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The top of the damaged No.1 reactor building at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2024

Nuclear fuel debris extracted from Fukushima No. 1 reactor

Tepco retrieved a device holding a small amount of fallen debris from the containment vessel of the plant's No. 2 reactor as part of experimental removal work.
Nobuaki Koga, former head of the Rengo, speaks during an interview in Tokyo last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2024

Former Rengo head Koga urges CDP and DPP to merge

Koga's tenure as Rengo chief between 2009 and 2015 overlapped with the 2009-2012 DPJ-led administration.
Tohoku Electric Power officials explain on Sunday in Sendai a problem that occurred at the No. 2 reactor of the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2024

Onagawa No. 2 reactor halted due to measuring instrument problem

No radioactive material has leaked out, Tohoku Electric Power said.
Masaaki Iene (left) watches as an architect from a local support center checks the level of damage at his house in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Oct. 15 to see whether previous assessments carried out by local government officials were appropriate.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 4, 2024

Noto quake-hit areas question home damage assessments

Many have noted inconsistencies in assessments and discrepancies between the results and the actual situations.
The Kanagawa Prefectural Police headquarters in Yokohama. Kanagawa police have arrested a 30-year-old woman from Tokyo’s Adachi Ward in connection with a robbery and murder of a 75-year-old Yokohama resident last month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 4, 2024

Tokyo woman arrested over Yokohama robbery-murder

Miho Kimoto, who is suspected of acting as a "collector" of stolen goods, is the second suspect arrested in connection with the case.
The Chiba Prefectural Police headquarters in the city of Chiba
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 4, 2024

28-year-old arrested on suspicion of violent robbery in Chiba

Yuta Kaneko told investigators he had searched for “part-time jobs” on X, where he was connected to someone who offered him ¥100,000 to “check on a package.”
Yuya Nagura is taken to the Tokorozawa Police Station in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Saturday after being arrested on suspicion of recruiting people to rob a house in the city.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 4, 2024

Alleged recruiter of Saitama burglary ring arrested

Investigative sources said that Yuya Nagura used social media to post adverts with phrases like "easy job" and "goods transport" to recruit individuals.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2024

Horse-trading continues ahead of next week's prime minister vote

In the absence of a majority by any single party or coalition, every lawmaker's vote will count in a widely expected runoff election when parliament reconvenes.
A Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency H3 rocket carrying a defense communication satellite is successfully launched Monday from the Tanegashima Space Center launch site in Kagoshima Prefecture.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2024

Fifth time’s a charm as H3 rocket puts defense satellite in orbit

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully launched the defense communication satellite, after four earlier launch dates were postponed.
La Rochelle prop Uini Atonio (center) drives the ball during the French Top 14 rugby union match between Union Bordeaux-Begles and Stade Rochelais in La Rochelle, France, on Oct. 20.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Nov 5, 2024

Injured Atonio called up to France squad before Japan test

La Rochelle's Atonio, who weighs more than 140 kilograms, had been expected to miss this Saturday's game with Japan in Paris.
An experiment by NITE shows an oil heater catching fire from leaked kerosene.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2024

Consumers urged to check heater safety ahead of winter accident surge

Past incidents typically surged in November and peaked in December, with elevated levels of heater-related accidents continuing through April.
A text message sent by a scammer tells a recipient that a refund can be made only through an electronic money transfer.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 5, 2024

Police warn of refund scams involving smartphone payment apps

Scammers are exploiting smartphone payment apps, particularly PayPay, and fake online discount stores to commit fraud.
Alongside foreign students, some Japanese students attend a special lecture held entirely in English at Nagoya University in early October.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 11, 2024

Amid rising costs, universities try to help students study abroad

The cost of studying abroad, including travel and living expenses, is much higher now compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Operators respond to telephone directory inquiries from Tokyo at a call center in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, in October 1997.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Nov 11, 2024

As NTT ends its Dial 104 service, Okinawa's call centers look elsewhere

Naha and Nago were home to Japan's biggest call center operations, receiving around 125,000 calls a day at their peak in 1999.
Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki (left) and his counterpart in the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, meet in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 5, 2024

Opposition parties band together to shape Lower House agenda

Four main opposition parties have agreed to jointly request the opening of a session of the budget committee and a special committee on political reform.
A screen grab taken from a live video stream broadcast by the Shizuoka Municipal Government on Wednesday shows Mount Fuji with a dusting of snow on its peak, seen from the Shizuoka side of the mountain.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2024

