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Samurai Japan infielder Shugo Maki celebrates after hitting a grand slam against Venezuela in the sixth inning of their game at the Premier12 at Tokyo Dome on Friday.
BASEBALL
Nov 22, 2024

Shugo Maki hits grand slam to power Japan to victory over Venezuela at Premier12

Japan is 7-0 in this year's tournament.
A Nihon Kotsu Co. taxi departs one of the company's service offices in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 23, 2024

Japan to aid introduction of multilingual ride-hailing apps

With the number of inbound visitors rapidly increasing, rural areas are facing the urgent challenge of securing transportation options for tourists.
Keita Sano celebrates with his teammates after scoring on Kotaro Kiyomiya's two-run triple against Taiwan during their Premier12 game at Tokyo Dome on Saturday.
BASEBALL
Nov 23, 2024

Japan beats Taiwan ahead of rematch in Premier12 final

Japan and Taiwan will meet for the Premier12 title.
Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, California. Replicas of the giant doughnut sculpture will be installed, where possible, at shops in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 24, 2024

An iconic 32-foot doughnut might give Randy’s an edge in Japan

The doughnut had a cameo in “2012,” where it is seen rolling down the street as an enduring symbol of end-time. Now the brand looks to tackle the tough Japanese market.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks on Saturday in Tokyo at a rally that was held by a group of families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago to demand the immediate return of all abductees.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 24, 2024

Ishiba shelves proposal for liaison offices with North Korea amid rising tensions

The Prime Minister has expressed his commitment to resolving the abduction issue, as well as his willingness to hold talks with Kim Jong Un.
Japan starter Shosei Togo reacts after allowing a three-run home run against Taiwan in the fifth inning of the Premier12 final on Sunday.
BASEBALL
Nov 24, 2024

Taiwan stuns Samurai Japan to capture Premier12 title

Taiwan won the Premier12 crown for the first time.
A pig that is pregnant with piglets suited for cross-species transplants
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 25, 2024

Startup transplants pig kidney into monkey for first time in Japan

It is hoped that the operation will provide insights into the future use of animal kidneys in humans.
Taiwan celebrates with the trophy after beating Japan in the Premier12 final at Tokyo Dome on Sunday.
BASEBALL
Nov 25, 2024

Taiwan celebrates after team's victory over Japan in Premier12 final

Taiwan is not a global sporting powerhouse but baseball is hugely popular.
Japan's players watch from the dugout after their loss against Taiwan in the Premier12 final at Tokyo Dome on Sunday.
BASEBALL / Sac Bunts
Nov 25, 2024

Japan exits Premier12 with no need to panic but with adjustments to make

Japan lost in an international tournament for the first time since the 2019 Premier12.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has halted an engine combustion test of its Epsilon S rocket at its Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 26, 2024

Japan's space agency halts Epsilon S rocket engine test after fire

Footage showed a blaze breaking out shortly after the ground combustion test started at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Cardboard beds at a designated evacuation shelter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 31, following the Noto earthquake
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2024

Citing Noto quake, experts urge Japan to bolster disaster shelters

Key recommendations from a government task force include the provision of cardboard beds and adequate cooking and toilet facilities.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's direct approach appears to mark a shift in the Japanese government's stance on the deal.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2024

Ishiba urges Biden to approve Nippon-U.S. Steel deal, sources say

The prime minister sent a letter asking the U.S. president to avoid marring recent efforts to strengthen ties between the two countries.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake hit at a depth of 7 kilometers at 10:47 p.m. off the Noto Peninsula.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2024

Moderately strong quake hits off central Japan

A woman in her 70s was later reported injured in the town of Tsubata, Kyodo news agency reported, citing the prefectural government.
People line up to board a bus in the city of Kyoto. To ease heavy congestion caused by an influx of visitors, the Kyoto Municipal Government in June launched sightseeing express buses that run directly from Kyoto Station to major tourist attractions.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2024

Japan's local governments weigh implementing an accommodation tax

The number of visitors to Japan between January and September 2024 reached 26.88 million, setting a record-breaking pace.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi comments on use of the death penalty at a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on Nov. 14.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 27, 2024

Two years pass since Japan's last execution, amid calls for abolition

Between 2012 and 2021, the average period from the finalization of a death sentence to its execution was about seven years and nine months.
Investigators seize items after raiding a store in the city of Sakado, Saitama Prefecture, that is suspected to have been used by a Vietnamese theft ring as a collection point, on Wednesday. The store's signboard is partly blurred for privacy reasons.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 27, 2024

