Superrealistic face masks by Japan firm attract attention from facial-recognition system developers
Superrealistic plastic face masks produced by a firm in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, have recently attracted attention at home and abroad, from facial-recognition system developers to a Saudi Arabian royal family member. "Look, it makes your heart pound, doesn't it?" says Osamu Kitagawa, 60, president of ...
Headless, limbless body found in farm ditch in Shiga Prefecture
A body without a head or limbs was found in the drainage ditch of a farm in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture on Saturday, local police said. The torso appears to belong to an adult who died anywhere from a few days to several weeks ago, the ...
The new residency program introduced last year to give fourth-generation descendants of Japanese overseas opportunities to live and work in Japan has raised hopes the government will ease the conditions to let family members come along — a privilege afforded to third-generation descendants. To qualify ...
'Miracle' Japan monkey survives after being struck by car and spending day inside vehicle's hood
A young monkey was recently found alive under the hood of a car a day after it was struck by the vehicle, in what police are calling a "miracle." A man, whose company car struck the wild monkey at around 4 p.m. Sunday while he ...
Shiga Gov. Taizo Mikazuki defeats Manabu Kondo to win second four-year term
Shiga Gov. Taizo Mikazuki cruised to re-election Sunday with widespread support from both the ruling and opposition camps, defeating former Shiga University Vice President Manabu Kondo. "Over the next four years, the real value of the governor will be tested. I'd like to do my ...
A farm that raises only indigenous Japanese horses has opened near a shrine known as a "sacred site of horses" in Shiga Prefecture, and its owner is intent on breeding more of them to preserve the species. Japanese horses were once raised across the country ...
Teenage officer arrested after colleague found shot to death in Shiga police box
A 19-year-old police officer was arrested early Thursday on suspicion of shooting a senior colleague to death at a police box in Shiga Prefecture, investigators said. Sergeant Akira Imoto, 41, was found collapsed at around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday at the police box in front of ...
Prosecutors demanded the driver be given two years for causing the five-car pileup on the Meishin Expressway, but the judge tacked on another eight months.
'Animal corpse' discovered on riverbed in Shiga Prefecture found to be dismembered torso of woman
A torso believed to be that of a woman aged between 35 and 50 years old has been found on a riverbed in Shiga Prefecture, prompting police to open an investigation into abandonment of a corpse, authorities said Wednesday. Other parts, including the head, have ...
Man arrested for lacing former employee's tobacco with mercury over pay dispute
The 36-year-old was arrested on suspicion of trying to kill his acquaintance with heat-not-burn tobacco laced with mercury. The victim was rushed to hospital with headaches, coughing and slurred speech.
Ministry survey on average life expectancies ranks Shiga top for men and Nagano best for women
The average life expectancy in 2015 for Japanese men was highest in Shiga Prefecture, at 81.78 years, a health ministry survey showed Wednesday. The average life expectancy for women was highest in Nagano Prefecture, at 87.67 years, according to the survey, which has been conducted ...
'The Paper Door and Other Stories': Naoya Shiga's rollercoaster ride of human emotions
Considered a master of the Japanese short story, Naoya Shiga's "The Paper Door and Other Stories" truly impresses. Seventeen stories explore a vast range of human emotions, from fever-induced insanity in "The Razor" to the analytical musings of a circus performer whose stunt has ...
