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Saga Indonesia Dreams players speak with Yuji Fukuhara, who set up the unique Kyushu-based club, during a training session last month in Takeo, Saga Prefecture.
BASEBALL
Jul 18, 2024

Kyushu team nurturing 'baseball evangelists' to spread game in Asia

Kyushu club hopes its players, mostly hailing from parts of Asia where baseball is not popular, will help promote the sport in other parts of the continent.
A memorial service was held at the premises where Kyoto Animation's No. 1 studio was in the city of Kyoto on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 18, 2024

Ceremony marks 5 years since Kyoto Animation arson attack

A total of 144 people, including bereaved relatives and the company CEO, gathered to remember the 2019 attack which left 36 people dead and 32 others injured.
The streets of Tokyo's Ginza district on Thursday. The rainy season appears to have ended in the regions of Tokai and Kanto, including Tokyo, on Thursday, according to the Meteorological Agency.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2024

Rainy season ends in Tokai and Kanto regions

The season looks to have ended a day earlier than average, according to the Meteorological Agency.
Visitors take photos of a tunnel of roses at Yokohama English Garden on Wednesday in Yokohama.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 18, 2024

Japan’s summer travel spending soars despite economic pressures

Households plan to spend the most in six years this summer as more people aim to travel despite rising inflation and a weakening yen.
More Japanese firms have gone bankrupt in the first half of this year due to soaring costs, labor shortages and the end of pandemic-related support.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 18, 2024

Triple whammy takes Japan bankruptcies to decade high

Soaring costs, labor shortages and the end of pandemic-related financial support are taking a heavy toll on smaller businesses.
Cadets at the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kure Recruit Training Center row in unison during a cutter boat drill in Kure Bay, Hiroshima Prefecture, in June.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jul 29, 2024

MSDF’s Kure base faces recruitment challenges as youngsters shy away

The stressful nature of service and an increasing likelihood of actual combat are causing many to opt for other careers.
The police reported two sexual crime cases to the U.S. military, but the prefectural government was not aware of the incidents.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2024

U.S. forces-linked sex crimes in Kanagawa went unreported to prefectural government

The police reported both cases to the U.S. military, but the prefectural government was not aware of the incidents.
Sardines may not be the traditional choice for Japan's special midsummer eel-eating day, but with a few special touches, the fish can be a satisfying and sustainable replacement.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jul 21, 2024

Going eel-less for Japan’s midsummer tradition

Japanese eel is endangered, but sardines are an ethical — and delicious — substitute for this year’s double Doyo no Ushi no Hi.
Dai Nippon Printing's "Midokoro viewer" system displays 3D images of cultural assets on a touch screen.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2024

Japan firms working on digital cultural assets

Major printing company Toppan has produced more than 60 virtual reality images since launching its digital cultural assets project in 1997.
The Aichi Prefectural Police headquarters in Nagoya. Aichi Prefectural Police have arrested a 33-year-old woman and her common-law husband on suspicion of assaulting and causing the death of her 7-year-old daughter.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 19, 2024

Mother and partner arrested over 7-year-old girl’s death

The girl, who died in May from septic shock, had been temporarily taken into protective custody twice between 2022 and 2023.
Akira Saito (second from right), who took office as MSDF chief of staff, and his predecessor Adm. Ryo Sakai (right) attend a ceremony at the Defense Ministry on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2024

More allowance frauds discovered at Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Forces

The amount of special allowances that divers of the Maritime Self-Defense Force fraudulently received exceeds ¥53 million, not ¥43 million as initially stated.
Japan cut its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year, reflecting weaker-than-expected private consumption.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 19, 2024

Japan cuts growth forecast as prime minister warns of weak-yen pain

The government cut its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year ending in March 2025 to 0.9% from 1.3% projected in January.
An election observer (on the screen) remotely monitors early voting for the Kofu mayoral election in Kofu, Tottori Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 19, 2024

Tottori town becomes first in Japan to monitor voting online

Polling stations are decreasing as it is getting harder to find observers due to depopulation, and online monitoring is viewed as a possible solution.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with plaintiffs of damages lawsuits over forced sterilizations at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 19, 2024

Full settlement likely for forced sterilization suits in Japan

A total of 39 people have so far sued the government at 12 district courts and branches for damages over forced sterilizations under the law.
Gustavo Caruso (second from right), director of the IAEA's Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, speaks with Japanese government and Tepco officials in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2024

