The South Korean military says North Korea launched what appeared to be 2 Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday. (NHK)
The death toll from landslides and floods in an earthquake-battered region of southern Japan has risen to six, an official said Wednesday, with all missing now accounted for. (AFP)
A 3-year-old girl who died from a chest injury in a traffic accident in Osaka in February appears to have been killed by the deployment of the vehicle's air bag, police said Tuesday.
(Japan Today)
A knife-wielding man stabbed four women at a shopping mall in Kushiro, Hokkaido on Tuesday, leaving one of them dead and the other three injured, police said. (Japan Today)
A team of experts set up by the Japanese government on Monday indicated its tolerance for "minpaku" home rental services for travelers in residential areas. (Jiji Press)
Two buildings in Tokyo will be designated as national important cultural properties. One is the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi main store in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, which features outstanding design features such as a central hall with a large open ceiling space. (the-japan-news.com) 
Tires on more than 110 cars, including public vehicles parked at city halls and government-run institutions, have been slashed in Ibaraki Prefecture since March, police have revealed. (Japan Today) 
Japanese actress Naomi Fujiyama has won the best actress award at the Shanghai International Film Festival. (NHK) 
Kanagawa prefectural police said Sunday they have arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of confining a woman in his apartment in Sagamihara, after he allegedly took her from a train while she was sleeping. (Japan Today) 
About 30,000 people from across Japan packed a baseball stadium in a Sea of Japan coastal city on Saturday for the annual vote counting event to announce the most popular members of the AKB48 family of all-girl pop groups. (Japan Today) [more society news…] [society blogs…]
Japanese telecom operator SoftBank Group says its president, Nikesh Arora, will step down. He had been viewed as a likely successor to Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son. (NHK) 
Japanese telecom operator SoftBank Group says it will sell its stake in Finnish game developer Supercell to a Chinese IT company, Tencent. (NHK) 
The fuel economy of the four Mitsubishi Motors Corp. <7211> minivehicle models for which related data have been manipulated were found to be about 11 pct lower on average than their mileage performances reported to the government, transport minister Keiichi Ishii said Tuesday. (Jiji Press) 
An association of Japanese businesses operating in China plans to propose to the Chinese government a set of reforms involving environmental measures and distribution. (NHK) 
Nissan said it would take legal action against the official campaign for Britain to leave the European Union after the group used the Japanese carmaker's logo in leaflets calling for voters to back Brexit on June 23.
(Japan Times) [more business news…] [business blogs…]
The yen will strengthen past 100 per dollar this year, whichever way the U.K. votes in Thursday's referendum, according to Eisuke Sakakibara. The only difference is how fast it gets there. (Japan Times) 
The IMF said Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's eponymous economic revitalisation plan needs to be "reloaded" with steps to increase incomes and achieve labour reforms to meet ambitious growth and inflation targets. (Japan Today) 
Japan's exports fell at the fastest pace in four months in May on supply chain disruptions from the Kumamoto earthquake and slow growth in emerging markets - foreshadowing gloomy trade prospects for the current quarter. (reuters.com) 
Financial assets held by Japanese individuals at the end of March were down from a year earlier. The drop was the first in nearly six years. (NHK) 
Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda warned Thursday that a strong yen will negatively affect the economy after the Japanese currency surged to a nearly two-year high against the U.S. dollar as the BOJ stood pat on monetary policy. (Kyodo) 
Missiles from North Korea's two latest missile launches flew over the Sea of Japan where they both fell, according to initial information, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday in Washington. (Japan Times) 
A subgroup of the Legislative Council of Japan's Justice Ministry on Tuesday released an interim proposal for revising the country's civil code, calling for giving greater inheritance rights to spouses. (Jiji Press) 
Japan's military was on alert for a possible North Korean ballistic missile launch, a government source said on Tuesday, with media reporting its navy and anti-missile Patriot batteries have been told to shoot down any projectile heading for Japan. (Japan Today) 
Tens of thousands of people on the Japanese island of Okinawa have taken part in one of the biggest protests against US military bases in recent years, weeks after the arrest of an American base worker in connection with the murder of a 20-year-old local woman. (theguardian.com) 
Revisions to Japan's election law that lower Japan's voting age from 20 to 18 took effect on Sunday. It's the first time the country's voting age has been reduced in about 70 years. (NHK) 
The government has decided to let children who have not finished primary school due to "special circumstances" enter middle school, something that was previously not permitted.
