Travel Sep 1, 2019
A guide to the 2019 Rugby World Cup and its host cities
by Oscar Boyd
What to do, see, drink and eat in each of the RWC cities as well as match dates and information on stadiums, transport and accommodation.
National Aug 19, 2019
Orders flood in for Onepedal device after spate of car accidents involving elderly in Japan
A device called Onepedal has been developed by a small company to help reduce car accidents, by eliminating the possibility of drivers mistakenly pressing the accelerator instead of the brake. In recent years, there have been a series of accidents involving cars driven by elderly ...
Business Jul 26, 2019
Lao Airlines to launch Vientiane-Kumamoto service in November
Lao Airlines said Thursday it is planning to launch regular flights in November connecting the Laotian capital of Vientiane and the resort town of Luang Prabang with Kumamoto in Kyushu. The route will offer the first regular flights connecting Japan and Laos. Lao Airlines President ...
National / Crime & Legal Jul 14, 2019
Man who injured Kumamoto cops while fleeing drug raid surrenders in Fukuoka
A Kumamoto man wanted for injuring several police officers with a vehicle during a drugs raid on his home is arrested after turning himself in in Fukuoka Prefecture.
National Jul 9, 2019
In 'rare' move, Abe says government won't appeal damages awarded to leprosy patients' kin
“We must not prolong the hardship of family members who have gone through something indescribable,” Abe said in announcing the decision.
Editorials Jul 3, 2019
The government needs to listen to what patients' relatives have gone through and explore what can be done to make up for the damage done.
National / Crime & Legal Jun 28, 2019
Court orders Japan government to pay ¥370 million to leprosy patients' kin for discrimination
The ruling by the Kumamoto District Court is the first to compensate for discrimination suffered by relatives of people who had Hansen’s disease.
National Jun 17, 2019
NRA safety license for Sendai reactors legal, Fukuoka court finds, dismissing volcano risk lawsuit
The district court says it found nothing illegal with a safety clearance granted to two reactors in Kyushu that were restarted after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.
Travel | A Weekend In Jun 7, 2019
A weekend in Kumamoto: In the land of the smoking volcano
by Oscar Boyd
Since 2016, Kumamoto has been associated more with the earthquake and aftershocks that damaged much of the city and prefecture than as a travel destination. Though reconstruction is complete in most areas, there is still evidence of damage, most notably to Kumamoto Castle, a ...
National May 28, 2019
Seven infants were left in a baby hatch in the city of Kumamoto in fiscal 2018, the municipal government said Monday. A total of 144 infants have been brought to the hatch, called Konotori no Yurikago (Storks' Cradle), since it was set up at Jikei ...
National May 10, 2019
An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.3 hit off Kyushu on Friday, injuring a man and disrupting some local transportation networks, authorities said. The 8:48 a.m. quake occurred at a depth of about 20 kilometers under the seabed off Miyazaki Prefecture. It measured a ...
National May 3, 2019
Mount Aso belches smoke over Kyushu in first eruption since mid-April
A small eruption on Mount Aso shot smoke as high as 1,600 meters over Kyushu on Friday, the Meteorological Agency said. The eruption in Kumamoto Prefecture was the first since the small eruptions on April 16 and April 19. There were no immediate reports of ...