Dwindling catches and soaring prices spell trouble for Hokkaido's 'squid town'
As wholesale prices skyrocket for Pacific flying squid amid a record low catch in Japan, processing companies in the "squid town" of Hakodate, Hokkaido, are scrambling to stay afloat. The squid shortage, caused by fluctuations in ocean temperatures, years of overfishing and lenient regulations, has ...
Consortium to enter talks with Japan land ministry on privately operating seven Hokkaido airports
A consortium of companies is to enter exclusive talks with the land ministry over operating New Chitose and six other airports in Hokkaido, the ministry said Wednesday. The move is part of plans to privatize the operations of New Chitose, Wakkanai, Kushiro, Hakodate, Asahikawa, Obihiro ...
With the country's catch of Pacific flying squid continuing to reach record lows, wholesale prices for the seafood have more than doubled for companies that process it into delicacies such as shiokara and what are normally inexpensive dried squid snacks. Not only has the scarcity ...
Japanese court finds three Taiwanese women guilty of smuggling gold in their bras
A Japanese court gave three Taiwanese women suspended sentences Wednesday after finding them guilty of attempting to smuggle gold worth ¥50 million ($453,000) into the country by hiding it in their bras. The Hakodate District Court in Hokkaido handed down one-year prison terms to Qiu ...
Hakodate court rejects plea for injunction to halt construction of Oma MOX plant in Aomori
A court has dismissed a request from residents of Hakodate, Hokkaido, for an injunction to halt the construction of Electric Power Development Co.'s nuclear power plant in the town of Oma, across the Tsugaru Strait in nearby Aomori Prefecture. Handing down the ruling Monday at ...
Chongryon to pay Hokkaido hut owner for damages on behalf of arrested North Korean crewmen
A pro-Pyongyang organization plans to pay for the property taken from a remote fishing hut on an island off Hokkaido on behalf of the North Korean fishermen who were arrested over the crime, a source said. The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, known ...
Hokkaido's Hakodate is heaven for gourmands of all stripes
Hakodate occupies a unique place on the Japanese landscape, both literally and gastronomically speaking. Facing the Tsugaru Strait from its position on the southern shores of Hokkaido's Oshima Peninsula, the city grew from a small Ainu fishing village to become, in 1854, Japan's first port ...
PAC-3 interceptors relocated to Hakodate due to North Korean missile threat
An anti-missile battery was deployed Tuesday to Hakodate, Hokkaido, placing it near the flight paths of ballistic missiles recently launched by North Korea. The battery was moved to a Ground Self-Defense Force camp in the city from an Air Self-Defense Force base about 70 km ...
Tick-borne encephalitis claims Hokkaido man in his 70s in second such death
Hokkaido Prefecture announced that a man in his 70s in the southern part of the prefecture died from tick-borne encephalitis, the third case of tick virus infection in Japan and the second death. The prefecture's public health division said Tuesday that the man became sick ...
Teen rape suspect turns himself in after escape from hospital
A 17-year-old rape suspect who escaped from police custody at a hospital in Hokkaido the previous day turned himself in on Thursday, accompanied by a female acquaintance, officials said. According to the Hokkaido Prefectural Police, the suspect, a company employee in Hakodate, was arrested Wednesday ...
A 26-year-old worker for the Mount Hakodate Ropeway in Hokkaido died early Monday after his legs were caught in cable car gear. The operator shut down the aerial tramway to rescue the man, Ryohei Narita, and to inspect the equipment, temporarily stranding about 1,000 visitors ...
Hakodate artisan finds niche in revival of iron potbelly stove
A woodwork artisan in the Hokkaido city of Hakodate has carved out a niche in the stove market, reviving interest in old-fashioned cast-iron potbelly heaters. Ryuichi Uenoyama, 51, admits to being taken aback by the flurry of orders he has received for the stoves, which ...
