The contents of confidential documents related to a program to promote the export of Japanese agricultural products to China is believed to have been leaked to a Chinese diplomat suspected of engaging in espionage, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. (Yomiuri)
Chinese 'spy' saw ministry's secret data / Had access to contents of 30 documents
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15 employees defy Osaka tattoo survey
A total of 15 Osaka city employees refused to respond to a survey conducted this month to search out tattooed employees, reportedly saying the survey "violated privacy" or "was not conducted in an appropriate way," it was learned Wednesday. (Yomiuri)
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AKB48 'election' shows marketing brilliance
The biggest event of the year for AKB48, the 48-member pop group that's the most popular music act in Japan today, arrives next Wednesday.
Thousands of fans are expected to fill the historic Nippon Budokan to watch, while Fuji TV will broadcast the three-hour show live. (Japan Times)
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Sumo: Ozeki Baruto honored in Estonia
Ozeki Baruto received an award from Estonia President Toomas Ilvez on Wednesday in the nation's capital. (Japan Times)
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Facebook emerges as marketing medium
Ryohin Keikaku Co., the company that operates the Muji retail brand selling clothing and household items both domestically and overseas, opened its official page on the U.S. Internet social networking site Facebook in 2010. (Japan Times)
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Woman attempts suicide after allegedly killing 5-year-old son
Police said Wednesday that a woman apparently attempted suicide after she allegedly killed her 5-year-old son at their home in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. (Japan Today)
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Footage of newborn seal at Toba Aquarium
On Sunday footage of a newborn South African seal was made public for viewing at the Toba Aquarium. The newborn is covered in black fur, and stayed close to its mother while letting out energetic squeaks. (NewsOnJapan.com)
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Electricity bills set to skyrocket
Ten electric companies will increase household electricity prices from 30 yen to 90 yen (per kw/hr) starting in July, claiming tensions with Iran are likely to cause an increase in oil and gas prices. (NewsOnJapan.com)
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Japan industrial output gains slow, stirring recovery doubts
Japanese factory output rose in
April at a slower pace than expected, in a discouraging sign
that China's slowing economy and Europe's debt crisis will weigh
on Japan's fragile recovery. (Reuters)
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Japan reactor restart countdown: Approaching zero?
How long will Japan remain nukeless? It's looking increasingly likely that the atomic juice will start flowing again in a few weeks.
After an uncertain couple of weeks, more and more signs are now suggesting that Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will give a formal order to restart two nuclear reactors at the Oi plant in western Japan next week. It would then take two or three weeks to get each one up and running. (Wall Street Journal)
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Nikkei posts biggest monthly fall in 2 years
Japan's Nikkei share average shed
1.1 percent on Thursday, closing out its worst monthly fall in
two years as investors cut exposure to risky assets on deepening
concerns over Spain and its banking sector, with exporters
taking a beating. (Reuters)
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Nicki Minaj upset about fan's murder in Japan, says dancers not involved
Nicki Minaj performed a sold out stop on her Pink Friday tour in Japan last week, but a few hours after the concert, one of her fans was found dead in a Tokyo hotel room. After finding out about the gruesome crime, the YMCMB rapper took to Twitter to address the tragedy and deny rumors that one of her dancers was involved in the case. (MTV)
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EU, Japan move closer to beginning talks on free-trade accord
The European Union moved closer to starting talks with Japan on a free-trade agreement by completing a process of mapping potential hurdles.
The end of the "scoping exercise" clears the way for the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, to propose that the bloc's national governments authorize the start of negotiations with Japan on removing commercial barriers such as tariffs. (BusinessWeek)
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Suspected Chinese spy's case handed to prosecutors but charges unlikely
Metropolitan Police Department sources said Thursday the case against Chinese diplomat Li Chunguang, who is suspected of engaging in espionage and of renewing his foreign resident registration certificate using a false identity, has been turned over to prosecutors but will probably go no further. (Japan Times)
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Tokyo post office tower completed
The 200-meter JP Tower was completed Thursday atop the landmark central post office building across the street from Tokyo Station, following a suspension of the project due to a government objection based on the original building's heritage value. (Japan Times)
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Noda mulling Cabinet reshuffle to end tax hike impasse
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is considering a Cabinet reshuffle in a bid to secure the support of Liberal Democratic Party to pass sales tax legislation in the Diet, political sources said Thursday. (Japan Times)
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JAXA aims to set unmanned balloon altitude record of 55 km
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will attempt to send an unmanned scientific balloon to a world-record-breaking altitude of around 55 km.
The state-backed JAXA will launch the ultrathin balloon from its aerospace research field in Taiki in Hokkaido in September, it said Wednesday. (Japan Times)
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Land price fall seen starting to level off, flatten
Property prices are showing signs of a bottoming out in the nation's major commercial and residential areas due to redevelopment projects in Tokyo and other cities, according to the land ministry's quarterly survey. (Japan Times)
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Life expectancy rises to 79.55 years for men, 86.30 for women: health ministry
The average life expectancy of Japanese men stood at 79.55 years in 2010 while the longevity of women came to 86.30 years, according to data based on the 2010 census and released by the welfare ministry Thursday. (Japan Times)
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Tomato genome project bears fruit
An international team of scientists has cracked the genetic code of the domesticated tomato and its wild ancestor, an achievement which should help breeders identify the genes needed to develop tastier and more nutritious varieties. (Japan Today)
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