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Shizuoka Prefectural Police Chief Takayoshi Tsuda bows to Iwao Hakamata (second from right), recently exonerated over a 1966 murder, and others on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 21, 2024

Shizuoka police chief apologizes to Iwao Hakamata after his acquittal

Takayoshi Tsuda visited the home of Hakamata, 88, in the city of Hamamatsu, bowing deeply for about two minutes.
Chieko Tsukahara, former head coach of the Japanese women's gymnastics team, died from stomach cancer on Sept. 1.
SPORTS
Oct 21, 2024

Former Olympic gymnast Chieko Tsukahara dies at 77

Olympic gymnasts Maiko Morio, Mari Kosuge and Koko Tsurumi are among those who trained under Tsukahara.
Items confiscated by police in connection with several girls bars in Tokyo that operated without authorization in violation of the adult entertainment business law
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2024

17 Vietnamese women arrested over illegal girls bars in Tokyo

The Metropolitan Police Department has received a total of 23 complaints since 2020 about the five bars where the women were arrested.
Many truant children and their guardians apparently do not consult their schools or other organizations, making it difficult for appropriate support to reach them.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 21, 2024

Japan to test community-based support systems to aid truant children

Coordinators will provide counseling to children and guardians, refer them to related organizations and help children form social connections
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech in Osaka Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

Ruling and opposition parties focused on close races

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is on defense especially in urban areas due to a slush funds scandal involving the party.
New Zealand's Cam Roigard in action with Namibia's Damian Stevens during the Rugby World Cup 2023 in Toulouse, France, in September 2023
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 22, 2024

Roigard returns as Lakai and Love set for All Blacks debuts against Japan

"The energy in the group as we kick off this tour is exciting to see," coach Scott Robertson said in a news release.
A poster for the Voting Rewards program outlines the steps voters need to take to claim the perks on offer.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

Young Japanese encouraged to vote with deals and discounts

A return of the Voting Rewards program will allow voters to claim various perks — at restaurants, cafes and even matchmaking agencies — by submitting proof of voting,
Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi stumps in the city of Nara on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 22, 2024

With her sights set on Ishiba's throne, will Takaichi take over the LDP?

Anything less than a comfortable victory in Sunday's general election will put the prime minister in a vulnerable position.
Xander Schauffele in action during the final round of The Presidents Cup gold tournament in Ile Bizard, Quebec, Canada, on Sept. 29.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Oct 22, 2024

Schauffele targets more success in Japan after major breakthroughs

The golfer has already tasted success in Japan, winning a pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympic gold in 2021.
JR Central is believed to have been involved in a bid-rigging case as a coordinator.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 22, 2024

JFTC inspects JR Central and others for suspected bid-rigging

They are suspected of conspiring to decide in advance which company would win contracts for land bridge inspection work on 10 of JR Central's lines.
Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN / Society
Oct 23, 2024

Hidankyo co-head vows to keep speaking about cruelty of A-bomb

Terumi Tanaka was 13 years old at the time of the Nagasaki bombing, which claimed the lives of five of his relatives.
A male employee of the Tokyo Stock Exchange is suspected of leaking undisclosed information, including on a company's takeover bid, to a relative this year, according to sources.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 23, 2024

TSE employee probed on suspicions of insider trading

The male employee is suspected of leaking undisclosed information to a relative who allegedly used the knowledge to conduct stock trades.
The Chiba Prefectural Police headquarters in the city of Chiba. Police have arrested two men over a break-in at an 86-year-old woman's home in the city of Kamagaya at around 2:10 a.m. on Oct. 14.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 23, 2024

Suspect held over Chiba break-in received instructions via social media

The man said he received instructions through social media platform X as well as Signal, an encrypted messaging app.
Men called seko watch bulls fight during the ushi no tsunotsuki event in the Yamakoshi district of Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, on Oct. 13.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 23, 2024

Bullfights continue as symbol of reconstruction after Niigata quake

The former village was devastated by a quake that struck the region in October 2004, killing 68 people and injuring 4,805 others.
Stablemaster Oshima (left) congratulates Kyokushuzan on his promotion to the the jūryō division in 1995.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 23, 2024

