8 April 2017
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the government supports the US government's resolve not to tolerate the proliferation and use of chemical weapons. (NHK)
The population of the central Japan city of Shizuoka stood at an estimated 699,421 as of Saturday, it was learned Friday. (Jiji)
U.S. President Donald Trump told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in telephone talks Thursday that the United States considers all options are on the table in dealing with North Korea, according to the Japanese leader. (Kyodo)
The number of stalking cases recognized by Japanese police in 2016 rose 3.5 pct from the previous year to 22,737, topping 20,000 for the fourth straight year, the National Police Agency said Thursday. (Jiji)
A former reporter for public broadcaster NHK who has been charged with two rapes was served with a fresh arrest warrant Thursday on suspicion of another rape, police said. (Japan Today)
Apr 08
Police in Osaka said Friday have arrested a 33-year-old man and his 28-year-old wife on suspicion of abusing their 5-year-old son after they injured him with a frying pan and a saw. (Japan Today) Apr 08
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko took King Felipe the Sixth and Queen Letizia of Spain to Shizuoka City, west of Tokyo. The Spanish royals were visiting Japan as state guests. (NHK) Apr 08
Fukuoka Prefectural Police have arrested a teenage boy for allegedly taking illicit video of girl inside a toilet at a movie theater while they were on a date in Fukuoka, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com) Apr 08
Utako Kyo, a Japanese actress and half of the popular stand-up comedy duo "Utako Keisue," died on Thursday. She was 89. (Jiji) Apr 07
Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 41-year-old man who allegedly licked the face of a school girl inside an apartment building in Adachi Ward last month, reports Nippon News Network. (tokyoreporter.com) [more society news…] [society blogs…]
Apr 08
Yamato Transport Co, Japan's leading door-to-door courier firm, is considering withdrawing from its same-day delivery service for Amazon.com Inc to reduce its drivers' heavy workloads, sources close to the matter said Friday. (Japan Today) Apr 05
The Trump administration is so alarmed that Chinese investors may try to purchase Westinghouse Electric Co.'s nuclear business that U.S. officials are trying to find an American or allied buyer for the company instead, two people familiar with the matter said. (Japan Times) Apr 05
Moritomo Gakuen, a nationalist school operator at the center of a political scandal connected to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over its bargain-price purchase of state property, was sued Wednesday for allegedly not fully paying bills for building a new elementary school at the site. (Japan Today) Apr 05
Promising to address public concerns about the social ills associated with gambling, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kicked off the inaugural meeting Tuesday of a government task force that will make recommendations on licensing and operating integrated resorts (IR) with casinos. (Japan Times) Apr 05
Universal Studios Japan continued to ramp up its allure for consumers in the year ended in March, again outshining archrival Tokyo Disney Resort in attendance growth. (Nikkei) [more business news…] [business blogs…]
Apr 08
Bank of Japan Gov Haruhiko Kuroda has emphatically missed his single most important performance indicator, and yet is looking a good bet for a second term - the first in more than half a century - if the 72-year-old can face the strain. (Japan Today) Apr 05
Japan is nowhere near 2 pct inflation four years after the Bank of Japan made a drastic monetary policy regime change with much fanfare. (Jiji) Apr 04
The Bank of Japan's Tankan survey shows a growing number of Japanese employers feel their companies are understaffed. (NHK) Apr 01
The seasonally adjusted jobless rate in February fell 0.2 percentage points from the previous month to 2.8 percent, the lowest level since June 1994, when the rate stood at the same level, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said Friday. (the-japan-news.com) Mar 29
A government panel unveiled an action plan Tuesday to reduce long working hours and ensure equal treatment for regular and nonregular employees as Japan seeks to promote broad labor reform. (Japan Today) Apr 08
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the government supports the US government's resolve not to tolerate the proliferation and use of chemical weapons. (NHK) Apr 08
Officials of Japan's land ministry are investigating private school operator Moritomo Gakuen over the possibility that the operator received an improper reimbursement for soil improvement. (NHK) Apr 07
U.S. President Donald Trump told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in telephone talks Thursday that the United States considers all options are on the table in dealing with North Korea, according to the Japanese leader. (Kyodo) Apr 06
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe strongly condemned North Korea's firing of a ballistic missile that fell into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday. (Jiji) Apr 06
Japanese postdisaster reconstruction minister Masahiro Imamura on Wednesday came under fire for his angry responses to questions from a journalist on support for nuclear disaster voluntary evacuees. (Jiji) Apr 07
Monthly allowances given by parents to students who entered private colleges in the Tokyo metropolitan area last spring dropped for the 16th straight year, a survey showed Wednesday. (the-japan-news.com) Apr 06
The city of Osaka has officially recognized a same-sex couple as foster parents, becoming the first municipality in Japan to do so, local and central government officials said Wednesday, as efforts are being made to eliminate discrimination against sexual minorities. (Kyodo) Apr 06
