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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (right) shakes hands with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a joint news conference in Seoul in May.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2024

Kishida eyes visit to South Korea in early September

Kishida apparently hopes that he and Yoon will confirm the importance of keeping relations between their countries on track.
European Union member flags are hoisted in front of the European Parliament building in Luxembourg. The country hosts key EU institutions and has recently concluded a working holiday visa program with Japan.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 22, 2024

Luxembourg opens door for Japanese working holiday visitors

The working holiday program is available to Japanese nationals between the ages of 18 and 30.
A Rapidus factory construction site in Chitose, Hokkaido, on July 24. The plan to ramp up renewable energy usage in the region to 60% by 2030 is part of a larger concept known as “Hokkaido Valley.”
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Aug 26, 2024

Hokkaido more plugged in to renewable energy than rest of Japan

The local government aims to raise its share of renewable energy to 60% from the current 40%, but Hokkaido's grid needs to be upgraded first.
Astellas Pharma's headquarters in Tokyo
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

Japanese citizen indicted on suspicion of espionage, China confirms

Chinese prosecutors have indicted a Japanese citizen on suspicion of espionage, China's foreign ministry said.
NHK's headquarters in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024

NHK chief apologizes for Senkaku Islands report on Chinese news

NHK is considering seeking damages from and filing a criminal complaint against a Chinese newscaster over the incident.
Severe Tropical Storm Shanshan is seen in a satellite image from Friday afternoon
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024

Japan braces for typhoon landfall early next week

Severe Tropical Storm Shanshan, set to strengthen into a typhoon by Saturday, is forecast to make landfall in Shikoku or Honshu.
A construction worker in Akasaka-Mitsuke, Tokyo, on Wednesday. High temperatures are projected to linger on past the summer.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024

High temperatures expected to continue in Japan through October

The warm fall will follow what has already been a particularly hot summer, with July’s average temperature coming in at a record high for the month.
Masanobu Sakamoto (left), head of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, meets with industry minister Ken Saito (right) in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 23, 2024

Head of fishery group expresses industry's concern over import bans

Such bans by other countries in response to the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant leave the sector uncertain about its future, he says.
The Fukushima No. 1 plant in August last year
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024

One year on, no abnormalities have been found in tritium levels off Fukushima

The plant has so far discharged 60,000 tons of treated water, which contains small amounts of radioactive tritium, into the sea after diluting it with seawater.
Typhoon Shanshan is forecast to approach or make landfall on the islands of Honshu or Shikoku by Tuesday afternoon, with rough weather expected from western to eastern Japan through Wednesday before hitting the country’s northeastern areas late Wednesday into Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2024

Typhoon Shanshan gains steam as storm projected to hit broad swath of Japan

Authorities are urging residents near the typhoon's projected path to brace for strong winds and heavy rainfall.
High-rise buildings under construction in Tokyo in November last year
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2024

Japan looks to expand preferential measures for Flat 35 home loans

The measures to lower interest rates for those who acquire energy-efficient or earthquake-resistant houses are currently applied only to newly made loan contracts.
The Environment Ministry plans to offer ¥100 million to the U.N. Environment Program to be used for a study into synergistic model cases including reducing greenhouse gas while preserving the ecosystem.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 25, 2024

Japan to give ¥100 million to U.N. environment program

The funds are to be set aside under the Environment Ministry's fiscal 2025 budget request.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and other officials attended a joint news conference at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2024

TICAD ministerial meeting adopts first joint statement

TICAD attendees agreed that reforming the U.N. Security Council is "indispensable for redressing historical injustices against Africa."
Since June, at least 10 gold bar scams, including failed attempts, have been confirmed in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 26, 2024

Gold bullion scams targeting elderly people on the rise in Japan

Criminals posing as police officers on Line have been persuading people to convert money into gold and then leave it outside their homes.
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon on Jan. 20
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 26, 2024

Japan's space agency ends SLIM moon probe operation

JAXA said that there was no response from the SLIM after trying to communicate last week following three frigid lunar nights.
Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. The lack of opportunities to meet people was the biggest hurdle for marriage for both married and unmarried respondents, which may explain the rise in popularity of dating apps.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 27, 2024

