News On Japan

Japan and the European Union have launched negotiations on concluding an economic partnership agreement. (Yomiuri)

The Chinese government, in a national defense white paper released on Tuesday, slammed Japan over the Japanese-controlled East China Sea islands. (Jiji Press)

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun moving contaminated water from leaking underground storage pools to tanks above ground. (NHK)

Tourists flocked to a high mountain route in central Japan on Tuesday after it opened for the spring sightseeing season. The route is closed in winter. (NHK)

A player from Nippon Pro Baseball’s Central League recently tweeted: “Even though I barely touched the ball, it carried into the stands. It reminded me of the era before the uniform ball was introduced. ”Shukan Post (Apr. 24) reports that balls are flying out of parks in Japan at a record pace. (Tokyo Reporter)

More than 35,000 software applications targeting smartphone users in Japan have been found to be dangerous due to concerns such as misuse of personal information, a study by Netagent Co., a Tokyo-based information security company, showed Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Osaka District Court rejected a lawsuit on Tuesday that called for an injunction to stop operations at the No. 3 and No. 4 nuclear reactors at the Oi power plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. (Jiji Press)

The chief of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said in congressional testimony Tuesday that the agency has finished all necessary testing for approving a redesigned battery system for the troubled Boeing 787 Dreamliner. (Kyodo)

Luxury brands are in danger of neglecting prospects in Japan as they chase consumers in China, a new study from L2, the thinktank, has warned. (warc.com)

Japan will continue to financially assist Myanmar's democratization efforts, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said at a meeting with Myanmarese prodemocracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Tokyo on Tuesday. (Jiji Press)

The International Monetary Fund sharply raised its economic growth estimate for Japan in a report released Tuesday, saying the central banks' new monetary easing policy will provide substantial stimulus. (Japan Times)

One China defender recently claimed his countryman's "bandit innovators" could be good for the world. That was small consolation for the Japanese, who say that China pirated their world-famous bullet train technology. (Fortune)

The president and chief executive of Japanese electronics giant Panasonic will have their salaries halved as part of a move to take the blame for the firm's financial woes, the company said Wednesday. (Global Post)

Japan's Nikkei share average rose on Wednesday, recouping some of the recent sharp losses, helped by demand for exporters as the yen resumed its recent weakening trend after U.S. stocks and gold prices rebounded. (Reuters)

Tokyo Gov Naoki Inose says the metropolitan government is planning to introduce a 24-hour bus service between Roppongi and Shibuya on a trial basis sometime this year. (Japan Today)

Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets were forced to scramble 567 times in fiscal 2012, which ended in March, the first number above 500 times in 22 years, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday. (Jiji Press)

North Korea is becoming less provocative, even as the country is widely believed to be preparing to test-launch a ballistic missile in defiance of international pressure, Japan's government spokesman said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako will visit the Netherlands to attend the coronation of the new Dutch king this month, Imperial Household Agency sources said Wednesday. (Jiji Press)

More than a dozen earthquakes, one of them magnitude 6.2, rocked a volcanic island south of Tokyo Wednesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. (Channel NewsAsia)

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 jolted northeastern Japan on Wednesday but no tsunami warning was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. (Reuters)

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