(the-japan-news.com) 
The University of Tokyo, locally known as Todai, has lost its crown in this year's Times Higher Education Asia University rankings released Monday. (Japan Times) 
Police are questioning three high school students in Yokohama after they admitted pouring liquid on stairs at a building at Futamatagawa Station in Asahi Ward on June 4. (Japan Today) 
So you've spent years studying the Japanese language, not only learning to read and write kanji, but honing your listening and conversation skills to a relatively fluent level, and you've finally fulfilled your dream of sticking a job in Japan. (Japan Today) 
Aichi Prefectural Police are investigating what is believed to have a suicide after a female high school student was stuck and killed by train in Gamagori City, reports Nippon News Network (June 14). (Tokyo Reporter) [more education news…] [education blogs…]
We're getting deep into cockroach season here in Japan, where those nauseating little balls of disgust wake up and greet us in our homes with surprise visits. (rocketnews24.com) 
The U.S. robotics expert tapped to head Toyota's Silicon Valley research company says the $1 billion investment by the giant Japanese automaker will start showing results within five years. (Japan Today) 
The Nuclear Regulation Authority is preparing to evaluate aging nuclear reactors on the Sea of Japan coast, central Japan, for noticeable deterioration in their operating capability. (NHK) 
A strong earthquake jolted Hokkaido on Thursday afternoon, measuring lower 6, the third-strongest level on the 10-notch Japanese seismic intensity scale, in the city of Hakodate in the northernmost Japan prefecture. (Jiji Press) 
Electronics giant Hitachi is looking to diversify its business. It wants to develop a simple way of detecting early-stage cancer by screening urine samples. (NHK) [more sci-tech news…] [sci-tech blogs…]
For Scotland, this was mission accomplished. Yet they rarely got out of second gear against an under-strength Japan side who defended ferociously and looked to raise the tempo at every opportunity. (telegraph.co.uk) 
The Miami Marlins held a ceremony on Friday before a home game against the Colorado Rockies to honor Ichiro Suzuki, whose recent hit gave him a combined 4,257 in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball and pushed him past Pete Rose's all-time big league hit record. (the-japan-news.com) 
A model of the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has been completed. (NHK) 
Japan's Ichiro Suzuki has made baseball history. The Miami Marlins veteran outfielder broke the record for the most hits ever by a Major League ballplayer. (NHK) 
Cyclists from around the world have competed in the Mount Fuji Hill Climb, considered Japan's toughest climbing race. (NHK) A team of experts set up by the Japanese government on Monday indicated its tolerance for "minpaku" home rental services for travelers in residential areas. (Jiji Press) 
Japanese department stores sales to foreign tourists fell in May for the 2nd straight month. (NHK) 
Three famous monkey sculptures at Toshogu Shrine in Nikko city, north of Tokyo, have been taken off display for repairs.
(NHK) 
An innovative train that has replaced its walls with panoramic windows for allowing better views of the landscape has been launched in Niigata Prefecture. (insidejapantours.com) 
A growing number of service centers support "hands-free tourism," accepting baggage such as suitcases and souvenirs and delivering them to accommodation facilities and airports on the same day. (the-japan-news.com)
Step Inside Japan: introducing an amazing interactive mapThis isn’t just any old boring map. Scattered throughout the country are a handful of our favourite destinations, marked by animated icons that move when you hover over them. (insidejapantours.com)
[more travel news…] [travel blogs…]
Affectionately known as ‘Akiba' you will find the most electronics stores in any one district in the world sitting alongside maid cafés, multi-storey buildings selling manga (Japanese comics) and figurines of all your favourite characters.
A ...
The gentle tinkling of windchimes. Delicious kakigori on sale left and right. The constant screeching of cicadas. Feeling like you're melting as quickly as that kakigori in the oppressive humidity. It can all only mean one thing: it's summer in Ja...
It is summer. It is hot. It is wet and humid. And you are probably sharing your Japanese evenings with large, striped Tiger mosquitoes. The insects hatch and begin hunting for mammalian blood in April and continue until the first cold weather in...
This is a landscape woodblock print by Hiroshige II 二代 広重 (1826-1869) called Chûzenji Lake in Shimozuke Province 下野中禅寺湖水 made in 1860. It is part of the series One hundred famous views of Japan 諸国名所百景. Lake Ch...
Summer is quickly approaching, and many of you out there are already planning or have already planned out your summer vacations. Some of you might be planning to go to Japan during this summer. Regardless of the length of the trip, how short or ...
Author: Editors, East Asia Forum
The rapid economic change in Asia challenges the traditional division of labour between women working in the private, family domain and men in commerce and politics. Greater participation by women in politics, whi...
After already breaking records for inbound tourism last year, the government hopes to double the number to 40 million by 2020.
So far this year, more than 10 million non-Japanese visitors have entered the country, indicating the government is on ...
Medical Emergencies
In the case of a medical emergency, the number to call for an ambulance in Japan is 119. While there are English-speaking operators, there are no guarantees that there will be one available, so click here to learn some usefu...
This is the last article in a 3-part series about going to Japan as a vegan. Part one introduced traditional Japanese cuisine, its chances and challenges for vegans. Part two provided some vocabulary to help with the identification of possible hid...
Photo from kanonn on flickr.com
Father's Day (Chichinohi, 父の日、ちちのひ) is almost here. Along with the Mother's Day, Father's Day is an important day to be thankful for your father. It is celebrated in Japan as well, although it mi...