Search - japan

 
 
LDP Diet affairs chief Tetsushi Sakamoto (left) and his CDP counterpart, Hirofumi Ryu, at a meeting in the parliament building on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2024

CDP lawmaker to chair Lower House budget committee

The agreement was reached after the ruling coalition failed to secure a majority in last month's election.
Rikuto Nagata was handed an indefinite prison term for his involvement in a total of six robberies in four prefectures in recent years.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 7, 2024

Man sentenced to indefinite term for serial robberies in Japan

Rikuto Nagata was indicted on charges including robbery resulting in death
Toshiyuki Nishida performs at a rock concert held in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, in September 2011. Nishida appeared in many events and dramas filmed in Fukushima to help the prefecture recover in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Nov 18, 2024

In his home prefecture of Fukushima, actor Toshiyuki Nishida lives on

Friends and others who knew him paid tribute to the late actor, who was well known for his folksy charm.
Sanwa Koutsu's Kuroko Taxi service has drivers dressed in traditional stagehand garb communicate with passengers only through gestures and written messages.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2024

The sound of silence: Japan's no-conversation services

“Constant social interaction can feel like torture for us introverts,” one customer says. "I think it’s a pretty smart business move."
Masayoshi Son (front, center) poses with the members of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks after the team won the Pacific League championship at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Sept. 23.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Nov 18, 2024

Masayoshi Son’s aim for SoftBank Hawks remains, 20 years after buyout

This year, the team became Pacific League champions for the first time in four years. But its owner has loftier goals.
Suspect Kunihiko Katsuta leaves Tatsuno Police Station in Hyogo Prefecture as he is sent to prosecutors on Friday. The waist strap and handcuffs are blurred for privacy reasons.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 8, 2024

Man arrested over 2006 Hyogo stabbing did not know victim, police say

Kunihiko Katsuta has confessed to stabbing the 9-year-old girl with a knife, but he has denied any intent to kill her, police say.
U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2024

Nippon Steel seeks to close U.S. Steel deal before Trump is president

Before the Nov. 5 election, which handed him victory, Donald Trump promised to block the deal if reelected.
Police officers and a police vehicle in front of the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters on Oct. 19 following an attack by a man with Molotov cocktails
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 8, 2024

Police rearrest man over attacks on LDP headquarters and PM Office

Suspect Atsunobu Usuda, 49, allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at the party's headquarters and attempted to set fire to a vehicle in front of the Prime Minister's Office.
Tomoki Arai, head of markets at Bank of Yokohama
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2024

Bank of Yokohama weighs Japan bond comeback with more rate hikes to come

More financial institutions are weighing a return to local debt after years of investing abroad.
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Itsunori Onodera (right) and his Democratic Party for the People counterpart, Makoto Hamaguchi, meet in Tokyo on Friday to discuss policies their parties could potentially agree on.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2024

LDP between a rock and a hard place in struggle to get DPP support

The opposition party wants to raise the threshold for tax exemptions from the current ¥1.03 million ($6,740), a move that would cost the government tax revenues.
It is difficult to know what Donald Trump will do in a second presidency. His campaign was filled with bold promises, but so too was his first.
EDITORIALS
Nov 8, 2024

Prepare for a bumpy ride in a second Trump term

It is difficult to know what Donald Trump will do in a second presidency. His campaign was filled with bold promises, but so too was his first.
The selection of former CDP chief Yukio Edano as head of the Lower House's Constitution panel is expected to impact discussions on constitutional revisions sought by the LDP and others.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 9, 2024

CDP's Yukio Edano to chair Lower House Constitution panel

The selection of Edano is expected to impact discussions on constitutional revisions sought by the LDP and others.
In a fresh aid package set to be compiled this month, the Japanese government will show its commitment to large-scale strategic support spanning several years in both areas, bearing in mind Rapidus, which has advanced into the Hokkaido region to mass-produce next-generation chips.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 9, 2024

Japan eyes ¥2 trillion for chips and AI in economic package

In the package, to be compiled this month, the government will show its commitment to large-scale support spanning several years in both areas.
Debris recovery equipment at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is seen during a public demonstration in May in Kobe.
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2024

Nuclear debris from Fukushima reactor weighs 0.7 gram

The collected substance will be analyzed at four facilities for research toward full-scale extraction of nuclear fuel debris.
The education ministry plans to boost support for hiring more assistants to help truant students.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 10, 2024

Japan to enhance support for truant children

As the number of truant students continues to rise, the Education Ministry aims to secure more support personnel.
Itsunori Onodera (center), policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), told a TV program that the government should consider raising the threshold for income tax exemption but also discuss how to make up for expected falls in tax revenue.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 10, 2024

Ruling and opposition blocs affirm need to review ¥1.03 million barrier

Officials from the LDP, Komeito and opposition parties all pointed to a need to raise the income threshold.
A Level 4 warning for heavy rain — the second most severe out of five levels was issued for the northern part of Okinawa Prefecture as of 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, as seen in a screenshot taken from the Meteorological Agency website. Level 4 areas are shown in purple.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2024

Heavy rain continues in Okinawa

The Meteorological Agency urged people in the affected region to be on high alert for landslides, inundation of low-lying areas and swollen rivers.
The bow of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Ukushima minesweeper is seen early Monday after most of the ship was submerged in waters off Fukuoka Prefecture following a fire that erupted in its engine room.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2024

One crew member missing after fire sinks MSDF minesweeper

The MSDF and the Japan Coast Guard are working together to search for the missing sailor, with divers taking part in the effort.
Japanese organ builder Itaru Sekiguchi is helping to restore the Great Organ at Paris' Notre Dame cathedral.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2024

Japanese organ builder 'honored' to restore voice of Notre Dame

Itaru Sekiguchi had dreamed of having a chance to work on the "voice" of the masterpiece of Gothic architecture.
DPP leader Yuichiro Tamaki speaks to reporters on Monday at parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 11, 2024

Head of key opposition DPP admits affair ahead of parliament vote for PM

Yuichiro Tamaki admitted to the affair after a tabloid reported on the relationship, jeopardizing his future in the party and any tie-ups with the LDP and Komeito.
Yasushi Itagaki, head of MUFG’s global commercial banking business, says the banking group aims to push up its buyouts and investment in India, and increase annual returns from them to 20% in 10 years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 11, 2024

MUFG seeks acquisitions in India to drive growth, targeting 20% returns

Japan's largest lender is competing with a slew of global peers to expand in the world’s fastest-growing major economy.
Tokyo police have arrested two more men on suspicion of attempted burglary in connection with a break-in in the city of Mitaka last month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 11, 2024

Two more suspects arrested over Tokyo home invasion case

Suspects Hayato Araki and Tsukuru Watanabe are said to have met at a convenience store in the city of Mitaka in western Tokyo roughly 30 minutes before the break-in.
Low-carb diets call for the pursuit of good health while consuming appropriate levels of carbohydrates, or between 70 and 130 grams per day.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 17, 2024

Healthy low-carb foods on the rise in Japan

Low-carb diets call for the pursuit of good health while consuming appropriate levels of carbohydrates, or between 70 and 130 grams per day.
Princess Yuriko in May 2023. At 101 years old, she is the oldest member of the imperial family.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2024

Imperial family members visit ailing Princess Yuriko at hospital

The health condition of the 101-year-old princess — the sister-in-law of the late former Emperor Hirohito — worsened suddenly on Friday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba votes to elect the prime minister at the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 11, 2024

Ishiba holds on to PM role as tricky parliamentary session looms

Ishiba was forced into a runoff after no candidate for prime minister was able to secure a simple majority in the first round of voting.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s JASM plant in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Sept. 13
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 11, 2024

Japan unveils ¥10 trillion plan to aid domestic chip industry

The plan, which will provide the support by fiscal 2030, comes as countries look to strengthen control over their chip supply chains.
In 2017, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government became the first among Japan's local authorities to issue green bonds.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Nov 12, 2024

More municipalities tap green bonds as demand makes rates favorable

Green bond issuance by local government authorities in Japan has risen from ¥149.3 billion in 2022 to ¥443.1 billion in 2023.
A Russian Navy Yasen-class vessel that sailed westward through the Soya Strait on Monday
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2024

Russian nuclear-powered submarine sails through Soya Strait

The presence of a Yasen-class vessel, Russia's most advanced nuclear-powered attack submarine, was confirmed by the MSDF for the first time.
Japan will urge automakers to make all new passenger cars biofuel-compatible by the early 2030s, with an action plan from the industry ministry expected next summer.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2024

Japan to aim for all new cars to be biofuel-compatible in 2030s

The ministry will adopt an action plan around next summer and also plans to support the necessary renovation of gas stations.
The Osaka Prefectural Police headquarters in the city of Osaka
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 12, 2024

Osaka police arrest man for allegedly stabbing ex-wife to death

Miho Hashino's body bore approximately 30 injuries, including cuts and stab wounds that suggest she tried to fight off her attacker.

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