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One of the lawyers representing a group of doctors suing Google told a news conference that the main purpose of the lawsuit is not to seek compensation but instead to raise awareness over various problems with the Google Maps system.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2024

In a first, Japan doctors sue Google over negative reviews on firm's map app

The suit is the first in Japan — and possibly the world — to target a platform rather than the individuals who posted the reviews, lawyers said.
Members of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission have agreed to cut the 2024 catch quota for saury in the high seas in the northern Pacific in response to declining resources.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2024

Japan and others agree to cut northern Pacific saury catch quota

Nine economies agreed to introduce the rule to calculate catch quotas based on scientific evidence.
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso speaks during a forum in Taiwan in 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 19, 2024

Former PM Aso seeks Trump meeting during New York visit: report

Aso had attempted to meet Trump in January during a trip to the U.S. but was not able to see him.
A "masakaki" tree offering made by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is shown at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 21, 2024

South Korea protests Japanese leaders' offerings to Yasukuni Shrine

The government in Seoul said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's offering had prompted a feeling of "deep disappointment."
The NanoTerasu facility uses special X-rays to enable researchers to analyze at the nanometer level the properties and functions of materials that cannot be identified with the naked eye.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 22, 2024

NanoTerasu accelerator goes into operation in northeastern Japan

The technology is expected to be used in research in a wide range of areas, from food to medicine.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday marked 932 days in office, tying with Ryutaro Hashimoto as the eighth-longest-serving prime minister in postwar Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 22, 2024

Kishida is now postwar Japan's eighth-longest-serving PM

Victory in the LDP's presidential election in autumn will put him in the running to surpass Nobusuke Kishi, who held office for 1,241 days.
Voters listen to a speech by a candidate for a Lower House seat in the upcoming Tokyo No. 15 district by-election.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 23, 2024

CDP-backed candidates seen leading in all three Japan by-elections

Candidates backed by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are in the lead ahead of three by-elections.
Tokyo observed the first "extremely hot day" of the season on July 10, 2023, when the temperature hit 36.5 degrees. A new heatstroke alert system will be put in place on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 23, 2024

Japan to put special alert system for heatstroke in place

The Environment Ministry will put in place a special alert system for heatstroke to protect people from unprecedented heat.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a meeting for Noto Peninsula reconstruction at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2024

Japan OKs ¥138.9 billion in fresh spending over Noto quake

This will be the fourth round of spending from the state reserve funds for the quake-affected areas in central Japan.
North Korean animators may be involved in the production of some Japanese and U.S. animated shows, according to a report by a website providing analysis on North Korea.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2024

North Korean animators may be involved in Japan anime production, report says

Shows with suspected North Korean involvement include the Japanese television anime series "Dahliya In Bloom" and the U.S. animated series "Invincible."
After a string of contractual issues over guarantor service for the elderly, the government aims to introduce specific regulations to ensure that users can access support with confidence.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 25, 2024

Japan to draw up guidelines for elderly guarantor services

Demand for guarantor services is rising due to the growing number of elderly living alone
Kenji Imata, mayor of Togo, Aichi Prefecture, speaks during a news conference in the town on Thursday after a third-party committee found he had continuously engaged in "power harassment" and sexual harassment against several town employees.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2024

Two town mayors in central Japan resign over harassment scandals

Kenji Imata of Togo, Aichi Prefecture, and Kazuo Okazaki of Ikeda, Gifu Prefecture, have stepped down.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida rides on a forestry processor during an inspection of afforestation in Hitachiomiya, Ibaraki Prefecture, in October.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2024

Japan groups eye online market to promote use of domestic lumber

The process of reforestation has faced obstacles, primarily stemming from the considerable burdens placed on forest owners.
Members of a group of former second-generation Jenovah's Witnesses speak during a news conference in Tokyo in November.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 26, 2024

Japan finds 47 cases of abuse of 'second-generation followers'

Victims were temporarily taken into protective custody in 19 of the total cases.
Masashi Okada (right), project manager of the H3 rocket for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Mayuki Niitsu, Mitsubishi Heavy industries' H3 rocket project manager, in front of a rocket core at a Mitsubishi plant in Tobishima, Aichi Prefecture, on March 21
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2024

