News On Japan

When police in Japan's old historic capital of Kyoto nabbed three men this summer for buying child pornography DVDs online, they made history: for the first time, someone in the country faces the possibility of jail time for possessing such material. (chicagotribune.com)

China has cut the number of permits for rare earths mining in a new move to tighten controls over the exotic minerals needed to manufacture mobile phones, electric cars and other high-tech goods. (Japan Today)

The government approved Wednesday Yahoo Japan Corp.'s use of content-based advertising technology to display ads that are relevant to its free e-mail users' messages, quelling privacy concerns previously raised. (Yomiuri)

Japan on Wednesday launched a highly independent organization to oversee the safety of its atomic reactors, marking a fresh start in nuclear regulation following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi complex last year. (Mainichi)

A woman, who serves on the city council in Koyama, Tochigi Prefecture, has been arrested for assaulting a female acquaintance, police said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Japan's biggest utility, Tokyo Electric Power Co (9501.T), is in advanced talks to secure liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies from North America and help reduce high import prices as Japan cuts reliance on nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster, company officials said on Tuesday. (Reuters)

A 42-year-old mother has been arrested on suspicion of abandoning the corpse of a newborn baby in a refrigerator in her Tokyo apartment, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. (ANNnewsCH)

Police said Thursday they have arrested a 32-year-old man after his two young daughters were found dead in his car at Aqua World Aquarium in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture. (Japan Today)

The Tokyo Game Show 2012, one of the world's top gaming industry events, kicked off Thursday in Chiba Prefecture, with developers unveiling an increased number of titles for smart phones, at a time when sales of console games are slowing. (equities.com)

Two of the rising stars of the men's tour, 21-year-old Milos Raonic and 22-year-old Kei Nishikori continued their David and Goliath antics in Tokyo to set up an intriguing final at the Japan Open in Tokyo. (thesportreview.com)

An elementary school in a village in Fukushima Prefecture has held an outdoor sporting event for the first time since last year's nuclear disaster. (NHKReloaded)

The US Marine Corps has completed the deployment of 12 Osprey transport aircraft in Okinawa amid protests by local residents. (NHKReloaded)

Giving top priority to the desires of each individual princess is to be a central principle in the government's review of allowing female Imperial family members to create new Imperial branches, according to a government official in charge of the matter. (Yomiuri)

The body of a woman wrapped in a duvet has been found in her home in Chiba City, police said Saturday. (Japan Today)

A man and a woman were injured by a bear in two separate incidents on the outskirts of Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, on Saturday. (Japan Today)

Submerged breakwater to be built in Wakayama Prefecture Work has begun on a submerged breakwater in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan that will surface in the event of a tsunami. (NHKReloaded)

KDDI Corp. said Friday it saw a three-fold jump in the net inflow of customers under the mobile number portability system in September from the previous month on the back of the launch of Apple Inc.'s iPhone 5 smartphone. (Yomiuri)

State and federal officials say Hawaii fishermen have found a 16-foot Japanese skiff swept out to sea by last year's tsunami and brought it to Honolulu. (sfgate.com)

Few things are more irritating than finding that perfect bargain item only to see it has become even cheaper the next day. Buying Japanese shares over the past 20 years has been a similar story and has certainly not been for the faint-hearted, with investors nursing significant losses this year alone. (Independent)

Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is planning to meet South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak in a bid to mend ties soured by a territorial dispute, according to a report. (Channel NewsAsia)

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