'Scattered hotels' offering village-type stays are taking off in rural Japan
A recent trend in the tourism sector that lets visitors stay in re-created traditional villages while experiencing local cuisine and cultural activities is growing in popularity in Japan. The "scattered hotel" business is believed to have originated in Europe, and Maruyama Village — a facility ...
Hyogo to relax wastewater controls amid fears Seto Inland Sea is 'too clean' for fish
Hyogo Prefecture, which is suffering from poor catches of some fish, has decided to allow greater quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater discharged into the Seto Inland Sea, after deeming its water too clean for fish to live in, officials said Monday. The prefecture ...
Survivor of Amagasaki train derailment aiming for bull's eye at 2020 Paralympics
Having overcome numerous challenges since suffering life-altering injuries in a deadly train derailment in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, in 2005, Aiko Okazaki doesn't plan to go easy on herself when it comes to her latest test — competing in archery in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. The ...
Man linked to Yamaguchi-gumi shot in Kobe in apparent yakuza feud
A man affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest crime syndicate, was shot Wednesday in Kobe, apparently in connection with a feud among factions of the group in the city and surrounding areas, police said. The man, believed to be around 50 years old, was seriously ...
Osaka High Court upholds death penalty for 'black widow' serial killer Chisako Kakehi
The Osaka High Court on Friday upheld the death penalty imposed on a 72-year-old woman dubbed Japan's "black widow" for murdering her husband and two common-law partners with poison to inherit money and escape debt. In handing down the sentence to Chisako Kakehi, presiding Judge ...
Families and survivors mark anniversary of 2005 Amagasaki derailment that killed 107
Some 500 survivors and family members of victims of a 2005 train derailment that killed 107 people gathered Thursday to mark the 14th anniversary of the crash at a ceremony, which was held for the first time at a newly built memorial facility. West Japan ...
Eye-opener: Japanese doctor's work with iPS cells puts macular degeneration on notice
Science has Dr. Masayo Takahashi's mother to thank, in a way, for some of the most notable developments in regenerative medicine using stem cells. More than 35 years ago when Takahashi was contemplating which career she would pursue once she graduated from high school in ...
Record six women secure mayor jobs in Japan's local elections, though two won uncontested
A record six women have secured city mayoralty in this year's quadrennial unified local elections. On Sunday, the second and final round of the elections took place. There were mayoral elections in 59 cities (including three prefectural capitals, Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, Nagasaki and Oita), 11 ...
Japanese medical school adopts facial recognition-based attendance system
The Hyogo College of Medicine has introduced a facial recognition technology-based system to check student attendance. It is the first university in Japan to use such a system, according to the institution in the city of Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. The university expects the system to allow ...
The former mayor of the city of Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture who quit last month over his abusive language toward a senior official was re-elected on Sunday, beating two other candidates. Fusaho Izumi, 55, stepped down from the mayoral post after being criticized for verbally ...
A local court ordered Hyogo Prefecture on Wednesday to pay ¥110,000 in damages to a man with intellectual disabilities, saying the prefectural police illegally took his DNA without proper consent in 2015. The police had said they received written permission from the man before conducting ...
Hyogo mayor who called senior official 'stupid' over stalled evictions to make way for road quits
A Hyogo Prefecture mayor submitted a letter of resignation Friday after facing criticism for calling a senior city official "stupid" and suggesting he "burn down" a local building that stood in the way a road project, officials said. "I apologize again for what happened. I ...
