NEWSWORTHY
Koike presents vision for Tokyo, stressing importance of ties with Osaka ahead of Olympics and Expo
Gov. Yuriko Koike spoke to the press Monday about her plans to repurpose the former site of the Tsukiji fish market and strengthen ties with Osaka prior to the 2020 Olympic Games and 2025 World Expo, setting out her ambitions for ongoing development of ...
Osaka in the spotlight ahead of G20 and elections
January and early February in Kansai, and Japan as a whole, is a busy time for local leaders. New Year's greetings are exchanged by (mostly) elderly men at stuffy buffet parties in luxury hotels. Their job is to stand around holding a white paper ...
University in Osaka aims to hone hotel staff with omotenashi to serve Japan's foreign guests
One of the key factors driving Japan's unprecedented tourism boom is its culture of hospitality — epitomized by the concept of omotenashi, which can be roughly translated as "wholeheartedly looking after guests." Yet perhaps because omotenashi has a long history and can be taken for ...
Japan sushi chain worker uploads video of fish's journey from trash can to cutting board in Osaka
The operator of one of Japan's largest sushi restaurant chains said Wednesday that video footage recently uploaded to the internet showed one of its part-time kitchen workers throwing sliced fish into a trash can and then returning it to a cutting board at an ...
As host of this year's Group of 20 leaders' summit, a key official said Monday that Japan's most important task will be to chair a gathering that concludes with a strong message promoting stable worldwide economic growth. The June 28-29 conference is expected to be ...
Rugby World Cup 2019 organizers held an orientation session Saturday in Osaka for some of the roughly 13,000 volunteers who will assist visitors at the Sept. 20 to Nov. 2 tournament. The event was one of several to be held sequentially until early March by ...
Three areas in Japan to bid to host casino resorts, but many others remain reluctant: survey
The city and prefecture of Osaka and two other prefectures in western Japan plan to apply to host newly legalized casino resorts, but dozens more are reluctant to do so amid concerns over public safety, a Kyodo News survey has found. The survey, conducted in ...
Japan elated after Naomi Osaka's second straight Grand Slam title
Japan erupted in joy after Naomi Osaka won her second straight Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Saturday, with fans taking pride in the feat that guaranteed she will become the country's first world No. 1 single's player in tennis. In Osaka, where ...
Planning group for 2025 Osaka expo looks to design event showcasing Japan's cutting-edge tech
A planning committee for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka held its first meeting Friday afternoon, with members emphasizing that the event should be a collaborative effort involving the broader Kansai region and an occasion to showcase Japan's cutting-edge technologies. Many committee members — composed ...
Residents near the venue for the June 28-29 Group of 20 leaders' summit will face traffic restrictions immediately before and after the meeting, Osaka officials said Wednesday evening, but the exact measures are still being worked out. About 200 residents of the city's Suminoe Ward, ...
After yearslong fight, Osaka subway drivers win court case over Toru Hashimoto-era beard ban
A district court ruled Wednesday in favor of two subway drivers who sought compensation from the Osaka Municipal Government, claiming they received poor performance reviews for refusing to comply with internal regulations banning beards. The Osaka District Court ordered the city to pay the men ...
New Year's party skipped as tensions run high between Osaka's ruling coalition partners
As Osaka enters 2019 with a full political schedule, including local and national elections and the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit, relations between ruling coalition partners Komeito and Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka), a local political party, remain tense, creating potential political problems ...