IAEA confirms safety of Fukushima treated water again

The report is the second on the matter since Tepco began the water release operations at its power plant in northeastern Japan in August last year.
The inside of the No. 2 reactor building of the Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi Prefecture in June
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2024

Tohoku Electric puts off Onagawa nuclear reactor restart to November

Tohoku Electric expects its ordinary profit for fiscal 2024 to decrease ¥8 billion ($50.9 million) from the projected level due to the postponement.
Participants from government ministries and agencies take part in the Cyber Defense Exercise with Recurrence (CYDER) in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 20, 2024

Japan eyes new law to introduce 'active cyberdefense'

The envisaged law will make it possible to collect online communications data from telecommunications companies and use the data to detect signs of cyberattacks.
Japan defender Hikaru Kitagawa (13) competes in the SheBelieves Cup in Columbus, Ohio, in April. Kitagawa is among the eight from JFA Academy Fukushima who will represent Japan at the Paris Olympics.
OLYMPICS
Jul 21, 2024

Soccer players from Fukushima academy vow to give back in Paris

Eight players who trained at JFA Academy Fukushima have been selected for the men's and women's squads representing Japan in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
A government panel meets to discuss active cyberdefense in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2024

Independent body eyed to oversee Japan cyberdefense

The government plans to take measure it hopes will help dispel concerns about violating the constitutionally guaranteed secrecy of communications.
SH-60K patrol helicopter
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2024

MSDF chopper in crash that left eight dead found on seabed

An unmanned probe found what appeared to be a helicopter on the seabed.
Workers engage in restoration work on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, where two maintenance trains had derailed on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2024

Accident halts Tokaido Shinkansen services between Hamamatsu and Nagoya

JR Central said the resumption work is expected to continue until the evening and it is not clear when the services will be fully resumed.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Kenta Izumi speaks during a news conference at the Diet building on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 22, 2024

CDP mulls setting leadership election for mid to late September

The CDP election will be held as current leader Kenta Izumi's term of office will expire at the end of September.
The annual number of Self-Defense Forces personnel quitting mid-career has reached around 6,000, accounting for around 2% of all SDF staff.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 22, 2024

Defense ministry concerned as more SDF staff quit citing workplace issues

The government's Defense Buildup Program, formulated in 2022, emphasized curbing mid-career resignations of SDF personnel as an "urgent issue."
A record 219 people were attacked by bears across Japan in fiscal 2023.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 22, 2024

Hokkaido city deploys drones for bear management

The city of Nayoro will use drones — equipped with cameras and speakers — to locate bears when sightings are reported and help direct residents to safety.
The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 22, 2024

Tokyo woman arrested over death of 102-year-old mother

Authorities are aiming to charge Yoko Komine with murder, having initially arrested her on suspicion of attempted murder.
Ama female free divers, who fish in the ocean, lead volunteers as they swim with torches during Shirahama Ama festival in Minamiboso, Chiba Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2024

Short of ama female free divers, Chiba festival turns to volunteers

Age and disinterest have reduced the number of women willing to make a livelihood out of this type of diving.
Blackstone's private equity fund says Japanese individual investors are highly interested in alternatives and their understanding of the asset class is deepening.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 23, 2024

Blackstone Japan fund exceeds $1B as investors warm up to private equity

As inflation takes hold in the country, investors are exploring more alternative assets on government encouragement to invest more of their cash.
Passengers go through ticket gates at Tokyo Station Tuesday morning as all Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train services resumed following a partial halt the previous day.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024

Tokaido Shinkansen train line resumes full services

A derailment accident involving maintenance trains caused a partial suspension Monday, but all services have now been resumed.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi says a Japanese man in his 20s died last month fighting for Russia against Ukraine.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024

Tokyo announces death of Japanese man in Russian military

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi has urged Japanese people again to refrain from traveling to Ukraine and Russian regions bordering Ukraine.
Boxes of canned quail eggs are piled up at a warehouse in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, earlier this month.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 23, 2024

Quail egg farmers struggle after schools remove item from lunches

A fatal choking incident in February involving a canned quail egg at a Fukuoka elementary school led schools nationwide to remove the item from their lunches.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years