Around 1 in 4 married couples in Japan under 40 used dating apps, survey finds

The lack of opportunities to meet people in-person was the biggest hurdle for marriage for both married and unmarried respondents.
A U.S. Navy CMV-22 Osprey transport aircraft
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2024

Iwakuni allows deployment of U.S. Navy's Osprey

The mayor said the city judged that the aircraft will not have a large impact on the lives of people living near the base.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a green transformation (GX) conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2024

Japan to discuss 10-step process for decarbonization strategy rollout

The list includes ways to make it easier for businesses to invest in carbon-free power sources such as renewable energy and nuclear power.
Participants take part in a mystery-themed matchmaking event organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government at Jindai Botanical Gardens in Tokyo in March.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 28, 2024

Japan to support women moving from Tokyo to countryside for marriage

The plan is aimed at helping those interested in relocating at a time when the population of young women in the countryside is shrinking.
Toshihiro Nikai (left), former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, meets Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in Beijing on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 28, 2024

Nikai expresses regret over China's airspace violation during Beijing talks

Nikai is visiting the Chinese capital as head of a delegation of a nonpartisan Japanese lawmaker group for friendship with China.
Two women, suspected of being members of the Pink Panda gang, have been arrested over allegations relating to the theft of pearl pendants from an international jewelry exhibition at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in January.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 28, 2024

Possible 'Pink Panda' gang members arrested in Japan

The two women are alleged to have stolen six pearl pendants valued at a total of ¥1,865,000 at a jewelry exhibition in Tokyo.
Vehicles are stranded on flooded road on Thursday following heavy rains from Typhoon Shanshan in the city of Tamana, Kumamoto Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2024

Heavy rain batters Japan after Typhoon Shanshan makes landfall in Kyushu

Later Thursday, Shanshan was downgraded to a severe tropical storm, but it was still bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the region and beyond.
Over 28,000 elderly people living alone died at home across Japan between January and June, police data has shown.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2024

28,000 elderly people died alone in Japan in first half of 2024

It took two weeks or longer for police to recognize the death in 4,913 of the cases.
Yasuyuki Kurosawa at his paddy fields in Meiwa, Gunma Prefecture. Tending the crops "is something that we cannot avoid, so we must do what we must do even if it's hot," the 77-year-old farmer said.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2024

Heatstroke risk won't stop Japan's aging farmers as temperatures soar

Agriculture accounts for about 1% of Japan's economy and almost 70% of its 1.4 million farmers are age 65 and above.
A submerged area of Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on Thursday after Typhoon Shanshan dumped torrential rain throughout the Kyushu region.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2024

Alerts issued for Tokyo area cities as Shanshan crawls across Japan

Multiple rivers in and around Tokyo threatened to spill their banks as the storm brought torrential rain.
The number of children on nursery waiting lists as of April dropped 4.2% from a year before, marking the lowest level since records began in 1994.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 30, 2024

Number of children on nursery waiting lists in Japan hits new low

The figure apparently reflects a decrease in the number of preschool children, stemming from the country's low birth rate.
The Foreign Ministry in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 30, 2024

Japan's Foreign Ministry seeks ¥66.2 billion to fight false info

The total amount of funds sought in the budget request for fiscal 2025 is ¥814.6 billion, up 12.3% from the initial budget for the previous year.
Food companies are raising prices of many items including frozen food products in September.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 30, 2024

More than 1,000 food products in Japan set for September price hikes

This will be the first time since April that more than 1,000 products are experiencing price increases, according to a survey by research firm Teikoku Databank.
If the number of births falls at a similar pace in the second half of 2024, the annual total could fall below 700,000 for the first time.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 31, 2024

Births in Japan hit record low for January to June period

If the number of births falls at a similar pace in the second half of 2024, the annual total could fall below 700,000 for the first time.
People walk in front of closed ticket gates for the Tokaido Shinkansen in Tokyo Station as train operations between Tokyo and Nagoya remain suspended due to Tropical Storm Shanshan on Saturday.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2024

Tropical Storm Shanshan soaks Japan as flood and landslide risks rise

Shanshan was moving slowly south-southwest of Wakayama Prefecture on Saturday afternoon, bringing widespread torrential rain to much of the country.

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