Snow seen on Mount Fuji after record time without snowcap

Photographs taken from different points around the mountain, where the skies were clearer early on Wednesday, showed a covering of snow on its peak.
Saitama Gov. Motohiro Ono (right) and others call on users to stand still on the escalator in the city of Saitama in September.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 6, 2024

Stop walking on escalators, local Japanese authorities say

Prefectures and cities are using legislation or exploring other measures to discourage pedestrians from walking on escalators in the interest of safety.
Astronauts Ayu Yoneda (left) and Makoto Suwa at a news conference in Tokyo on Oct. 23
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2024

New Japanese astronauts see moon landing as real possibility

Under the Artemis international lunar exploration program, Yoneda and Suwa, may become the first Japanese to land on the moon as early as the late 2020s.
The Kyoto Prefectural Police headquarters in the city of Kyoto. A 23-year-old university student from Kyoto sought help from police days before his alleged involvement in an attempted burglary in western Tokyo last month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 6, 2024

Tokyo burglary suspect sought police help days before attempted heist

University student Masaki Saen told police that he had received threats after applying for a “dark” part-time job, or “yami baito.”
The Kanagawa Prefectural Police headquarters in Yokohama
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 6, 2024

Woman claims husband asked her to collect stolen cash in Yokohama murder case

Police allege the suspect, Miho Kimoto, was involved in the October murder of a 75-year-old Yokohama resident who was found bound and beaten in his home.
During the Bank of Japan's September policy board meeting, some members pointed out that the central bank needs to more carefully communicate with the public to prevent a divergence between its views and those of investors.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 6, 2024

Bank of Japan board member moots Fed-style dot-plot projections

The dot plots show short-term rate projections of U.S. Federal Reserve officials.
Investigators from the Osaka Prefectural Police conduct a search last month at the high-end Japanese restaurant Tenhime, operated by Tateki Okuda, in the city of Osaka.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 6, 2024

Osaka brothel owner arrested for allegedly forcing 150 into prostitution

The suspect, who had already been arrested for facilitating prostitution, was newly arrested along with four others for offering venues for prostitution.
Toyota posted its first quarterly profit drop in two years, as slowing sales and production volume stalled the world's top-selling automaker's recent record run.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2024

Toyota keeps profit outlook despite weakness in Japan and China

The carmaker showed signs of recovery from domestic scandals in Japan and major recalls in the United States.
Hyogo Prefectural Police investigators call on people at a station in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, on Oct. 16 to provide information related to the 2007 murder of a girl in the city.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 6, 2024

Inmate hints at involvement in murder of another girl in western Japan

Hyogo Prefectural Police plan to arrest the man soon on suspicion of attempted murder in another case.
The anterior cruciate ligament can be damaged when people play sports such as soccer and basketball, and does not heal on its own, requiring reconstructive surgery.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 7, 2024

Clinical trial to use cow tendons for ligament reconstruction

The number of patients who undergo anterior cruciate ligament surgery in Japan is about 19,000 annually, including many professional soccer players and sumo wrestlers.
The pace of gains in Japanese workers' base pay quickened to 2.6% year on year in September, versus a 2.4% clip in August.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024

Japan’s biggest base pay gains in 31 years support case for rate hikes

While base pay rose in September, real wages fell for a second straight month even as price gains slowed.
Kunihiko Katsuta is taken to Hyogo Prefectural Police's Tatsuno police station on Thursday after he was arrested for an attempted murder.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 7, 2024

Murder inmate arrested for stabbing of another girl in Japan

The inmate has also hinted at his involvement in the 2007 murder of a 7-year-old girl in Hyogo Prefecture.
The Unit 2 reactor at Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2024

Tepco removes nuclear fuel debris from Fukushima disaster site

Radioactive debris was removed from the Unit 2 reactor at the plant and was placed inside a sealed container for transportation.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a post-policy meeting news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 31.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024

Trump victory might give Bank of Japan some room to maneuver

The Bank of Japan has been under pressure to keep monetary policy accommodative given the state of the economy and the tentativeness of the recovery.
Nippon Ishin no Kai leader Nobuyuki Baba (right) and Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita speak to reporters in the city of Osaka on Oct. 31.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 7, 2024

Nippon Ishin's Nobuyuki Baba to resign as party chief over election shortcomings

The party had failed to make gains beyond its regional base of Kansai and ended the election with fewer Lower House seats than before.

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