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JAPAN / Politics
Feb 27, 2024

Japan Cabinet OKs bill on new economic 'security clearance' system

Government officials and private sector employees will be given access to classified information under the system once they pass a screening process.
A plan is being considered to transfer residents and tourists from the Sakishima islands via Kagoshima and Fukuoka airports in the event of a Taiwan contingency.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2024

Japan mulls Taiwan contingency evacuation routes for remote islands

The envisioned evacuation plans will be drawn up by prefectural governments in fiscal 2024.
Japan's revised law on eliminating discrimination against people with disabilities is scheduled to take effect in April.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2024

Websites in Japan becoming more friendly to people with disabilities

Japan's revised law on eliminating discrimination against people with disabilities is scheduled to take effect in April.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 1, 2024

More than decade after 2011 quake, Japan still slow to compile evacuation plans

The nation has failed to make progress in crafting plans to help evacuate elderly people and people with disabilities in the event of natural disasters.
An image of Japan's lunar lander and the moon's surface captured by SORA-Q, which was successfully released before the craft's touchdown on Jan. 25.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 2, 2024

Japan SLIM moon lander put to sleep after surviving lunar night

Another operation attempt of the SLIM spacecraft is scheduled for later this month, the country's space agency said.
An earthquake measuring a shindo 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale that hit southern Chiba Prefecture was among several that have shaken the area in recent days.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 3, 2024

Japan warns of more strong quakes as 'slow slip' phenomena hits Chiba

Three earthquakes measuring a shindo 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, as well as four measuring a shindo 3, have occurred since Thursday.
The Cabinet approved a bill on Tuesday to provide a better support for victims of sex crimes and the bereaved families of murder victims.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 5, 2024

Japan to boost legal aid for crime victims and bereaved families

A new bill is designed to reduce the mental and financial burdens of victims and bereaved families.
 Alli, which will be available from April 8, is expected to reduce fat stored around internal organs and prevent obesity-related diseases.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 5, 2024

Japan’s first over-the-counter anti-obesity drug to hit stores in April

The drug is expected to reduce fat stored around internal organs and prevent obesity-related diseases.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 5, 2024

Japan's Immigration Agency sets new guidelines for visa overstayers

A legislative amendment will outline the new guidelines to improve transparency and allow individuals to directly apply for special permission to stay.
The nun said she hopes her going public will cast a spotlight on the extremely cloistered nature of temples that she warned can be a hotbed of sex crimes.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 5, 2024

Japan Buddhist sect probes nun's sexual assault claims

The woman, reportedly now in her 50s, had previously accused the older monk of rape but authorities dropped her case in 2019, media reports said.
Police stations in Tokyo's Minato Ward hold a cycling safety event in Tokyo in August.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 6, 2024

Japan to introduce 'blue ticket' fine system for cyclists

Fines are expected to be between some ¥5,000 ($33) and ¥12,000, the same as those for traffic violations by motorized scooter riders.
An Upper House budget committee session for questions and answers on the fiscal 2024 draft budget held Wednesday
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 6, 2024

Japan's huge draft budget raises questions over fiscal accountability

The government allocates reserves and determines their use at Cabinet meetings, requiring only retroactive approval by parliament.
The National Police Agency conducted its first survey on social media-linked investment frauds and romance scams as the amount of damage from such cases surged last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 7, 2024

Damage from investment and romance scams in Japan hits ¥45.5 billion

The figure was higher than ¥44.12 billion stolen in remittance and other special fraud cases, according to police data.
Boeing has faced a series of quality control issues, most recently in a hair-raising incident in January when a door-sized panel blew off the fuselage of a Boeing 737 Max 9.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2024

Wheel falls off Boeing passenger jet heading to Japan from U.S.

