Putin says Japan-claimed islands' ownership subject to future talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday the sovereignty of two islands that would be transferred to Japan on the conclusion of a peace treaty is subject to future negotiations. A day after holding talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Singapore, Putin noted that a 1956 joint declaration, which will ...
Japan to improve Ebola testing system amid rise in foreign tourists
A Japanese national research institute said Thursday it will import strains of Ebola and four other deadly viruses to improve ...
Japan eyes holding tests in seven countries for farm jobs under new visas
The government is considering holding tests in seven countries in order to bring in farm workers to Japan under one of its two planned visa categories, sources said Thursday. There were some 270,000 foreign trainees in Japan as of the end of 2017, and 99 ...
Focus on 1956 accord may signal dawn for Japan-Russia isle row
The dispute over the islands off Hokkaido has long been a thorn in bilateral relations, preventing Tokyo and Moscow from concluding a postwar peace treaty.
Tokyo joins ASEAN action plan to take on plastic waste in world's oceans
Japan on Thursday offered to cooperate with other Asian countries to address ocean pollution by reducing plastic debris. The country, together with China and South Korea, will assist the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in enhancing their monitoring of plastic waste and assessing the impact ...
What's in a name? Sasayama residents to decide whether to become Tamba Sasayama
What's in a name? That's the question facing voters in Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture, who go to the polls Sunday to cast their ballots in a mayoral election and a referendum on whether to officially change the municipality's name to Tamba Sasayama. The city, about a ...
12 Japan Airlines flights delayed in 15 months due to pilots failing alcohol tests
The revelation came after a spate of incidents in which airline personnel breached drinking rules, prompting the government to crack down.
Vietnam-born rights advocate Bungo Okabe steps in to stifle abuse of technical trainees in Japan
When it came to light in March that a Vietnamese man in Japan's foreign trainee program was duped into performing radioactive decontamination work in areas devastated by the 2011 nuclear disaster, Bungo Okabe, 36, was the first to offer help in seeking justice. Okabe, a ...
Takamatsu High Court rejects calls from residents to halt Shikoku Electric's Ikata nuclear reactor
A high court Thursday rejected calls from local residents to suspend the operation of a nuclear reactor at Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s Ikata plant that was recently restarted. In upholding a lower court decision from July last year, the Takamatsu High Court said the No. ...
Train buffs join forces online to save Japan's fading railway assets
Railroad enthusiasts across Japan are pooling resources, making financial contributions via the internet to preserve abandoned rail facilities and support financially struggling local railways. Some of these sites have turned into tourist destinations where railway buffs gather for exchange events, with locals hoping the trend ...
After string of Japan Self-Defense Forces mishaps, minister orders preventive measures
The accidents not only threatened civilians but also put SDF members at risk, said Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya.
Nearly 70% of women in Tokyo back single-sex train cars, survey finds
Women in Tokyo strongly favor having single-sex train cars on public transport, according to a poll of five of the world's biggest commuter cities released Thursday, despite such policies facing growing criticism. A Thomson Reuters Foundation survey of 1,000 female travelers in Tokyo, London, New ...
Over 80 percent of people in Japan hold positive views about receiving nursing care from robots, according to a survey by nursing care service provider Orix Living Corp. The result suggests that people feel a psychological burden from being taken care of by humans, Orix ...
