Casino bribes scandal threatens to upend Diet debate as public opposition climbs
Just a month ago, the Diet session opening Monday was expected to hotly debate but ultimately approve more specific measures on how Japan will operate what will eventually be its first casino resorts. But following a casino-related bribery scandal that erupted in December, Prime Minister ...
Memories from the Great Hanshin Earthquake still resonate 25 years later
On the morning of Jan. 17, 1995, I was jolted awake in my Kyoto apartment by the largest earthquake I'd ever experienced. The glass windows shook violently, but thankfully didn't break. Before going back to bed, I turned on the TV I'd pulled out of ...
Nintendo plans life-size video game at Universal Studios Japan
Nintendo Co. fans will soon be able to enjoy a life-size video game experience in a new attraction at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. Super Nintendo World is slated to open this summer, featuring a wearable Power Up Band that lets visitors collect coins and ...
Former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn's wife, Carole, said Tuesday she was not in the loop about his audacious escape from Japan, adding that it was the "only choice possible." Speaking after Japanese prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for her, Carole Ghosn told France's Le Parisien ...
The public safety commissions in six prefectures designated them Tuesday as “crime syndicates at war” in an effort to weaken them and stop their escalating battles.
Japan's pressing regional affairs to unfold quietly in shadow of Olympics
This year, all attention will turn to the 2020 Olympics, with politicians, business leaders and the media talking about how to ensure its success, what it means for Japan domestically and internationally and how to avert a post-Olympic economic slump. Outside the seven prefectures in ...
Cheap and cheerful capsule hotels are forever expanding from their Japanese cradle, including now in Milan, where the tiny, stacked rooms are helping the Italian city cope with exploding tourist numbers. With no-fuss convenience for both the city and transport links, digital connectivity and a ...
Osaka panel greenlights metropolis plan, setting stage for second referendum
A joint panel set up by Osaka's prefectural and municipal governments has approved a so-called Osaka metropolis plan to reorganize the city into four special wards governed directly by the prefecture in 2025. Following Thursday's approval, the city of Osaka is planning to hold a ...
Gregory Hilton: An artist inspired by the city
Osaka-based artist Gregory Hilton on the 1980s New York downtown art scene, how his recent gallery show art utilized Roombas and what he misses about his Texas hometown.
Start of six-month 2025 World Expo in Osaka pulled back to April 13
The government decided Friday to hold the 2025 World Expo in Osaka from April 13 through Oct. 13, bringing forward the starting day by several weeks from the original plan to avoid congestion during the Golden Week holiday period. A plan for the expo, including ...
Real estate and hotel developer Apa Group opened in Osaka on Tuesday a 32-story hotel with 913 guest rooms, making it one of the largest inns in western Japan. The Apa Hotel & Resort Midosuji Hommachi Eki Tower has direct connections with Hommachi Station, which ...
Osaka City Bus Corp. took media representatives for a test ride on a self-driving bus Monday. The affiliate of subway operator Osaka Metro Co. aims to start autonomous bus services in fiscal 2020, which starts April 1, in the city's waterfront area. A French-made Navya Arma ...
