Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso again courts controversy with remarks about Japan's ethnic identity
Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso apologized Tuesday for saying Japan has been unified under a single language and ethnic identity for the past 2,000 years, a comment viewed as ignoring the country's ethnic minorities including the indigenous Ainu. "If I made a remark that has ...
False alarm: NHK reports nonexistent North Korean missile off Hokkaido
NHK published an erroneous report saying a missile from North Korea appeared to have fallen into the Pacific Ocean east of Hokkaido early Friday but quickly corrected it, saying the message was posted on its website by accident. Shortly after midnight Thursday, NHK posted an ...
Private English tests for Japan university entrance exams delayed after minister's gaffe
The government review, which will take over a year, follows a widely criticized remark by the education minister that appeared to discriminate against low-income families.
Defense Minister Taro Kono apologizes for 'rain man' joke as Japan reels from typhoons
Defense Minister Taro Kono apologized Tuesday for joking about his "rain man" moniker at a time when Japan is reeling from the impact of multiple typhoons in recent months. "I would like to apologize to all those to whom I caused offense," he told an ...
Trump wishes Abe 'a very happy birthday' — on day of Putin's birth
U.S. President Donald Trump wished Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his golf buddy and close ally, a "very happy birthday" on Monday, at the start of a formal signing ceremony for his country's recently reached trade deal with Japan. But there was just one problem — ...
Get your fax right: Tepco workers accidentally spark Japan nuclear scare
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (Tepco) employees sparked a nuclear scare after a violent, late-night earthquake by ticking the wrong box on a fax form — inadvertently advising authorities that an accident had occurred when it had not. The workers at Tepco, operator of ...
Tokyo government ridiculed for mistake suggesting mascot supports child abuse
A Tokyo government website tasked with tackling child abuse unintentionally appeared to do the exact opposite, when a caption under an image of a mascot skipped a vital word, government officials acknowledged Wednesday. The caption displayed beneath an image of the metropolitan government's official anti-child ...
The comments have placed Yoshitaka Sakurada back into the spotlight after he was effectively forced out of his post as the Olympics minister last month.
Blown call leaves Japanese soccer world scrambling to enact reforms
Friday night's 3-2 win by Shonan Bellmare over Urawa Reds showcased everything great about the J. League, with the plucky underdogs winning in stoppage time to cap a dramatic comeback. Unfortunately, it also saw one of the league's biggest problems — inconsistent officiating — evolve ...
In joint resolution, LDP and Komeito rebuke lawmaker Hodaka Maruyama over 'war' comment
The ruling coalition said the comment made by lawmaker Hodaka Maruyama “runs counter to pacifism” and “significantly undermines Japan’s national interest.”
LDP creates code of conduct for its lawmakers, in hope of preventing gaffes
Amid a spate of verbal flubs that have plagued the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has created a code of conduct for its lawmakers — warning them to watch their mouths to prevent blunders from affecting their political ...
Japan fears lawmaker's 'war' gaffe may impact isle talks with Russia
Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui condemned remarks by a lawmaker in his Nippon Isshin no Kai party suggesting war as a way for Japan to recapture Russian-held islands off Hokkaido.
