Shopping for lucky bags used to mean making a leisurely trip to one's favourite store, picking out a bag from among many, and going home to find out what's in it. These days, many stores advertise the contents of their lucky bags well in advance - a surefire way of not only drawing shoppers to their stores, but also tempting shoppers to grab as many lucky bags as they can afford. (Straits Times)
In Japan, lucky bags hold no secrets
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Happiest people in the world
Japan may have a relatively high standard of living and the longest life expectancy in the world, but it does not have the happiest people. According to a new Gallup poll of 148 countries, Japan ranks somewhere in the middle of world happiness levels. The recent poll showed just how little economic levels connect with life satisfaction. (Japan Times)
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'Bumper year' for book lovers
A number of literary masterpieces by major writers, including Eiji Yoshikawa's "Miyamoto Musashi" (Musashi) and "Sangokushi" (Three Kingdoms), were made available to read online for free as of Jan. 1, after their 50-year term of copyright expired. (Yomiuri)
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6 cars torched; tires on 32 others punctured in city hall parking lot
Thirty-eight official cars in the parking lot of city hall in Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture, were vandalized on Saturday morning. Six were torched, while the tires on 32 other vehicles were punctured, police said. (Japan Today)
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Sacrifice and luck help Japan survive without nuclear power
In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, nuclear-dependent Japan began shutting down its other reactors. Toshiya Okamura, a Tokyo Gas executive and visiting scholar at Stanford University, explains how the country survived the summer, and expresses deep concerns about this winter and his country's energy future. (stanford.edu)
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Japan likely to increase defense spending due to isles row
Japan's government is likely to increase defense spending for the first time in 11 years, Japanese media reported on Saturday, as newly elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledges a sterner response to a territorial dispute with China. (Reuters)
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Rescuers lose contact with nine climbers
Police and rescue personnel were scrambling to locate missing mountain climbers Saturday after losing contact with at least nine of them in four central prefectures. (Japan Times)
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3 found dead in suspected murder-suicide in Kawasaki home
Police said Saturday that three people were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in their apartment in Kawasaki. (Japan Today)
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Self-declared hacker e-mails news media
Another defiant e-mail was sent to Jiji Press and other media organizations in Japan on Saturday from a person who claims to be responsible for a series of recent online threats using a so-called remote control virus. (Yomiuri)
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Holiday U-turn rush continues across Japan
The New Year holiday U-turn rush entered its final day Sunday as thousands of holidaymakers crowded airports, train stations and expressways on their way home. (Japan Today)
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As plutonium hoard grows, so do Japan's headaches
How is an atomic-powered island nation riddled with fault lines supposed to handle its nuclear waste? Part of the answer was supposed to come from this windswept village along the country's northern coast. (Japan Times)
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Education reform body to be set up in mid-Jan.
The government plans to establish an organization tentatively called the "headquarters for implementing the revitalization of education" directly under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as early as mid-January, it has been learned. (Yomiuri)
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Top court to add family judges / Increase in guardianship cases requires more dedicated justices
The Supreme Court has decided to add 20 to 30 judges to family courts nationwide starting in April to respond to the rapid increase in family-related cases, such as guardianship for the elderly and divorce.
(Yomiuri)
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NHK eyes 8K TV broadcasting from 2016
Japan's public broadcaster says it could begin transmissions in a format with 16 times the resolution of today's high-definition television in 2016. (techworld.com.au)
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Japan bluefin tuna fetches record $1.7m
A single bluefin tuna has sold in Japan for 155m yen ($1.7m), almost triple the record price set last year. (BBC)
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Philippines holds five for Japanese husband murder
A Philippine woman and her son have been arrested along with three other local suspects for the gun-for-hire murder of her Japanese husband, police said Saturday. (The West)
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12 injured after escalator suddenly stops in Ibaraki store
Twelve people, including three children, were injured when an escalator they were standing on stopped suddenly in a supermarket in Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Sunday. (Japan Today)
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Tokyo stocks close 0.83% lower
Tokyo stocks closed 0.83 percent lower Monday, shedding early gains as profit-taking kicked in after the benchmark Nikkei 225 index hit its highest level since the 2011 quake-tsunami disaster. (The Peninsula)
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Giant squid filmed in Pacific depths: Japan scientists
Scientists and broadcasters said Monday they have captured footage of an elusive giant squid up to eight metres (26 feet) long that roams the depths of the Pacific Ocean. (france24.com)
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Japan PM: Will pursue bold monetary policy, big fiscal spending
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated on Monday his call for bold monetary easing by the central bank, big fiscal spending and an economic growth strategy as steps towards conquering deflation. (Reuters)
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