News On Japan

Police sent papers on a 24-year-old U.S. airman in Okinawa Prefecture to prosecutors Monday over his alleged assault of a boy earlier this month. (Yomiuri)

Thefts at two shops in Chiba Prefecture netted about 70 Apple Inc. iPhone 5 smartphones early Monday, police said. (Yomiuri)

Police have arrested the leader of a gang believed to be responsible for stealing over 3 billion yen by selling non-existent bonds to vulnerable and elderly people. (Japan Today)

Shareholders of Osaka Securities Exchange Co. and Tokyo Stock Exchange Group Inc. approved a $1.6 billion merger of Japan's biggest bourses in a bid to reinvigorate the country's securities markets. (Bloomberg)

The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady on Tuesday, standing its ground for now in the face of calls from the country's likely next prime minister to pursue "unlimited" easing to revive an economy widely seen in recession. (Reuters)

Tokyo stocks closed in negative territory on Tuesday, with the benchmark Nikkei snapping a four-session winning streak as the Bank of Japan held off fresh easing to stoke the nation's slowing economy. (The Peninsula)

In years past, you'd always see them outside convenience stores and in parking lots, coping a squat next to their Subarus and Hondas, smoking cigarettes. They were tough looking. They were thugs. And they'd sit like they're squeezing out turds. (Kotaku)

Day 10 Sumo Kyushu Basho November 2012 (araibira)

The government will nearly double rents for apartments and houses built for national public servants in three stages from April 2014, sources said Tuesday. (Yomiuri)

Two Japanese scholars say they have detected high levels of radiation on Orchid Island, a temporary underground storage site of low-level radioactive nuclear waste off Taiwan's southeastern coast. (Japan Times)

Sharp Corp. says 2,960 workers at its offices in Japan have applied for a voluntary retirement program set up as part of its efforts to turn around its slumping business, far exceeding the 2,000 it initially targeted. (Japan Times)

The White House said Tuesday the United States and Japan did not reach agreement during talks in Cambodia about allowing Japan into 11-nation free trade talks amid concerns raised by U.S. automakers and other issues - but both still hope to do so. (detroitnews.com)

Major snack maker Calbee Inc. announced Tuesday a massive recall of its mainline potato chip products, saying tiny bits of broken glass may have made their way into as many as 5.34 million bags since late July. (Japan Times)

Japan, China and South Korea agreed Tuesday to begin negotiations for a trilateral free trade agreement, with the first talks to be held early next year, Economy, Trade and Industry Yukio Edano said. (Yomiuri)

Recruit Holdings Co. said Tuesday it will open a shopping mall-type website, possibly in March, on the expectation that the online shopping market will continue to expand in Japan. (Japan Times)

Cameras to monitor snow have been installed on Tokyo Skytree in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, and were shown to the press Tuesday. (Yomiuri)

A 25-year-old Chinese man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of receiving a ransom of about 182 million yen from a kidnapping in Europe in May, according to police. (Yomiuri)

On the final day of his Southeast Asia trip, President Barack Obama met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (VOA News)

Investor confidence in Japan's electronics industry has decreased further with all major firms in the sector struggling to enhance profitability. Ratings agency Fitch doesn't believe in their short-term success. (Deutsche Welle)

About one-third of former prisoners aged 65 or older have been unable to find permanent housing after being released, according to a Justice Ministry survey. (Yomiuri)

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