19 October 2014
The government on Friday approved Central Japan Railway Co.'s plan to construct the Linear Chuo Shinkansen line, paving the way for the 2027 start of magnetic levitation train service connecting Tokyo and Nagoya in 40 minutes. (The Japan News)
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin at their meeting in Milan, Italy, on Friday agreed to continue dialogue between their countries. (The Japan News)
Intent on holding his first summit with his Chinese counterpart in November, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will apparently not visit the war-related Yasukuni Shrine during the autumn festival. (Asahi)
Leaders from members of the Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, forum kicked off their two-day meeting in the northern Italian city of Milan Thursday. (Jiji Press)
The Nagano prefectural government's disaster response headquarters said Thursday it has decided to end its search this year for missing hikers on Mt. Ontake due to the growing risk of secondary accidents. (The Japan News)Oct 17
A year has passed since a typhoon-triggered mudslide hit Tokyo's Izu Oshima island, killing at least 36 people, with three more yet to be found. (The Japan News) Oct 16
Police in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, said Thursday they have arrested a 25-year-old man for inflicting serious injury on his 2-year-old son with an air gun. (Japan Today) Oct 16
With an increase in sightings of venomous spiders in Tokyo, experts warn that the elderly and infants are most in danger if bitten. (Asahi) Oct 16
A Japan Airlines flight had to return to Honolulu after a male passenger sexually assaulted a female passenger in the airplane's bathroom, the FBI said. (newsok.com) Oct 16
A woman was found stabbed to death in her home in Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, police said Wednesday. (Japan Today) Oct 17
Major information service firm and staffing agency Recruit Holdings Co. made a strong debut on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange Thursday in the biggest initial public offering in Japan this year. (The Japan News) Oct 16
Toyota said Wednesday it would recall 1.67 million vehicles globally over brake problems and other glitches that pose a fire risk, the latest in a string of problems for the world's biggest automaker. (Japan Today) Oct 15
Japan's electric vehicle market is off to a slow start, but German automaker Volkswagen is about to give it a go anyway. (Nikkei) Oct 15
Often dubbed a hawkish nationalist, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has lived up to his billing. Since he returned to power in late 2012, Japan has seen two consecutive rises in defense spending, as well as a record third request for Y5.5 trillion, currently under deliberation. (Japan Today) Oct 15
The casual clothing chain Uniqlo will establish a Tokyo logistics hub that will enable it to deliver products to some areas on the same day they are ordered online. (NHK) Oct 17
Tokyo stocks fell 1.40 percent to close at a five-month low on Friday, hit by a stronger yen and growing concerns about the global economy. (thepeninsulaqatar.com) Oct 16
Asian shares were off session lows but still nursed losses amid a selloff in global equities on Thursday, as heightened concerns about world economic growth sent U.S. Treasury yields down and Japanese stocks tumbling. (Reuters) Oct 15
Singapore's retirement income system is the most desirable in Asia, according to the latest report by U.S.-based consulting firm Mercer and Australian Centre for Financial Studies. The city-state was ranked 10th out of 25 countries in the global survey. Meanwhile, all other Asian countries in the report -- Japan, China, Indonesia, South Korea and India -- were ranked toward the bottom of the list. (Nikkei) Oct 15
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry started discussions Wednesday to revamp the country's feed-in tariff program for electricity generated with renewable energy such as solar and wind power. (Jiji Press) Oct 15
Japan's Nikkei share average tumbled 2.4 percent to a fresh two-month closing low on Tuesday on fears global economic weakness will weigh on US growth, while a stronger yen dragged down exporters such as Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co. (brecorder.com) Oct 18
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe played up the improvement in bilateral ties with China at the Asia-Europe Meeting here this week by greeting the Chinese premier and refraining from directly criticizing China's maritime expansionism. (Nikkei) Oct 18
The government on Friday approved Central Japan Railway Co.'s plan to construct the Linear Chuo Shinkansen line, paving the way for the 2027 start of magnetic levitation train service connecting Tokyo and Nagoya in 40 minutes. (The Japan News) Oct 18
