Osaka referendum: Merger gets second chance, but are voters on board?
Five years after voters in the city of Osaka narrowly voted down a referendum on consolidating its 24 wards into five with more autonomy and eliminating the municipal assembly and mayor, another referendum is set for later this year. The merger is the chief political ...
Kansai mother and son accused of no-show scam that cost hotels ¥115 million
A mother-and-son pair in the Kansai region arrested on suspicion of obstructing business at hotels allegedly cost accommodation facilities ¥115 million in damages after they made around 3,200 booking cancellations in one year, investigative sources said Wednesday. Yukiko Kishida, 51, and her son Yukihiro, 31, ...
Japan Times 1995: Powerful earthquake kills hundreds in Kansai
More than 1,600 people were confirmed killed and some 1,000 others listed as missing in the most catastrophic earthquake to hit the Kansai region in nearly 50 years.
Kansai railways branch out into new businesses to head off depopulation
As part of efforts to raise earnings before population decline strikes their service areas, railways in the Kansai region are trying to expand into other businesses. West Japan Railway Co. (JR West), for example, is marketing fish raised in land-based aquaculture facilities. It began cultivating ...
Kepco's gift scandal casts shadow over Kansai and 2025 Expo
Earlier this fall, it was revealed that 20 Kansai Electric Power Co. officials, including the chairman and president, received nearly ¥320 million in cash and presents between 2006 and 2018 from a powerful, and now deceased, former deputy mayor and political fixer in Takahama, ...
Four banks in the Resona Holdings Inc. group have set up a project to expand business relations with small companies and revitalize the local economy in the Kansai region, Resona Bank Vice President Hajime Kosaka said in a recent interview. The project will be run ...
The Meteorological Agency warned of potential mudslides, floods and rising rivers, as Krosa is expected to bring torrential rains starting Wednesday.
Heavy rains prompt evacuation orders in Kagoshima as weather agency warns of mudslides and floods
Heavy rains prompted an evacuation order for some 6,000 residents in 2,859 households in Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Monday morning, as well as an evacuation advisory issued to more than 1.21 million people in 550,000 households in Miyazaki, Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures as the ...
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 ...
MICE work if you can get it: Kansai cities vie for a bigger slice of Japan's 'meetings industry' pie
About 20 minutes by car from Wakayamashi Station, across a bridge to a reclaimed island, lies Wakayama Marina City and the Porto Europa theme park. Its faux Spanish, Italian, and French buildings and European-style street designs give visitors the impression of being on a ...
A weekend in Osaka: A sensory feast in the nation's kitchen
Osaka will host four games for the Rugby World Cup at its Hanazono Rugby Stadium. Check out our guide to the city to find out what to do when you're in Osaka for the weekend.
Kansai execs have big dreams of transport projects ahead of G20, Osaka Expo and possible casino
With the 2025 World Expo secured for Yumeshima district in Osaka Bay and growing confidence the man-made island will also host one of Japan's first casino resorts, Kansai's business leaders are stepping up efforts to win local approval and central government funding for major ...
