National
Bullet train on Akita Shinkansen Line derails; no injuries reported
A bullet train derails on the Akita Shinkansen Line, halting all services on part of the route but avoiding injury to the 130 passengers onboard.
National Topics
National
Whaling fleet 'departs' with record-low haul: Sea Shepherd
Japan's whaling fleet has departed the Antarctic Ocean whale sanctuary and appears to be heading home with its smallest catch ...
Crime & Legal
Boy, 18, held over Kichijoji murder
An 18-year-old youth is arrested over the robbery-murder of a woman in Tokyo’s Kichijoji district after turning himself in to ...
Science & Health Mar 3, 2013
Rejection of transplant livers cut: researchers
Researchers at Hokkaido University and Juntendo University develop a new therapy to suppress the rejection of liver transplants without the use of immunosuppressive drugs.
National Mar 3, 2013
Japan, EU paving way to kick off free-trade talks in March
Japan and the European Union are preparing to hold summit talks in Tokyo in late March, to declare the launch of formal negotiations on a free-trade accord.
National Mar 3, 2013
Collective exposure dose still remains high at Fukushima Daiichi
The annualized radiation exposure of workers at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear complex since last March was four times higher than before the triple meltdowns occurred, Tepco says.
National Mar 3, 2013
Ex-vice minister Katsu to head IT firm
Former Vice Finance Minister Eijiro Katsu will be appointed president of major IT firm Internet Initiative Japan Inc., industry sources revealed Saturday. After retiring from the Finance Ministry last August, the 62-year-old Katsu, best known for working with the previous Democratic Party of Japan-led ...
National Mar 3, 2013
Ishihara hospitalized till mid-March
Shintaro Ishihara, coleader of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) and Tokyo’s former governor, has been hospitalized and isn’t likely to be discharged until mid-March, sources said Saturday. The 80-year-old Ishihara initially reported feeling ill from a severe cold after questioning Cabinet members ...
Politics & Diplomacy Mar 3, 2013
South Korean merchant group starts boycott of Japan goods; locals critical
A group of South Korean merchants Friday declares a boycott of Japanese products over the Takeshima islet dispute.
Crime & Legal Mar 3, 2013
NYPD cruiser victim's kin sue
The family of 24-year-old Ryo Oyamada, who was struck and killed by a New York Police Department patrol car, said they have filed a notice of claim against the department and city. “My son came to America to study English and then a police ...
National Mar 3, 2013
Tsunami dock to be hauled off U.S. beach
A 185-ton dock that was swept from Tohoku by the 2011 tsunami and reached a remote coastal area of Washington state will be dismantled and removed by helicopter this month, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The removal costs are estimated at ...
National Mar 3, 2013
Egypt holds balloon crash memorial
Egyptian authorities held a memorial service Friday at the site of a hot air balloon crash in the southern city of Luxor last week that killed more than a dozen foreign tourists, including four Japanese, inviting embassy officials from the countries affected. No relatives ...
National Mar 3, 2013
Canada cultural group to assist disaster-zone youths
The Japanese Canadian Cultural Center said Saturday it will use the 1.5 million Canadian dollars (¥137 million) in its Japan Earthquake Relief Fund to assist the education of young people in the Tohoku region affected by the 2011 disasters. “The future of the region ...
Media | DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN Mar 3, 2013
Say goodbye to the Buddha of the yakuza
by Jake Adelstein
Takahiko Inoue, yakuza boss and Buddhist priest, died Feb. 10 at age 65. The police determined that he fell from the seventh story of the building where his office was located. When the ambulance arrived, Inoue told the crew: “I’m fine. Just take me ...
Media Mar 3, 2013
Tweets, pics give rare real-time peek into North Korean life
by Jean H. Lee
“Hello world from comms center in #Pyongyang.” That Twitter missive, sent using my phone on Feb. 25 from the offices of the service provider Koryolink in downtown Pyongyang, marked a milestone for North Korea: It was believed to be the first tweet sent from ...