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin at their meeting in Milan, Italy, on Friday agreed to continue dialogue between their countries. (The Japan News) Oct 18
Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yuko Obuchi is increasingly under pressure from government and ruling bloc officials to step down over a fund scandal that erupted recently. (Jiji Press) Oct 17
Intent on holding his first summit with his Chinese counterpart in November, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will apparently not visit the war-related Yasukuni Shrine during the autumn festival. (Asahi) Oct 17
Bullying at elementary schools in Japan increased to a record high of 118,805 cases in fiscal 2013, exceeding 100,000 for the second consecutive year, the education ministry said Thursday. (Jiji Press) Oct 16
A panel of experts in Japan says more than 4.2 million people in the country are addicted to the internet. (NHK) Oct 15
There are thousands of people in Japan who are not listed on a family register. Such people face various difficulties, given that the family register is an official document that certifies individuals' basic legal status, including Japanese nationality, and also lists their birth date, marital status and date of death. (Japan Times) Oct 15
Ten-year-old boys 50 years ago could throw a softball six meters farther than boys of that age today, the sports ministry's annual survey on physical strength and athletic ability revealed. (The Japan News) Oct 13
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to help women juggle work and family are hitting a roadblock: opposition to building new daycare centers from residents who fear noise from children playing will spoil their quiet neighborhoods. (Japan Today) Oct 15
Japan Robot Week kicked off Wednesday with a major Tokyo exhibition showcasing new technologies for everything from communications and remote video monitoring to disaster response. (Japan Times) Oct 15
Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Tuesday reported a sharp rise in cesium levels in water collected from an observation well near the sea at its disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station. (Jiji Press) Oct 14
About one-third of security cameras at the troubled Monju fast breeder reactor facility in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, are not working properly. (Japan Today) Oct 14
TESHIKAGA, Hokkaido--Lake Mashuko had long been a source of pride in this industrialized nation as the clearest and cleanest lake in the world. But the effects of global warming and an alien species have clouded that distinction, researchers said. (Asahi) Oct 13
A U.N. protocol for biodiversity protection and a fair sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources came into effect on Sunday, but Japan, which hosted the meeting that adopted the protocol in 2010, failed to ratify it in time. (The Japan News) Oct 16
The Hanshin Tigers were behind the Yomiuri Giants before even stepping on the field, but the Kansai club didn't waste any time getting even. (Japan Times) Oct 15
The Yomiuri Giants worked out in a mostly empty Tokyo Dome, with neither fans nor the Hanshin Tigers anywhere in sight. The Big Egg will be rocking the next time they're in it, as they square off with their oldest rivals for the right to participate in the Japan Series. (Japan Times) Oct 15
Japanese Olympic medalist Daisuke Takahashi is retiring from competitive figure skating. (NHK) Oct 13
Big-serving Australian Samantha Stosur retained a title for the first time in her career Sunday with a resounding 7-6, 6-3 victory over Zarina Diyas in the Japan Women's Open final. (Japan Times) Oct 10
Japan marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics on Friday, evoking the memory of a festival of peace that inspired and thrilled people across the nation. (The Japan News) Oct 18
Japan will designate Tomioka Silk Mill, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as a national treasure, following a recommendation from a government panel on Friday. (Jiji Press) Oct 16
A snowcap was observed on the peak of Mt Fuji on Thursday morning for the first time this autumn. The snowfall came three days earlier than last year, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. (Japan Today) Oct 15
Hakone Tozan Railway's first new train in 25 years made a trial run ahead of its debut and amid hopes for a surge in tourists to scenic areas along the line southwest of Tokyo. (Asahi) Oct 15
More foreign tourists are coming to Japan, and going shopping. And this surge in foreign cash is changing the face of the nation's retail industry. (Nikkei) Oct 15
A new-series train of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, which is set to open in March 2016, was shown to the public for the first time in Hakodate, Hokkaido, on Monday. (The Japan News) Oct 16
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