NEWSWORTHY
Aichi couple sets up phone booth for people seeking to connect with loved ones they have lost
A red, wooden telephone booth stands on a hill in Tahara, Aichi Prefecture, overlooking Mikawa Bay. Inside sits a disconnected black telephone. The booth was set up in June by a married couple who run a free school in the city as a spiritual way ...
Kirin Ramen gets new name amid trademark battle with beer giant
Noodle-maker Ogasawara Seifun said Wednesday it has picked a new name for its mainstay ramen product, Kirin Ramen, amid an ongoing trademark battle with major brewer Kirin Co. The ramen, styled by the company based in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, as "local soul food every single ...
Aichi team develops self-driving robots to tackle labor shortage in farming
Amid a severe shortage of manpower, a team comprised of researchers from private companies and a university in Aichi Prefecture is working on developing a self-driving robot that uses cutting-edge technology to support flower-growing farmers. In fiscal 2019 the group hopes to start marketing automated, ...
Aichi hopes to see million participate in September quake drill
The Aichi Prefectural Government — which has been holding the ShakeOut earthquake drill since fiscal 2013 — plans to draw a million participants to a session to be held this year on Sept. 1, the Disaster Prevention Day. Since the prefecture is expected to suffer ...
Suicidal suspect held after fatal stabbing at Nagoya manga cafe
A 22-year-old man allegedly stabbed a stranger to death at a manga cafe in central Nagoya late Thursday after becoming frustrated that he was unable to take his own life, police said. Fumihiro Inada was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after police received an ...
Caution urged as Okinawa measles outbreak spreads
Measles cases are spreading in Okinawa, with the reported number of patients exceeding 90 in just over a month, prompting the prefecture last month to warn that visiting the resort islands may be not advisable for infants and pregnant women. The measles outbreak is believed ...
The oldest person to climb Mount Fuji last year was 93-year-old Masashi Toyoda, from Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, according to records at Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha, a shrine at the foot of the mountain. "My body is not as strong as before, but I would like ...
Across the country delicate pink and white cherry blossoms are emerging, but the famed blooms are facing a potentially mortal enemy, experts say: an invasive foreign beetle. The alien invader is Aromia bungii, otherwise known as the red-necked longhorn beetle, which is native to China, ...
A 1949 document unveiled by the Aichi Prefectural Government shows that the predecessor to the Justice Ministry tolerated "body restraint, anesthesia and deception" in "truly necessary and unavoidable" cases of the forced sterilization of people with disabilities under the now-defunct eugenics law. The precursor to ...
Japan eyeing Aichi Prefecture for G-20 foreign ministers' meeting, source says
Aichi Prefecture is being considered to host next year's foreign ministers' meeting of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies, a government source said Friday. Japan will assume the G-20 presidency for the first time next year. It has already announced that the leaders' ...
Aichi tomato grower arrested for allegedly stealing cabbages, currently priced at a premium
Police arrested a tomato grower in Aichi Prefecture on Thursday on suspicion of stealing about 160 Chinese cabbages from a nearby field, as the price of the leafy vegetable has remained high in the country since late last year. Ikuo Shiono, 40, is suspected of ...
Tobishima is the next tourism hot spot — it just doesn't know why yet
Tobishima, Aichi Prefecture — a village without a single hotel, ryokan (Japanese-style inn) or souvenir shop — will establish a tourism exchange association in April, in the hope of encouraging local residents to rediscover the area's appeals and become involved in boosting tourism. The idea ...
