NHK -- Jul 13
Japan has lodged a protest against North Korea over an incident this month in which a ship thought to be North Korean pointed what appeared to be a gun at a Japanese Fisheries Agency patrol vessel. The incident took place inside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
Japanese government sources say the incident occurred on Friday. A patrol ship was briefly chased by a boat of unknown nationality. They say the boat pointed something resembling a gun at the Japanese vessel.
The government believes the ship was highly likely from North Korea.
Japan lodged its protest through the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, calling on the North to make sure the incident is not repeated.
The Fisheries Agency sends patrol boats to the exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan as part of an effort to deal with illegal fishing by boats from North Korea and other countries.
水産庁の漁業取締船が、日本海の排他的経済水域内で北朝鮮籍とみられる船の乗組員に小銃のようなものを向けられていたことが分かりました。 水産庁によりますと、今月7日、日本海の「大和堆」と呼ばれる漁場の付近で漁業取締船が不審な船を見つけました。
Sep 24
A passenger took the steering wheel of an expressway bus and brought it to a halt after the driver lost consciousness on the Tohoku Expressway in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Friday night. The 46-year-old driver was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. (Japan Today) Sep 24
A failure to follow protocol caused police officers in Kawanishi City to confuse the bodies of two elderly men, resulting in the wrong corpse undergoing an autopsy, it was learned on Friday, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com) Sep 24
Nara Prefectural Police have arrested a school teacher suspect in the repeated theft of women’s underwear that he filmed before returning, reports Nikkan Sports (Sept. 21). (tokyoreporter.com) Sep 24
The Japanese government plans to submit a new law to the ordinary session of the 2018 Diet, in an effort to facilitate offshore power generation by setting out standards for operators installing wind turbines and the number of years of permitted operation. (Nikkei) Sep 24
Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 48-year-old man who allegedly stabbed his common-law wife to death at their residence in Sakai City last week after a dispute about her bulimia-like behavior. The woman's daughter was also seriously injured in the incident, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com) Sep 23
Facing less-than-stellar poll numbers, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is taking a huge gamble with plans to dissolve the lower house for a snap election in October. (Nikkei) Sep 23
An English seminar for geisha has been held in Tokyo to help them communicate with foreign tourists and explain traditional Japanese entertainment culture. (NHK) Sep 23
Dentsu Inc. President Toshihiro Yamamoto admitted illegal overtime at the top Japanese ad agency, during the first court hearing Friday on the scandal that came to light following the high-profile overwork-induced suicide of a young female employee. (Jiji) Sep 23
The first winning bids for this season’s Japanese pufferfish reached as much as ¥19,000 per kilogram at the Haedomari Market in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, early Friday. Buyers and auctioneers agreed on prices with hand signals inside black cloths around the auctioneers’ arms. (the-japan-news.com) Sep 23
Japan will open more service sector jobs to foreigners as early as the first half of next year amid a surge in tourism, thanks to the revised strategic special zone law that took effect Friday. (Nikkei)