoon.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2024

Two killed in helicopter crash in Fukuoka

The pilot, 50, and a mechanic, 70, were confirmed dead at the scene.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks on Monday at the first meeting of a panel on eradicating discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 29, 2024

Japan to draw up plan to tackle discrimination against disabled people

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida revealed the government's intention to make the plan at the first meeting of a new panel on the issue.
Shizuoka Prefectural Police have put a suspect in a family murder case on their wanted list.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 30, 2024

Grandson wanted in Shizuoka triple murder case

Shizuoka police have issued an arrest warrant for Koichi Katayama, 27, in connection with the fatal stabbings of his grandparents and aunt.
The U.S. sushi market has grown to almost 1.6 times the size of the market in Japan, according to Sojitz.
BUSINESS
Jul 30, 2024

Japan's Sojitz buys U.S. sushi business in seafood expansion drive

Sojitz is aiming to boost annual net profit from seafood operations to ¥4 billion ($26 million) in the year to March 2027.
The Shizuoka Prefectural Police headquarters (in background) in the city of Shizuoka
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 31, 2024

Grandson detained over Shizuoka triple murder case

Koichi Katayama, who allegedly killed his grandparents and aunt, has injuries to his abdomen, and police plan to formally arrest him once he recovers.
Prosecutors leave Upper House lawmaker Megumi Hirose's home in Tokyo on Tuesday after searching it as part of an investigation into alleged fraud.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 31, 2024

Resignation of LDP lawmaker over pay scandal adds to party's woes

Megumi Hirose has left the party over allegations she pocketed public money to pay the salary of a secretary who didn’t actually work.
Forced sterilization plaintiff Sumiko Nishi at her home in Hino, western Tokyo, on Wednesday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 31, 2024

First settlement reached for forced sterilization plaintiff in Japan

The state has agreed to pay ¥16.5 million — the same amount awarded to plaintiffs in a related Supreme Court case.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura is calling for ride-hailing services with no limitations on time zones, locations, dates or the number of vehicles during the Osaka Expo.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 1, 2024

Uncertainty looms over ride-hailing plans for 2025 Osaka Expo

A flood of tourists from Japan and overseas is expected to visit the Osaka Expo, which will open in April next year and run for six months.
Students at Aichi Commercial High School in Nagoya participate in a makeup workshop held at the school in July.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2024

Nagoya high school allows students to wear makeup on Fridays

Aichi Commercial High School has permits students to not wear their uniform on Fridays to help them learn about maintaining a professional appearance.
A 28-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of deceiving a man she met on a dating app into paying her cash for sexually transmitted infection tests.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 1, 2024

Tokyo woman arrested on suspicion of STI test fraud

Police said Misaki Watanabe asked a man to pay for tests before engaging in sexual relations, but ceased all communication after receiving the money.
Hideki Matsuyama in action during the first round of the Olympic men's golf tournament in Guyancourt, France, on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Golf
Aug 2, 2024

Matsuyama leads Schauffele as golfers hail Olympic experience

Former Masters champion Matsuyama is looking to making the podium after missing out on a bronze medal in a playoff three years ago at the Tokyo Games.
Kenta Izumi, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 2, 2024

CDP Leader Izumi to seek re-election

Some CDP members are calling for a change of the leader, mainly due to delays in building a coalition of opposition parties for the next Lower House election.
Tokyo's Shibuya Ward offers a ticket to Shibuya Sky, an open-air observation deck at the rooftop of a high-rise building in Shibuya, as a return gift for those who made furusato nozei donations to the ward.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 2, 2024

'Furusato nozei' donations topped ¥1 trillion for first time in 2023

The city of Miyakonojo in Miyazaki Prefecture received the largest amount of donations, at ¥19.3 billion.
A government white paper stressed the need to pay attention to the impact of interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan on personal consumption.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 2, 2024

Japan warns of weak yen impact on households in government white paper

A weak yen has become a source of concern for policymakers as it has dampened consumption by inflating the cost of importing fuel, food and raw material.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2024

U.S. military helicopter makes emergency landing in Kanagawa rice paddy

No one was injured in the landing, the local fire department said, and the cause was not immediately clear.
American Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning Olympic gold at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, France, on Sunday.
OLYMPICS / Golf
Aug 5, 2024

American Scheffler basks in national pride after Olympic golf triumph

Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood took silver while former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama won bronze for Japan.
Mikio Saiki speaks to students in the city of Hiroshima on July 28 about the horrors of the atomic bomb.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 5, 2024

Hiroshima survivor shares story after 79 years of silence

"People around the world don’t know the misery of nuclear weapons. We have an obligation to inform them," Mikio Saiki said.
Hideki Matsuyama during his final round of the Olympic men's golf competition on Sunday at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, France.
OLYMPICS / Golf
Aug 5, 2024

Matsuyama avenges Tokyo heartbreak with bronze in Paris

"I aimed for the gold, but I'm extremely happy to have won this one after struggling at the Tokyo Olympics and not being able to get a medal," Matsuyama said.
Students inside a clean room of a college of technology in Kumamoto Prefecture. The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association started holding special classes at colleges of technology to attract more people to the semiconductor industry.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 5, 2024

Japan chip industry talent race heats up

Job opportunities have expanded notably in Kyushu and Hokkaido.
Yoshifumi Matsumura (second from right), head of the National Public Safety Commission, inspects Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district in June.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 5, 2024

Tokyo host bar worker arrested over kickbacks for brokering prostitution

It is the first time a worker at a host bar has been arrested over receiving kickbacks for brokering prostitution.
An ambulance dispatched in Tokyo on Friday. The Tokyo Fire Department issued an ambulance shortage alert 19 times last month, up from five a year before.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2024

Heatstroke cases behind record number of ambulance dispatches in Tokyo

The 542,256 instances for the January to July period this year was the highest since the statistics began in 1936.
The Tsuruga Coast Guard Office in Fukui Prefecture issued warnings about possible attacks by wild dolphins as early as 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 6, 2024

Fukui coast guard warns swimmers of danger posed by wild dolphins

In one case, a 10-year-old who had gone for a swim at a beach in the city of Tsuruga was bitten by a dolphin, suffering a serious injury to their hand.
Bears think the best days for bank shares may be over, but for investors who are worried the yen may have further room to gain, bank shares have the additional benefit of having limited exposure to foreign-exchange fluctuations.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 7, 2024

Massive losses set stage for big rebound in Japan’s bank stocks

In the first three days of August, the Topix Banks index lost 26.5%, more than the 20.3% fall in the broader Topix index.
Yui Susaki reacts after losing in the opening round of the women's 50-kg freestyle wrestling competition at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
OLYMPICS / Wrestling
Aug 7, 2024

'I didn’t know if it was real': Yui Susaki suffers shock wrestling defeat

Susaki had won 24 international tournaments in a row and was undefeated in her 94 matches against foreign wrestlers until Tuesday.
Shiseido's sales in China are still sluggish as consumers remain reluctant to buy Japanese products over the discharge of treated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 8, 2024

Shiseido posts steepest drop since 1987 on anemic China demand

The company reported a January-June operating loss of ¥2.7 billion ($18.4 million), compared with profit of ¥13.6 billion a year earlier.
What is known as real money trading in online games is rife with issues, including account hijacking and fraud.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 8, 2024

Man arrested over alleged fraud involving Sega's in-game money

The suspect allegedly collected money by offering to sell the in-game currency at one-twentieth of the listed price on "real money trading" websites.

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