News On Japan

Asian stock markets were lower during late Asian trade on Wednesday, with shares in the region moving further away from multi-year highs as investors turned cautious over recent gains. (investing.com)

Japanese exporters will hand out bigger bonuses for the next fiscal year as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policies drive the yen to multi-year lows, with Toyota Motor Corp declaring its largest bonus payout since the global financial crisis. (Reuters)

The Kanto region was hit by strong southerly winds on Wednesday, causing disruptions to train services as well as traffic on the Rainbow Bridge. (Japan Today)

The University of Tokyo, one of the most prestigious universities in Japan, aims to introduce a recommendation-based entrance examination system for the first time since its establishment in 1877, university sources said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

A local politician elected in the southern Japan city of Oita in February has been banned from council meetings for refusing to take off his full-face wrestling mask. (telegraph.co.uk)

An international agreement to protect sharks could spell trouble for one tsunami-wrecked port in Japan as it struggles back to its feet two years after being swept away, locals say. (france24.com)

The friend of a man accused of the Nicola Furlong murder has been handed a three -year sentence for sexual assault. (independent.ie)

Tokyo's Ueno Zoo said Tuesday that two giant pandas have mated, sparking hopes for a cub. (Japan Times)

The Fukuoka District Meteorological Observatory said Wednesday that cherry blossoms in this southwestern Japan city's Chuo Ward started to bloom the same day, earlier than in any other places in the nation this season. (Jiji Press)

Up to a third of electric car owners in Japan say they will not buy another battery-powered vehicle again. (goauto.com.au)

The Japanese Olympic Committee has promised to take steps to wipe out violence among its sports federations after a survey revealed more than 10 percent of its athletes had been victims of bullying or harassment. (Reuters)

Outgoing Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa warned on Tuesday there is no quick way to fix an economy that has suffered 15 years of deflation and that aggressive money printing alone was not the answer. (Reuters)

The Japanese Olympic Committee said Tuesday that it has cut funding for the All Japan Judo Federation and ordered it to take preventive measures as punishment for coaches' abusive training of female judokas. (ESPN)

Rugby star Jerry Collins was sweating heavily and seemed anxious when he was arrested and jailed for having a knife in Japan, The New Zealand Herald has reported a witness saying. (stuff.co.nz)

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said Tuesday that the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture are allowed, in principle, to continue operations until the next routine check in September. (Jiji Press)

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office decided Tuesday not to indict Hiroyuki Nishimura, the founder and former operator of popular Japanese Internet bulletin board 2channel, for assisting the use of illegal drugs. (Jiji Press)

A record 2,545 foreigners applied for refugee status in Japan in 2012, the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Four MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft came to the U.S. Marine Corps' Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, on Tuesday afternoon without prior notice to the Japanese government. (Jiji Press)

An Australian man who abducted his little boy from rural Japan after the devastating Japanese earthquake in 2011 has lost a bitter family tug-of-war for custody. (Courier Mail)

A giant statue from Chile's Easter Island was unveiled in Tokyo Wednesday before it is erected in a small tsunami-devastated northeastern Japanese town as a symbol of recovery. (Global Post)

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