Students at public junior high and high schools across Japan have English proficiency levels far below targets set by the government, the education ministry said in a fiscal 2016 survey on Wednesday. (Jiji) Apr 05
Despite growing support nationally for added LGBT protection in recent years, nearly 60 percent of sexual minorities have been bullied at school, according to a recent online survey that also found teachers did not help end the intimidation. (Japan Times) Apr 05
The University of Tokyo was crowned the nation's top university for teaching and learning environments in a first-ever Japan ranking by the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine, with Tohoku University in Miyagi Prefecture coming in second and Kyoto University placing third. (Japan Times) [more education news…] [education blogs…]
Apr 08
Viewers of a television program that introduces mysteries of the world did a double take after an episode broadcast earlier this week claimed the moon doesn't rotate, reports ITMedia (tokyoreporter.com) Apr 04
The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology on Monday opened online its new Deep-Sea Debris Database, which features videos and images of trash taken in deep waters, including by its Shinkai 6500 manned research submarine. (Jiji) Apr 03
Two aquariums in Japan said Sunday they canceled their membership of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums due to the organization's decision to no longer allow the acquisition of dolphins caught in controversial drive hunts off the town of Taiji. (Kyodo) Mar 29
Groups of Japanese researchers say they have successfully transplanted iPS cells derived from a donor into a patient suffering from a serious eye disease. (NHK) Mar 27
A team of researchers in Japan has succeeded in filming the moment when an Amami rabbit, a rare species, was preyed on by a feral cat. (NHK) [more sci-tech news…] [sci-tech blogs…]
Apr 05
The shoji player who became the youngest-ever professional in Japan last year has now set a new record, clinching his 11th straight victory since his debut match. (NHK) Mar 29
A stable master of Japan's sumo says Yokozuna, or grand champion, Kisenosato has been diagnosed with an injury that requires one month to heal. (NHK) Mar 29
Leicester City striker Shinji Okazaki celebrated his 50th international goal Tuesday as Japan brushed aside Thailand 4-0 to edge closer to a sixth successive World Cup. (Japan Today) Mar 26
In sumo, newly-promoted Yokozuna or grand champion Kisenosato came from behind to win his 2nd Emperor's Cup in a row. (NHK) Mar 21
A golf club designated as the venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has decided to allow women to become full members. Kasumigaseki Country Club has been a male-only golf course since its opening in 1929. (NHK) Apr 08
As soon as the express train leaves for Yamanashi prefecture, west of Tokyo, you leave behind the suburbs and encounter forests where they say animals still roam in search of fruit. (star2.com) Apr 05
With the use of virtual currency spreading especially overseas, more retailers in Japan are opening up to payments from tourists via the blockchain technology. (Japan Times) Apr 05
Workers are busy preparing to reopen a scenic mountain route through central Japan's Northern Alps after a winter closure. (NHK) Apr 05
Japan's only existing double-decker Shinkansen bullet train series is set to end its service by the March 2021 end of fiscal 2020. (Jiji) Apr 03
Thousands of people are enjoying the cherry blossoms in Tokyo as weather officials in the capital announced on Sunday they are in full bloom. (NHK) [more travel news…] [travel blogs…]
Apr 8
@nifty recently surveyed its members to find out their opinions on robots.
I don't know what ASIMO, Honda's walking robot, is doing in the list of household robots; as far as I am aware it is nothing more than a technology promotion, with no plans...
Apr 7
A few months ago, I arranged to pick up some tickets from a former student one afternoon on my way into Tokyo. Knowing we both had plans immediately following our meeting, I expected this would be a grab-and-go situation and that I might even have...
Apr 7
Hello from Hiroshima Hana Hostel.It's Kana here.
It's Middle of Spring in Japan which is my most favorite season of the year!! Not too hot, not too cold and speak of spring is SAKURA! Cherry blossom!!
What we must do in this season...
It's HANAMI ! ...
Apr 7
ムスリムおもてなしマップ京都Now available from Tourist Information Offices in Kyoto is a new, free Kyoto Map for Muslims produced by
There are several Japanese eateries also on the list including Yoshiya Kyoto Arashiyama, Ukihashi on...
Apr 7
poster for the upcoming Ghibli Museum food exhibition
There's lots to love in the animated films of Studio Ghibli, like the meticulous attention to detail when it comes to portraying everyday life. And some of the most memorable scenes are the mea...
Apr 7
In my quest to find novel topics to present, I give you this survey from MyNavi News into old folks' worries about incontinence, and pet dogs. Incontinent doggies is a topic for another survey… Note that I use “pet” as that what was in the s...
Apr 6
Author: Florentine Koppenborg, Free University of Berlin
The Paris climate agreement was a milestone in the fight against global warming and another sign that the world is turning away from fossil fuels. Yet Japan's energy debate demonstrates tha...
Apr 6
London-based animator James Curran is currently in Tokyo for 30 days and he's committed to making a new animated GIF each day inspired by his stay.
Curran has titled his project the TokyoGifathon. And although he's only 5 days into his stay, he...
Apr 5
A roar pierces the air as the music begins, and what looks like a psychedelic ninja squadron leaps into action, their long sleeves and headbands trailing behind them. Their movements are flamboyant, and their costumes even more so. This isn't some...
Apr 5
all photos by Daici Ano
The lush hamlet of Karuizawa is known for its otherworldly architecture. Roughly a 2-hour drive from Tokyo, it's where urban wealth goes to play. Owning a home or vacation home in Karuizawa is the ultimate status symbol. Be...