Police raid Vietnamese theft ring's collection points

The group, linked to crimes in at least 10 prefectures, is believed to have sent stolen items to Vietnam for resale.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2019. Tokyo may be forced to balance its priorities in the U.S. alliance with its economic reliance on China.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 27, 2024

Trump's return heralds a new era of trade tensions for Japan

Tokyo faces a balancing act: aligning with Washington's priorities while maintaining its critical economic ties to China.
The European Union is considering stationing the equivalent of a defense attache with its delegation in Tokyo — a first for Brussels in Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 28, 2024

EU considering stationing defense attache with Tokyo delegation

The adviser would provide military expertise within the EU delegation in Tokyo and interact with counterparts from the Self-Defense Forces, officials said.
Check-in counters at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. The tourism industry expects the demand for China travel to increase as Beijing resumes its visa exemption for Japanese citizens.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2024

Travel firms optimistic China's resumption of visa waivers will boost demand

China decided to resume the exemption for Japanese citizens after requests by Tokyo and business leaders, and will extend the period for visa-free stays to 30 days.
Toyota's global sales, including that of subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors, rose 0.4% in October compared with last year, the first uptick in three months.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 28, 2024

Toyota’s sales and output plateau on downturn in Japan and China

The world’s biggest carmaker has seen sales and output fall throughout the year as Japanese carmakers struggle to compete in China.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during a G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 18.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2024

Japan to lean heavily on extra tax revenue to cover costs of extra budget

The extra budget will partly be funded by ¥3.83 trillion in higher-than-expected tax receipts and unused funds from the previous year.
Members of the Self-Defense Forces march at the GSDF Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama, on Nov. 9. As part of a five-year defense buildup launched in 2022, the government has said it will raise personal income, corporate and tobacco taxes to cover the added costs.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2024

Japan wobbles on tax hikes to pay for historic defense buildup

A decision on raising taxes to help cover rising defense spending may be delayed again, a senior ruling coalition official has said.
Officers from the Self-Defense Forces visit a Chinese air force facility in Tianjin, China, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2024

SDF officers visit Chinese military in exchange program

SDF members have inspected an army unit in Beijing and plan to visit a naval facility in Guangzhou.
Yoshitaka Ito, minister for regional revitalization (right), and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba set up a signboard for an office in charge of regional revitalization on Nov. 8 in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2024

Japan will help revitalize willing municipalities, minister says

The government is working to create a 10-year basic plan for rural revitalization, said Yoshitaka Ito, minister for regional revitalization.
The infrastructure ministry and environment ministry released a survey on levels of PFAS, potentially carcinogenic chemicals, found in drinking water supplied across Japan as of Sept. 30.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2024

No excessive levels of PFAS found in tap water across Japan

No drinking water suppliers nationwide had PFAS levels in excess of the limit of 50 nanograms per liter of tap water in fiscal 2024.
A stone pillar at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, on which the word "toilet" was spray-painted in May
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 29, 2024

Chinese man pleads guilty to role in vandalizing Yasukuni Shrine

Jiang Zhuojun said he assisted with the vandalizing to protest against Japan's discharging of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Electric candles at a memorial service for those who died from AIDS on the sidelines of the Japanese Society for AIDS Research conference on Thursday
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 29, 2024

Ahead of World AIDS Day, advocates call for an end to HIV stigma in Japan

While cases are relatively low in Japan, experts and stakeholders say the stigma often attached to patients needs to be addressed.
A government panel of experts says there is a need to monitor communications between foreign countries via Japan, as well as those between Japan and foreign countries, considering possible cyberattacks using malware-infected servers in Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 29, 2024

Japan panel proposes law to monitor communications for cyberdefense

The panel, headed by former Ambassador to the United States Kenichiro Sasae, said that surveillance "needs to be conducted before attacks become apparent."
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a meeting during the Group of 20 leaders' summit in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 18.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 30, 2024

Ishiba considering visit to South Korea in early January

The two East Asian countries will next year mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations.
Shanghai Pudong International Airport during the Lunar New Year travel rush in February 2024
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2024

China resumes short-term visa waiver for Japanese visitors

The maximum period of visa-free stays was also extended to 30 days from the previous 15 days.

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A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami