News On Japan

Kyoko Machiya should be enjoying life with grandchildren. Instead, the 64-year-old's home is a makeshift structure of boxes covered with blue plastic in a Tokyo park. (Reuters)

Japan on Friday insisted warnings by the World Health Organisation of a rise in the risk of cancer for people in Fukushima were overblown, saying the agency was unnecessarily stoking fears. (NDTV)

Japanese officials are particularly concerned about cars and industrial products in expected EPA negotiations with the European Union. (NHK)

Major department stores in Japan say sales of luxury goods are picking up on the back of bullish stock markets. (NHK)

The ultimate underdogs from Brazil nearly stunned the world again on Saturday morning. Already a surprise qualifier in the tournament after knocking off Panama in November, Brazil took a 3-2 lead over two-time defending champions Japan into the eighth inning before the overwhelming favorites righted the ship with a three-run rally. (AP)

Ichiro Suzuki avoided injury Saturday night when his car collided with another vehicle. (nypost.com)

Egyptian authorities held a memorial service Friday at the site of a hot air balloon crash in the southern city of Luxor last week that killed more than a dozen foreign tourists, including four Japanese, inviting embassy officials from the countries affected. (Japan Times)

A high concentration of radioactive cesium has been found in a range of land animals and insects in areas around the site of the Fukushima nuclear plant accident, providing a clue to a mechanism of radioactivity accumulation in the food chain, a study showed Saturday. (Kyodo)

A man robbed a post office in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, and then attempted to take his own life when stopped by police. (Japan Today)

A Japanese bullet train carrying about 130 passengers and crew derailed in heavy snow in northern Japan Saturday, although there were no reports of injuries, media reports said. (rawstory.com)

At least six people died in a spate of snow-related incidents as blizzards swept across the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido over the weekend, police and news reports said. (The Australian)

More than 150 Japanese companies have taken part in a job fair for international students studying in Japan. It's the largest turnout since the fair began 7 years ago. (NHK)

A shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, is celebrating the Dolls Festival on Sunday by displaying Japanese dolls in traditional clothing. (NHK)

Space experts from Japan and the US are to begin talks soon to jointly promote space development programs for national security and other purposes. (NHK)

A 30-year-old Japanese man, accused of remotely controlling other people's computers to send threats, was served with another arrest warrant Sunday. (Jiji Press)

The Communist Party of China has decided to appoint Wang Yi, a former ambassador to Japan who heads the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet, as foreign minister, an apparent sign of willingness by the leadership to improve relations with Japan, informed sources said Sunday. (Kyodo)

China has warned it will retaliate if a currency war between the world's major economies breaks out, led by Japan and the US. (The Australian)

None of Japan's nuclear power plants that have been idled since the nuclear crisis triggered by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami are likely to restart operations within the year as safety checks under new standards are not expected to be completed, a Kyodo news agency survey of utilities showed Sunday. (MarketWatch)

Militant environmental group Sea Shepherd said Japan's whaling fleet has departed the Antarctic Ocean whale sanctuary and appears to be heading home with its smallest catch on record. (Japan Times)

Reigning champions Japan beat China and Taiwan came from behind against the Netherlands as the two co-hosts neared round two of the World Baseball Classic with their second straight wins on Sunday. (france24.com)

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