News On Japan

The extraordinary Diet session made an unusual start Monday--and Liberal Democratic Party chief Shinzo Abe insists Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is to blame. (Yomiuri)

Japan is planning to launch its new carrier rocket in summer of 2013, national space agency JAXA said, according to RIA Novosti. (panarmenian.net)

Govinda Prasad Mainali, poised to be exonerated in the high-profile murder of a Tokyo woman in 1997, plans to publish a book depicting his almost 15 years spent in Yokohama Prison for a crime he had maintained throughout that he didn't commit. (Japan Times)

About a quarter of the $148 billion budget for reconstruction after Japan's March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster has been spent on unrelated projects, including subsidies for a contact lens factory and research whaling. (New Zealand Herald)

The revised Antigang Law took effect Tuesday, allowing authorities to label certain designated crime syndicates as repeat offenders against companies and shops, and immediately arrest members who make unlawful demands. (Yomiuri)

Japanese firm Hitachi says it will buy a British power company to strengthen its overseas nuclear plant business. (NHKReloaded)

A new device that can quickly detect fine particles of explosives on people's hands and boarding passes with 99 percent accuracy has been developed and will undergo trials at airports soon, it has been learned. (Yomiuri)

Before taking additional monetary-easing steps for a second month in a row, the Bank of Japan apparently struggled to decide what specific steps to take amid intense pressure from the market and the government. (Yomiuri)

Japan's Softbank, which announced a US$20 billion deal to acquire U.S. mobile operator Sprint Nextel earlier this month, said it booked a record operating profit in its fiscal first half. (cio.com)

Tokyo's bourse imposed a record fine of about $2.5 million on Nomura Holdings on Wednesday in the wake of an insider trading scandal at Japan's biggest brokerage. (India Times)

Japanese media report that Japan is looking for ways to be exempt from U.S. sanctions imposed against Iran. (payvand.com)

A huge World War II bomb uncovered near a busy runway at Sendai airport in Miyagi Prefecture was underneath a shield of concrete and sandbags on Wednesday as flights resumed, a government official said. (Japan Today)

Panasonic Corporation says it lost more than 8 billion dollars in the first half of the fiscal year. The electronics manufacturer had initially projected a net profit for the period. (NHKReloaded)

One of Japan's first-generation female lawmakers Shizue Yamaguchi has died. She was 94 years old. (NHKReloaded)

Police have discovered the first known case of forgery involving the new residence cards that foreigners started to be issued in July, investigative sources said. (Japan Times)

Police found a man's corpse Wednesday in a concrete-filled metal drum they pulled from the harbor the previous day in Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, based on tips in a widening murder probe. (Japan Times)

Tokyo stocks closed 0.21 percent higher on Thursday as Panasonic shares dived nearly 20 percent after its warning of a huge annual loss. (The Standard)

Japan's Sharp Corp is planning to revise its full-year net loss forecast to 450 billion yen ($5.63 billion) from a previous outlook for a 250 billion yen loss, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. (Reuters)

A flash mob launched into simultaneous dance in Ikebukuro last weekend after being alerted through email and social media. (Asahi)

Construction workers in Japan uncovered secrets hidden in an old apartment they were demolishing when they found a skeleton in the closet, reports said Thursday. (AFP)

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