News On Japan

The government said Friday it will deploy a missile defense system in Okinawa Prefecture permanently, amid repeated threats by North Korea to launch missiles that could strike any target in Japan. (Kyodo)

Local governments and airports throughout Japan are on high alert against the new strain of bird flu in anticipation of a global outbreak as the death toll from the disease is increasing slowly but steadily in China. (The Star)

Foreign ministers of the Group of Eight countries on Thursday wrapped up their two-day meeting in London with a strong warning to North Korea over its nuclear and missile development programs. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501)'s discovery of leaks in water storage pits at the wrecked Fukushima atomic station raises the risk the utility will be forced to dump radioactive water in the Pacific Ocean. (Bloomberg)

Haruki Murakami's new novel was unveiled early Friday in Japan, with excited fans getting their latest fix of one of modern literature's most talked-about authors. (Dawn)

With the Bank of Japan deciding to weaken the yen and double the country's monetary base, investors have turned to markets that stand to benefit from this policy shift in Tokyo, Cambridge, Mass. based fund trackers EPFR Global said Friday. (Forbes)

A week after Japan's central bank started a massive bond-buying campaign to drive down yields in the country's quadrillion-yen government-bond market, yields instead have risen, a sign of the huge headwinds the bank faces in its push to end 15 years of deflation. (Wall Street Journal)

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld high court rulings that the Japanese unit of British drugmaker AstraZeneca PLC bore no liability over fatal side effects caused by the lung cancer drug Iressa. (Japan Times)

In an ordinary week, an agreement about the Diaoyu / Senkaku Islands, a disputed area that has triggered a series of standoffs between China and Japan in recent years, would have been big news. (The Diplomat)

The UN's International Court of Justice has set dates for public hearings on Australia's challenge against Japan's whaling programme in Antarctica. (BBC)

Japan's Cabinet has approved a bill to address disparities in voter representation in Lower House electoral districts. (NHK)

Police in Oita said Friday that a body found in a rented storage container on Wednesday is that of an adult male who was apparently stabbed to death. (Japan Today)

The U.S. administration of President Barack Obama has approved Japan's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations, as the two countries reached agreement Friday on contentious issues in preparatory talks, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. (Kyodo)

North Korea reportedly warned Japan that Tokyo would be the first target if Pyongyang decides to play its nuclear card. (foxnews.com)

A strong magnitude-6.3 earthquake has hit western Japan, injuring at least 24 people and destroying some houses, but there is no risk of a tsunami. (abc.net.au)

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Japan on Saturday for a weeklong visit, her first trip to the country in 27 years, to request Tokyo's support for the ongoing democratization process in the Southeast Asian country in her meetings with Japanese leaders. (Kyodo)

An airman stationed at U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo was arrested in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka Saturday on charges of a theft. (Jiji Press)

A joint project to distribute electronic books to public libraries nationwide is set to be launched by the public and private sectors. (Yomiuri)

The United States on Friday said China's currency remains "significantly undervalued" and warned Japan and South Korea against weakening their currencies to gain a trade advantage. (Economic Times)

Japan's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations is expected to help the country propel its growth strategy, but it has cost the country several concessions in the auto and insurance sectors. (Yomiuri)

Latest Images