United Airlines said there were 249 people on board the Osaka-bound jet.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 8, 2024

Group files lawsuit over Japan law that mandates couples share a surname

Similar lawsuits have been filed before, but public opinion appears to be shifting in favor of allowing couples to have separate surnames.
Former U.S. President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks during an election night watch party at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 9, 2024

Japanese government making preparations for 'Trump wins' scenario

The Foreign Ministry is fully mobilizing the Japanese Embassy in Washington and consulates across the United States to analyze his remarks.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 9, 2024

Space One postpones bid to be Japan's first private firm to put satellite in orbit

The Tokyo-based startup halted the mission after a ship ventured into a "maritime warning area" just 10 minutes before the launch.
Schoolchildren wearing padded hoods to protect themselves from falling debris take part in an earthquake simulation drill at an elementary school in Tokyo in August 2018.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 10, 2024

13 years after 3/11, Japan's readiness for complex disasters remains inadequate

The Noto Peninsula earthquake has highlighted gaps in Japan's preparedness for a complex disaster, experts warn.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 13, 2024

Japan's Space One rocket explodes shortly after launch

The firm's solid-fuel Kairos rocket burst into flames just seconds after liftoff, in a major setback for Japan’s space development aspirations.
A group of Vietnamese care workers attend a send-off event before heading to Japan, in Trung Hoa, Vietnam, 2014.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 13, 2024

Japan to adjust structure of care worker exam, easing path to success

The revisions will allow those who fail in the exam but receive passing scores for certain test sections to be exempted from retaking those sections.
Yusuke Yamazaki, former president of Nishiyama Farm, arrives at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 13, 2024

Ex-Nishiyama Farm president arrested after deportation from Indonesia

Yusuke Yamazaki had been on the international wanted list for his alleged involvement in investment fraud involving overseas fruit sales.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 14, 2024

Number of young marijuana offenders hits record high in Japan

The figure for cannabis cases involving those under 20 had decreased for the first time in nine years in 2022, but increased 34% in 2023.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 15, 2024

Japan starts clinical trial of familial Alzheimer's treatment

The clinical trial is under way in 16 countries, with four people in their 30s to 50s participating in Japan.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 16, 2024

Top Biden official says stance on U.S. Steel deal doesn't hurt U.S.-Japan ties

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden's opposition to the U.S. Steel deal "doesn't take away one thing" from the relationship.
Children and teachers walk past an electronic screen displaying Japan's Nikkei share average outside a brokerage in Tokyo on March 4.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 19, 2024

Japan OKs bill on background checks for work involving children

Once the bill becomes a law, employers will be able to screen prospective employees for past history of sex offenses via the Children and Families Agency.
While cases of human-to-human transmission of SFTS, which is transmitted by ticks, have been previously documented in China and South Korea, this marks the first such instance in Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 20, 2024

Japan confirms first human-to-human transmission of tick-borne SFTS virus

A doctor became infected with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) after attending to a patient who had been diagnosed with it.
After Donald Trump secured the Republican nomination last week, the buzzword underwent an evolution as he outpaces incumbent President Joe Biden in a number of major polls.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 21, 2024

'What if Trump?' Moshitora reenters Japanese lexicon

The compact Japanese buzzword has resurfaced in local media reports as the ex-president rises through a number of polls.
The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 21, 2024

Tokyo clinic director fails to report ¥1 billion COVID-19 subsidy

The director received subsidies to perform PCR tests and outsourced testing services, but an audit showed she had not paid some ¥1 billion to outsourcers.
Lawyers representing plaintiffs in lawsuits seeking damages for Minamata disease hold banners outside the Kumamoto District Court in the city of Kumamoto on Friday, criticizing the ruling as “unjust.”
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 22, 2024

Japan court rejects redress claims by unrecognized Minamata victims

Across Japan, nearly 1,800 individuals have filed similar lawsuits, with 1,400 cases consolidated in the Kumamoto district court.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 22, 2024

Japan urges priority for children as demand for measles shots spikes

Recent outbreaks in the country have led to a surge in interest in the vaccine among unvaccinated adults who haven't been infected with the disease.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell