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Hideki Makihara enters the Prime Minister's Office on Oct. 3 before being appointed as justice minister.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2024

Japan's new justice minister admits ties with Unification Church

Such ties between Makihara and the controversial religious group had not been confirmed in a survey by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2022.
The vehicle taking Seiichi Katsurada to the Kushiro District Public Prosecutor's Office in Kushiro, Hokkaido, on Sept. 19
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 9, 2024

Hokkaido boat operator's president charged over fatal 2022 sinking

A total of 20 passengers and crew were confirmed dead and six are listed as missing following a tour boat sinking in April of 2022.
Just 1 in 10 researchers and 1 in 5 students at the prestigious University of Tokyo are women.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Oct 10, 2024

Women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance with posters

Gender bias begins early in Japanese education.
U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Friday
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2024

Biden congratulates Nihon Hidankyo on winning Nobel Peace Prize

Biden's statement praised the national group of hibakusha atomic bomb sufferers "for their historic work to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again."
Over the past 10 years, the athletic performance of women in their 40s showed a decline in the total score as well as in individual categories, according to the Japan Sports Agency.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 15, 2024

40% of Japanese women in their 30s and early 40s don't exercise at all

The trend reflects the fact that women in this age group tend to be busy with child rearing or work, according to the Japan Sports Agency.
Voters listen to a stump speech in Tokyo's Toshima Ward on Tuesday as campaigning for the Oct. 27 Lower House election kicked off.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 16, 2024

Japan's opposition parties to clash in 80% of constituencies

The situation may help the ruling bloc as votes from those critical of the LDP-led government could be dispersed among opposition candidates.
A voting station for the general election set up at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 16, 2024

Overseas voting for Japan's general election begins

In Beijing, a voting station was set up at a hall inside the Japanese Embassy.
Tourists from the United States pose for a photo as they take part in a Japanese swordsmanship experience in Tokyo in September.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 16, 2024

Visitors to Japan in January-September top last year's total

Some 26.88 million foreign visitors arrived in Japan in the first nine months of this year, compared with 25.07 million in the whole of 2023.
Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki speaks about measures against the spread of bird flu on Thursday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 17, 2024

Hokkaido reports Japan's first bird flu case of the season

The report is the country's earliest confirmed bird flu case at a domestic poultry farm in over two decades. 
Teruo Naka (right) and Hironori Kondoh, both lawyers for a plaintiff stating the nationality law is unconstitutional, speak to reporters on Thursday at the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 17, 2024

Tokyo court upholds dual nationality ban, rejecting teen's citizenship case

The lawsuit centered on whether the parents' decision to acquire British citizenship for the child could be regarded as a decision made by the plaintiff.
The Bank of Japan’s historic shift this year from radical monetary easing to two interest-rate hikes has sparked volatility in the nation’s securities market as investors speculate on the BOJ’s next move.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 17, 2024

Japan Post Insurance markets chief sees Nikkei setting new records after votes

The Nikkei's all-time high, set in July, will probably be "just a passing point,” said Kenichi Kuga, head of global equity and fixed income investment.
In the past three reports in 2003, 2009 and 2016, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women recommended a revision to Article 750 of the country's Civil Code, which mandates the same surname for married couples.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2024

U.N. panel reviews Japan's women policies, including on surnames

It was the U.N. committee's first review of Japan in eight years.
A condo complex in Tokyo
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2024

Japan's land ministry eyes bill to prevent overpriced condo repairs

The ministry plans to impose supervisory penalties on companies that are found to be in violation of the rules.
A collage made of undated handout pictures released by the Yamagata University Institute of Nasca shows 10 of 303 new geoglyphs discovered by scientists at the university in Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Oct 21, 2024

The Japanese researcher uncovering the mystery of Peru’s Nazca Lines

Masato Sakai has dedicated his career to the collection of desert etchings. AI is starting to make his work much easier.
About 82% of all toilets in Japan have electric bidet toilet seats, with nearly all homes with flushing toilets having them installed.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 21, 2024

78% of electric bidet toilet accidents involve older models, report finds

Japan's product safety watchdog emphasizes the ubiquitous appliance's limited lifespan and advises users to regularly conduct safety checks to prevent mishaps.
The move of extending to employees with same-sex partners spousal welfare benefits follows the enforcement of a law on boosting understanding for sexual minorities in June 2023.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2024

Central Japan Railway to recognize employees' same-sex partners

Finer details of the system, such as whether official certificates will need to be submitted, are planned to be hammered out at a later date.
A visitor tries sake during an event for Japanese food products held on the outskirts of Paris on Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2024

Japanese prefectures showcase food products in France

Ishikawa Prefecture, which was hit by a major earthquake on Jan. 1, offered curry specially arranged for the European market at the event.
Claudio Worm, a German university student who came to Japan on a sightseeing trip on Sept. 21, has gone missing in Wakayama Prefecture.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2024

German tourist goes missing in Wakayama

Claudio Worm, 21, was last seen in Tokyo before heading to Wakayama on Sept. 30. His family last heard from him on Oct. 10.
A man who works for a restaurant consults a social welfare council official in Tokyo about COVID-19 relief loans in June 2020.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2024

Welfare councils loaned ¥1.4 billion in COVID relief to ineligible borrowers

Individuals who were receiving welfare support were ineligible for the loans because they are already guaranteed a minimum standard of living.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives to deliver a campaign speech in Osaka on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 23, 2024

Polls show Japan's ruling bloc could lose its majority. What would happen then?

Depending on the final count, one option for the LDP and Komeito might be to invite another party into a coalition.
The atomic bomb dome in Hiroshima. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui addressed Ireland's Parliament on Wednesday, seeking cooperation over the fight against nuclear weapons.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2024

Hiroshima mayor calls for cooperation in fight against nuclear weapons

Kazumi Matsui was invited by the Irish parliament to address the Seanad Eireann in Dublin
An 18-year-old American tourist arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of committing arson has denied the charge against him.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 24, 2024

18-year-old U.S. tourist arrested in Tokyo over arson

The police are currently investigating the suspect’s ties to a further six arson attacks.
A police officer stands guard on Oct. 16 near a home in Yokohama where an elderly man was found dead in a robbery-murder case.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 24, 2024

'Dark lists' shed light on how Japan's robbers narrow down targets

Since August, at least seven residents have been robbed across Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures with a similar modus operandi.
Protesters take part in a demonstration in support of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson in Paris on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 25, 2024

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson requests French nationality

France is pushing for Watson's release from a Greenland jail where he is being held pending possible extradition to Japan.
Along with official videos from parties and candidates, individually produced videos are on the rise on YouTube and other platforms.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2024

Short social media videos gain traction in Japan's election campaign

Both official campaign and user-generated videos are on the rise, with experts warning that the latter may present misleading or out-of-context information.
Tanks containing water from the disabled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant at the facility in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, in March of last year.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2024

Japan to resume trial removal of Fukushima nuclear debris, reports say

Extracting the estimated 880 tons of highly radioactive fuel and debris inside the former power station remains the most challenging part of decommissioning the facility.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the training base of the Korean People's Army's special operations forces at an undisclosed location in the country last month.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 26, 2024

U.S., Japan and South Korea express 'grave concern' over North Korean troops in Russia

The trio said the North Korean troop presence as the latest sign of growing Moscow-Pyongyang military ties.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the training base of special operations forces to guide a drill at an undisclosed location in the country on Sept. 11.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 26, 2024

NATO invites Japan and three others to ambassador-level meeting on North Korea

The meeting is aimed at sharing information with NATO's Asia-Pacific partners, which also includes South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
A man votes in the Lower House election at a polling station set up at a school  in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2024

Voters head to the polls across Japan in crucial test for ruling coalition

Recent polls have indicated the coalition might lose its majority in the powerful Lower House of parliament for the first time in 15 years.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks with voters in Tokyo on Saturday ahead of Sunday's general election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2024

Japan party heads travel 84,000 km to campaign for general election

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, clocked 14,387 kilometers, longer than any other party leaders over the 12 days.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell