Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY Sep 16, 2018
Free the kids from the concrete jungle
by Jason Jenkins
Tokyo may be one of the most populous cities in the world, but it is also just a few hours by train from family friendly hiking trails
NEWSWORTHY
National Aug 29, 2018
Activists alarmed over bottlenose dolphin, penguins abandoned at closed Japanese aquarium
by Mayuko Ono
The plight of a lonely bottlenose dolphin and dozens of penguins that have been abandoned in a derelict aquarium since the start of the year sparked protests this week, with activists and ordinary people alike calling for the animals to be saved. The female dolphin, ...
National / Social Issues Aug 25, 2018
Chiba to issue nonbinding certificates recognizing same-sex and common-law couples
by Aika Sato
The prefecture says it will be the first to issue such certificates to common-law couples and will ask hospitals and other entities to “cooperate.”
National Aug 9, 2018
Typhoon Shanshan spares most of Tokyo, and commuters, as it crawls north off Pacific coast
Typhoon Shanshan slowly moved northward off the Pacific coast of Japan on Thursday after mostly missing Tokyo, with the weather agency now warning of heavy rain and high waves in the eastern and northeastern regions of the country. But the Meteorological Agency said the storm ...
National Jul 7, 2018
Strong earthquake rocks Tokyo, nearby parts of eastern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 rocked eastern Japan, including Tokyo, on Saturday evening, the Meteorological Agency said. No tsunami warning was issued. The temblor registered lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in eastern Chiba Prefecture. Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture ...
National / Crime & Legal Jul 6, 2018
A court sentenced the former head of a parents' group at an elementary school in Chiba Prefecture to life in prison Friday over the 2017 murder of a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl who attended the school. While Yasumasa Shibuya has denied involvement in the death of ...
National / Social Issues Jun 21, 2018
School uniforms go unisex as Japanese schools seek better fit for LGBT students
by Megumi Iizuka
An emerging number of Japanese schools are introducing unisex uniforms or flexible uniform codes in an effort to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. School officials hope the move will ease the mental anguish of such students, who are usually required to wear gender-based ...
National / Crime & Legal Jun 18, 2018
Prosecutors seek death penalty for alleged killer of Vietnamese girl in Chiba
Yasumasa Shibuya, 47, committed a “cold-blooded, heinous and cruel” crime in abducting, sexually assaulting and strangling Le Thi Nhat Linh, prosecutors said at a hearing at Chiba District Court.
National Jun 16, 2018
Japanese stratum at center of 'Chibanian' geological proposal to become natural monument
The Cultural Affairs Council on Friday recommended that a stratum in Chiba Prefecture be designated as a natural monument, citing its significance as an observation point for the beginning of a geological period expected to be called "Chibanian." The stratum along the Yoro River in ...
Language | MORNING ENGLISH Jun 11, 2018
To the list of Japanese regions battling for a coveted casino resort, you can add Mickey Mouse's neighborhood.
National Jun 7, 2018
Lonely furrow: Pay dirt eludes organic farms in Japan
by Anne Beade
Yuya Shibakai sometimes feels he is plowing a lonely furrow. The Japanese farmer produces organic lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and other vegetables for a market that has tasted nothing like the success of the sector in other advanced economies. On his farm outside Tokyo, the 32-year-old doggedly ...
National / Crime & Legal Jun 4, 2018
Man pleads innocent to 2017 murder of Vietnamese girl near Tokyo
The former head of a parents association at a school in Chiba Prefecture pleads innocent to murdering a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl who attended the school.