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Nippon Steel is dissolving its joint venture with China's Baoshan Iron & Steel, ending two decades of cooperation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 23, 2024

Nippon Steel to dissolve joint venture with China's Baoshan

Nippon Steel did not provide a reason for dissolving the partnership originally established in 2004.
Members of the Japanese men's gymnastics team following a training session in Paris on Sunday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 24, 2024

Japan gymnasts to face unfamiliar equipment at Paris Games

Japanese tournaments often use equipment made by domestic firm Senoh, while the Paris Games will use equipment made by France's Gymnova.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui (left) and Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2024

Hiroshima mayor calls for abolition of nuclear weapons

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui called for the abolition of nuclear weapons at international talks in Geneva.
Workers of Save the Children Japan make preparations on July 11 in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, to deliver food to households facing financial difficulties.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2024

Japanese households worried about summer vacation food costs

A Save the Children Japan survey found that 89.4% of those applying for food aid said they lack enough money for adequate food due to rising prices.
A building in the city of Osaka where a syndicate suspected of conducting investment scams on social media operated from.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 24, 2024

90 arrested in Osaka over social media investment scam

Police raided four buildings in the city in the biggest bust of a syndicate involved in this kind of fraud in Japan.
Experts are advising students to drink plenty of water, as a survey revealed more than half of them are not sufficiently hydrated during the day.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 24, 2024

Over half of students in Japan are not well hydrated, study finds

Urine osmolality, which goes up as water intake declines, was at levels considered to indicate insufficient hydration.
A housing exhibition like the one worked at by a Polus employee in Chiba Prefecture who died by suicide in 2020 following harassment by a customer.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2024

Customer harassment caused Chiba worker's suicide, labor office says

After explaining to a customer who was building a new house that additional costs were required, the employee began facing relentless complaints from him.
Members of the State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament, attend a plenary session in Moscow on July 10.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 24, 2024

Russian MPs vote to broaden 'undesirable organizations' law

One of the bill's authors said that British, German and Japanese organizations could fall under the new legislation.
Newly hired central government workers listen to a video message by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a training session in April.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2024

Japan weighs abolishing government workers' spousal allowance

A monthly spousal allowance of ¥6,500 ($42) is provided if the dependent's annual salary is below ¥1.3 million, and the child allowance is ¥10,000 per child.
Amazon has launched an online service enabling customers in Japan to purchase prescription medications without having to visit physical pharmacies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 24, 2024

Amazon Pharmacy goes live in Japan

Through the new service, Japanese consumers will be able to obtain medications without having to visit physical pharmacies.
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2024

Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore

Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018.
(From left) Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki, Japanese Trade Union Confederation president Tomoko Yoshino and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan chief Kenta Izumi discussed policies and the political situation over dinner on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2024

CDP and DPP exploring prospect of cooperation in upcoming polls

The two opposition parties believe it is possible to capitalize on the ruling LDP's slush funds scandal to deny it of its majority.
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 25, 2024

Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost

While the sharp increase will be a big boost for workers, smaller firms already struggling financially will be put under further stress.
Honda will close a plant operated through its joint venture with Chinese state-owned automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group in October.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 25, 2024

Japan's Honda to close one China plant and halt production at another

The company's annual production capacity in China will shrink to 1.2 million vehicles from 1.49 million as a result of the stoppages.
Inspectors at the Kanto District Transport Bureau in Yokohama make calls to companies to check on the working conditions in the logistics industry earlier this month.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 25, 2024

Japan's 'truck G-Men' issued guidance over 700 times in first year

The government inspectors check on working conditions in the logistics sector and monitor cases involving violations until the causes are resolved.
Issei Yamauchi, a skateboard buyer for Murasaki Sports, shows a board with foot placements printed on it.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2024

Skateboarding gains traction in Japanese schools

Some local governments are also taking steps to support the growth and popularity of the sport.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito holds a news conference on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2024

Another Hyogo official dies after allegations against governor

The employee is the second person to die since a document on Saito’s allegations surfaced. The creator, a senior Hyogo official, also died in an apparent suicide.
Search operations for missing people from the Jan. 1 earthquake continue in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in June. A Saitama-man has been arrested for posting a fake rescue request on social media immediately after the quake.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2024

25-year-old arrested over fake rescue requests on social media

The man is suspected of posing as an individual affected by the Jan.1 Noto earthquake and posting requests for help on X.
Toray Industries introduces its protective clothing that lets air through at a heatstroke goods exhibition in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2024

Heatstroke prevention goods exhibited in Tokyo

At the 10th annual event of its kind, 84 companies showcased products designed to prevent heatstroke for workers.
Minamitorishima
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2024

Ground Self-Defense Force eyes missile training on remote Tokyo island

The GSDF is holding talks with local communities in hopes of starting missile training on Minamitorishima in 2026.
Camera footage shows the Mogami River bursting its banks in Tozawa, Yamagata Prefecture, on Friday morning.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 26, 2024

One dead, three missing as heavy rain batters Tohoku

Record-breaking rainfall in Yamagata and Akita prefectures has led to floods, landslides and power disruptions.
A Lower House plenary session is held in June. One vote in the least-populated single-seat constituency for the lower chamber is at least twice as powerful as that in the eight most populous constituencies, an analysis has found.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 26, 2024

Vote-value disparities may be unconstitutional in eight Lower House districts

One vote in the least-populated single-seat constituency is at least twice as powerful as one in the eight most populous constituencies, a new analysis shows.
Ryo Ogawa (right), chief executive officer of Timee, and Tomoaki Yagi, chief financial officer, strike the trading bell during the company's listing ceremony at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 26, 2024

Shares of job app firm Timee jump in Japan stock trading debut

The stock surged to as high as ¥1,855 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Growth market.
Clinical psychologist Shinpei Hirota speaks in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, earlier this month about how he offers counseling to students in quake-hit areas.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 26, 2024

Mental health support continues in schools affected by Noto quake

Since the disaster, over 160 counselors have visited the Okunoto region, lending an empathetic ear to those grappling with insomnia and distressing thoughts.
Double trailers will be allowed to run on the Hokkaido Expressway for the first time as part of measures to cope with a truck driver shortage.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2024

Japan to open up more expressways to double trailers

The move aims to address disruptions in cargo transport services caused by truck driver shortages due to a new overtime regulation introduced in April.
With the Bank of Japan seen raising rates this year, there are heightened expectations that banks’ profitability will improve.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 26, 2024

Expectations high for Japan’s bank results to spur stock rally

Japanese lenders are set to report quarterly results that for the first time fully reflect the end of negative rates next week.
A vehicle carrying Kohei Iitsuka, suspected of killing his probation officer, leaves the Otsu Kita Police Station in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, on June 10.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2024

Justice Ministry to assign multiple volunteer probation officers to watch over offenders

Previously in Japan, one volunteer probation officer was assigned to watch over one individual, except in rare cases.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority holds a meeting in Tokyo on Friday to discuss whether the No. 2 unit at the Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture meets safety standards.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2024

Tsuruga nuclear reactor fails to gain approval for restart

The No. 2 unit at the Tsuruga plant in Fukui Prefecture failed to meet stricter regulations imposed following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster.
Japan's 2024 Olympic team moves down the Seine River in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 27, 2024

Paris Olympics kick off with rain-soaked — but grandiose — opening ceremony

The sprawling opening ceremony delivered on the promise to send athletes down the River Seine and culminated in the stirring return of superstar singer Celine Dion.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a news conference at a Group of 20 finance chiefs meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 27, 2024

Japan touts G20 reaffirmation of forex commitments as key achievement

The commitments say G20 nations recognize that disorderly movements in exchange rates can have adverse implications for economic and financial stability.

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