News On Japan

Police in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, have received a series of reports of animals being dismembered and left in public places. (Japan Today)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stepped up his drive Thursday to revitalize the country's education system as a newly created panel began discussions on reform measures. (Yomiuri)

Apple is supposedly planning on relocating its Japan headquarters to an office tower in the upscale Roppongi Hills complex in Tokyo, with the move said to be happening as soon as April. (appleinsider.com)

Japan believes tensions with China fanned by a dispute over a group of uninhabited islands can be resolved, a special envoy from Tokyo said on Friday after meeting China's president-in-waiting, Xi Jinping. (chicagotribune.com)

Japan's core consumer prices slipped for a second straight month in the year to December, signaling the economy was still in deflation and piling more pressure on the central bank to adopt further stimulus steps to achieve its new inflation target. (Reuters)

The largest nuclear power plant in the world may be forced to shut down under tightened rules proposed by Japan's new nuclear watchdog aimed at safeguarding against earthquakes, a report said on Friday. (indiatimes.com)

The yen hit a 2 1/2-year low against the dollar and a 21-month low versus the euro on Friday, as the market remained focused on Japan's pursuit of reflationary economic policies. (Reuters)

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 has surged 2.88 per cent as a weak yen and optimism over US and Japanese corporate earnings pushed the benchmark index to its best close in nearly three years. (ninemsn)

Seven survivors and the bodies of nine Japanese slain in a hostage crisis in Algeria returned to Tokyo on a government plane Friday. (The West)

The largest mobile operators in China, Japan, and Korea have agreed on common standards for touch-card technology, clearing the way for travellers across East Asia to user their phones for travel and payments. (cio.com)

Mexico's vehicle exports have surged as Japan's automakers, squeezed by a strong yen and high production costs, transfer more of their manufacturing there. (Asahi)

Japan's government has said it will sell a third of its stake in Japan Tobacco, to raise $10.3bn for the reconstruction of areas devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (BBC)

The Japanese government plans to give Filipinos and Indonesians seeking to become nurses and caregivers in Japan an extra year in the country to prepare for qualifying exams, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

A Japanese court has decided the Tokyo headquarters of a pro-North Korean association will be auctioned next month. (NHK)

A summary court Monday ordered a nephew of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to pay a fine of 1 million yen for unlicensed operation of a "host club" serving female customers. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government on Monday presented the People's Honor Award to former sumo grand champion Taiho, who died of heart disease at the age of 72 in January. (Jiji Press)

Crown Prince Naruhito on Monday was diagnosed with influenza, the Imperial Household Agency said. The crown prince, who turned 53 on Saturday, canceled his activities for both Monday and Tuesday, TBS reported. (Japan Today)

Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whaling fleet's battle has moved from the Southern Ocean to the video editing suite. (The Australian)

Japanese shares fell, with the Nikkei 255 Stock Average falling from its highest since 2008, after Italian elections reignited concern about the region's debt crisis. (BusinessWeek)

Two U.S. sailors pleaded guilty Tuesday to raping and robbing an Okinawan woman in October, a case that sparked the military to impose a Japan-wide curfew for all American servicemembers. (stripes.com)

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