Former ozeki Asahikuni, also a trailblazing stablemaster, dies at age 77

In 1992, the stablemaster recruited six young Mongolian men into his stable, creating a lasting connection between sumo and the central Asian nation.
Election campaign staff rally support for their respective candidates, waving their hands from the open windows of campaign vehicles.
JAPAN / Politics / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Nov 4, 2024

‘Bush warbler ladies’ name bows out from Japan’s election campaigns

Workers who rally support for candidates using loudspeakers on vehicles are increasingly being referred to by a gender-neutral term.
Supporters of one of the candidates running for the Oct. 27 Lower House election applaud at a gathering in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, on Oct. 12.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2024

LDP-CDP battle heats up in Fukushima after rezoning

The campaign is intensifying as LDP and CDP candidates vie for votes in Koriyama, the largest city in the new constituency.
Shoji Maegawa raises his arms in joy in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Wednesday,
 following the approval of a retrial over the murder of a Fukui junior high school girl.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 23, 2024

Court orders retrial in 1986 Fukui murder case due to witness coercion

The Nagoya High Court ruling stated that law enforcement agencies, facing investigative roadblocks, likely influenced witness statements.
Posters for candidates in the Tokyo No. 1 district on Wednesday in Tokyo
JAPAN / Media
Oct 23, 2024

In the heart of Tokyo, LDP and CDP rivals duke it out as election day nears

While the ruling and main opposition candidates are the clear front-runners, a third-party challenger is also hoping to wrestle his way in.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visits Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was heavily damaged by the New Year's Day earthquake, on Oct. 5.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2024

Noto residents view upcoming election with mixed hope and resignation

Only about 16% of publicly subsidized demolition work on buildings damaged in the Jan. 1 quake in Ishikawa had been completed as of the end of September.
Sayaka Ishii will compete in the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open on Friday.
TENNIS
Oct 24, 2024

Sayaka Ishii making name for herself in tennis while cheering on famous father and BayStars

Like the BayStars, Ishii has battled past higher-ranked opponents and will be hoping to continue to thrive in the role of underdog.
“Vote harassment” continues to be a significant barrier to women’s participation in politics, with only two prefectures having passed local ordinances aiming to eliminate the problem.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2024

1 in 4 female candidates face sexual harassment during campaigns

Despite a record 314 women running in Sunday's Lower House election, harassment continues to be a barrier to women's participation in politics.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to voters in Aichi Prefecture on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2024

LDP rapped over funds for local chapters of scandal-tainted candidates

The LDP secretary-general said the funding was provided to the local chapters to expand the party’s influence, not to support individual candidates.
The probe into a Tokyo Stock Exchange worker is the first time an employee has become subject to a compulsory investigation for alleged insider trading.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 24, 2024

TSE worker under insider trading probe handled timely disclosures

According to sources, the employee allegedly leaked undisclosed information about multiple companies.
Ramen shop Menya Taisei's owner Taisei Hikage cooks ramen at his shop in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 24, 2024

Japan's rising ramen prices give election voters food for thought

The problems facing ramen shop owners reflect a cost-of-living crunch that has become a top issue for voters in the general election on Sunday.
Rescuers take part in a drill held at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2024

Large-scale drill held at Haneda Airport

More than 1,000 participants practiced procedures for putting out fires and rescuing people involved in an accident.
A city as rich in history as Kyoto has accumulated plenty of hair-raising tales perfect for your Halloween perusal.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 26, 2024

Japan’s ancient capital houses a millennium of ghosts

August is the traditional period in Japan when the worlds of the living and the dead overlap, but who’s to say spirits don’t make an exception for Halloween?
Passengers walk through the departure lobby of Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2024

Over ¥300 million in taxes not collected from foreign tourists in 2022

In cases where the amount of duty-free purchases exceeds ¥100 million, authorities notify travelers of consumption taxation.
The number of female CEOs in Japan in 2024 rose 37,038 from the year before, or by 6%.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2024

Proportion of female CEOs in Japan breaks 15% for first time

Survey finds progress but notes that prejudice based on gender roles remains an issue.
A crashed bus following an accident in the state of Perak in western Malaysia
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2024

Malaysia tour bus crash leaves one Japanese dead and others injured

According to state fire and rescue authorities, the accident occurred on a highway on Thursday afternoon.

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