NHK -- Nov 20
East Japan Railway says it will tear down Harajuku Station, the oldest wooden station building in Tokyo, after the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in the metropolis.
JR East announced on Tuesday that it reached the decision after consulting with Shibuya Ward, where the station is located, and local retail associations.
The aging structure will be replaced with a new one now being built adjacent to it. The new station is expected to be completed on March 21 of next year.
The current station building was built in 1924.
The railway operator says the old structure is not sufficiently fire resistant.
The company says it will use materials that comply with fire resistance standards to re-create the European-style station after pulling it down.
It says that despite calls to retain the historic landmark, it decided on the demolition for safety reasons.
来年3月に向けて建て替え工事が進むJR原宿駅の現在の木造駅舎が来年の東京オリンピック・パラリンピック後に解体されることになりました。
JR原宿駅は現在の駅舎が老朽化したため、隣に新たな駅舎を造る工事が進められていて、来年3月21日の始発から新駅舎での運行が始まることになっています。JR東日本は19日の会見で、現在の駅舎を来年の東京オリンピック・パラリンピックの大会後に解体することを明らかにしました。現在の駅舎は1924年（大正13年）に建てられたもので、都内では最も古い木造駅舎で地元などからは保存を求める声が上がっていました。こうしたことを受け、JR東日本は何らかの形で駅舎を残すことを検討しています。
Dec 12
A former top bureaucrat at the farm ministry admitted Wednesday to killing his socially reclusive son, during the first day of his high-profile trial in Tokyo. (Japan Times) Dec 12
Japan's environment minister has suggested his country has no plans to change its coal-fired power generation policy soon. Shinjiro Koizumi was speaking at the UN climate change summit in Spain. (NHK) Dec 12
An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 struck northern Hokkaido early Thursday and measured lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, Japan's weather agency said. (Japan Today) Dec 12
A recent online survey has found that 1 in 10 in Japan identify as LGBT or another sexual minority. (Japan Times) Dec 11
Japanese scientist Akira Yoshino accepted the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Tuesday at a ceremony in Sweden for his contribution to the development of lithium-ion batteries. (Japan Times) Dec 11
A former Japanese defense chief has been shot in the leg near his home in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Sankei newspaper reported on Tuesday citing police sources. (Japan Today) Dec 11
Russia may be banned from the next two Olympics but the door is open for Russian participation at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games if athletes can meet the rigid criteria laid out by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). (Japan Today) Dec 11
Police referred a 17-year-old high school student and two men to prosecutors on Tuesday over their alleged involvement in the online trading of uranium in violation of Japanese law regulating nuclear materials. (Japan Today) Dec 10
It might be the most Japanese of political scandals: a furor over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's guest list at a party to mark the annual cherry blossom season. (Japan Today) Dec 10
Afghan police said Monday they have detained a total of six men in connection with the shooting death last week of a Japanese doctor who was a well-known aid worker in the central Asian country. (Japan Today)