Japan’s space agency sets June 30 as third launch date for H3 rocket

The rocket will carry the Daichi-4 satellite, which is designed for high-resolution Earth observation.
The first Lower House political reform committee meeting begins in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 26, 2024

Gaps between Japan's parties on political reform on show at committee

At the committee's first meeting, differing views were expressed on the legal responsibility of politicians as well as punishments for wrongdoing.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and French President Emmanuel Macron deliver a joint statement in Paris in January 2023.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2024

Kishida to visit France, Brazil and Paraguay starting next week

In Paris on Thursday, Kishida plans to give a keynote speech at a ministerial council meeting of the OECD and meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 26, 2024

Number of homeless in Japan hits record low

By prefecture, the figure for Osaka was highest, at 856, followed by Tokyo, with 624, and Kanagawa, at 420.
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 27, 2024

In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline

Efforts to revitalize rural areas through various incentives has yielded limited results as people continue to gravitate toward urban centers.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 27, 2024

Japan party leaders make final pitches ahead of Sunday by-elections

The outcome of the Shimane by-election is expected to affect Kishida's grip on power and his strategy for a possible dissolution of the Lower House.
The city government of Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, has conducted its third marine survey around the Senkaku Islands.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 28, 2024

Okinawa's Ishigaki uses drone for first time during marine survey around Senkakus

During the survey, China Coast Guard vessels entered Japanese waters around the islands and attempted to interfere with the city's ship.
Chika Kon asks a question at a mock assembly session organized by the town assembly of Zao, Miyagi Prefecture, in July. Kon is now a member of the assembly.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 29, 2024

Local councils in Japan take measures to counter candidate shortfall

Efforts are being made to encourage participation to avoid undermining essential functions such as administrative oversight.
The Ibaraki Prefectural Government has introduced an optional four-day workweek to serve as a model for work style reform.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 30, 2024

Are local governments in Japan ready to embrace a four-day workweek?

Several municipalities are testing the waters by allowing employees to opt for longer workdays in exchange for an extra weekday off.
Peaches grown in Fukushima Prefecture. A so-called zebra firm in the prefecture is selling substandard fruits to greengrocers in urban areas, which leads to higher incomes for local farmers.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2024

Japan eyes socially mindful startups to boost regional economies

Starting in June, the government will launch pilot projects to help such startups cooperate with local governments, banks and companies.
Kirin Beverage will raise the suggested retail price of its 1.5-liter Gogo no Kocha tea product to ¥432 from ¥400.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2024

Prices of 417 food items to go up in Japan in May

Although the figure fell for the fifth straight month, the rate of price increase averaged 31%, the highest since the monthly statistics began in 2022.
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
JAPAN
May 1, 2024

Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million

The preliminary figure jumped by 510,000 from 2018, when the previous survey was taken, and doubled from 4.48 million in 1993.
“Customer harassment” — in which customers harass front-line workers with aggressive behavior or unreasonable requests — has become a growing problem in the service industry.
JAPAN / Society
May 2, 2024

Japan steps up measures against 'customer harassment'

A 2022 survey found that 67.5% of respondents had experienced some kind of harassment from customers in the past three years.
Pollen from cedar tree forests in Nagano Prefecture. The government faces an uphill battle in reducing cedar trees amid a labor shortage in the forestry industry.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 2, 2024

Japan's pollen countermeasures face challenges amid slow cedar logging

A persistent labor shortage and tepid demand for timber stand in the way of the government's aim of reducing the trees responsible for hay fever.
Satomi Sakashita talks about Noto Island's dolphins, at The Ocean and The Orgel cafe in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on March 21.
JAPAN
May 2, 2024

Noto woman committed to protecting Japan’s dolphins after quake

Satomi Sakashita, 62, who runs a cafe that offers dolphin-watching, has dedicated many years to their conservation.
Jiro Suzuki, head of Kosaka Railroad Railpark in Kosaka, Akita Prefecture, stands next to a retired Akebono sleeper train that is now being used as a lodging facility, on April 22.
JAPAN / Society
May 3, 2024

Lodging in 'blue train' to resume in Japan after five-year hiatus

Services using the retired sleeper train are set to restart Saturday after five years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear