News On Japan

Hitachi Metals Ltd. and Hitachi Cable Ltd. announced Tuesday they will merge in April to boost their competitiveness against foreign rivals. (Japan Times)

Yokozuna debutant Harumafuji got back to basics Tuesday, rebounding from his loss the previous day with a quick-fire win against Tochiozan on the third day of action at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament. (Japan Times)

The number of police warnings based on the anti-stalking law issued to suspected stalkers nationwide from January to August totaled 1,511, exceeding the annual record high of 1,384 set in 2007, according to the National Police Agency. (Yomiuri)

Japan's industry ministry is aiming at launching the world's first futures trading market for liquefied natural gas by March of 2014. (NHKReloaded)

Soft drinks and weight loss don't usually go hand-in-hand. But Pepsi aims to change that with a new drink the company has just launched in Japan, called Pepsi Special. (popsci.com.au)

Police have arrested a man in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, under the anti-stalking laws for allegedly harassing a classmate at university. (Japan Today)

A poisonous red-back spider was found in the garden of a home in Kawasaki, suggesting the invasive alien arachnid is creeping closer to Tokyo. (Japan Times)

Former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara on Tuesday launched a new conservative party with the aim of forming a "third force" to run in the next general elections. (rttnews.com)

Landing fees for international flights at Narita Airport will be reduced by 5.5 percent on average from April, the airport's operator said Tuesday. (Yomiuri)

Shares in Japan's embattled electronics maker Sharp rocketed Wednesday morning following reports that the company may get a cash injection of hundreds of millions of dollars from chip giant Intel. (AFP)

A 22-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday morning after he allegedly stabbed a police officer in the back on a street in Kyoto. (Japan Today)

An 18-year-old youth has been arrested in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, after his girlfriend, with whom he had been living, was found dead. (Japan Today)

Japan's Nikkei inched up on Wednesday to end a seven-straight session losing run, with struggling TV maker Sharp Corp rallying on news of possible investment, although looming U.S. fiscal woes and the euro zone's debt crisis capped gains. (Business Standard)

A military squad has safely removed a 250-kilogram (550 pound) World War II bomb found two weeks ago near the runway of a major airport in northern Japan. (huffingtonpost.com)

Japan's biggest banks are poised to accelerate sales of their stock holdings after 534 billion yen ($6.7 billion) in equity investment losses eroded profit. (BusinessWeek)

The government is set to impose the consumption tax on online content purchased from overseas vendors by making them register with Japanese authorities, officials said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

A Lower House committee approved a plan Wednesday to reduce pension payments that the government has kept unchanged despite declines in consumer prices. (Japan Times)

It's hard these days to be optimistic about Japan's economy or have much faith in Japan as the Rising Sun, a global economic power, Asia's industrial and technological powerhouse, or about any other laudatory epithets, as the country's political, bureaucratic and economic leaders determinedly squabble in a headlong rush to take the country from economic superpower to over-indebted Third World country. (Japan Times)

Japan's Gree, which runs a large mobile gaming platform, said Wednesday it will expand to include games that run entirely inside web browsers, a move that will free its titles from fees and requirements imposed by app stores run by companies such as Apple and Google. (itworld.com)

New yokozuna Harumafuji eased to his third win of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament by beating No. 2 maegashira Shohozan on Wednesday. (Japan Times)

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