News On Japan

Police said Wednesday they are looking for a man who assaulted a 21-year-old female university student in Chiba. (Japan Today)

Experts are concerned about a non-indigenous lizard found on one of the Ogasawara Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site. (NHK)

Japan's consumer confidence in March improved for the 3rd straight month to hit the highest level in almost 6 years. (NHK)

Japanese researchers say they have successfully killed cells blamed for causing a type of leukemia common in adults. They say the discovery brings a complete cure for the disease closer. (NHK)

The Kamakura municipal government in Kanagawa Prefecture is selling the naming rights of three beaches in the city to cover the cost of their maintenance. (Yomiuri)

Two Chinese naval ships were spotted in high seas off Miyakojima island, Okinawa Prefecture, on Tuesday afternoon, the Defense Ministry's Joint Staff said Wednesday. (Yomiuri)

The Democratic Party of Japan and three other opposition parties boycotted Diet discussions Wednesday, criticizing the ruling camp for its handling of a bill aimed at correcting vote-value disparities in the House of Representatives. (Yomiuri)

New Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda will face a test of his ability to persuade at a meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Washington, where he will have to explain that Japan's drastic monetary easing policy is designed to end deflation, not target exchange rates. (Yomiuri)

Daisuke Kitagawa turned 20 last month, but he does not know that. He has been in a coma since 2008, after a bad fall at a school judo competition, and his chance of waking up is extremely slim. He dreamed of becoming a police officer, but he never made it past the first month of high school. (New York Times)

Some 70 pct of Web sites with illegal or harmful content in Japan were having advertising revenues, a National Police Agency report showed Thursday. (Jiji Press)

For Toru Oki, 61, his two titles -- musician and therapy-dog trainer -- are one and the same. "Music is my job, whereas therapy is my lifework," he said, before adding that both are borderless activities. (Kyodo)

A ship loaded with nuclear fuel has left a French port for Japan, carrying the first delivery since the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (NHK)

Japan's Toyota Motor says global sales of its hybrid vehicles topped 5-million units. That's in cumulative terms since its first hybrid model, the Prius, was launched back in 1997. (NHK)

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has suggested that she's willing to become the country's president to spearhead reforms. (NHK)

The planned trilateral summit involving Japan, China and South Korea is likely to be held in June or later, not in late May as originally sought, due to China's calls for host Seoul to postpone the annual leaders' meeting, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Japan's trade deficit more than quadrupled on year to $3.7 billion in March, government data shows. (SBS)

The Japanese government decided Wednesday to set up special economic zones mainly in the metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, where drastic deregulation and preferential tax measures will be implemented in line with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policy, dubbed Abenomics. (Jiji Press)

Japan's Nikkei share average dropped 1.2 per cent on Thursday as Apple-linked shares came under pressure on concerns of slowing sales of the iPhone maker's products, while global growth worries dampened the appeal of exporters. (Economic Times)

A small rise in Japanese exports, improving business confidence and surging investment flows demonstrated early successes for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's radical pro-growth strategy, but firms have yet to see signs of a sustained boost to economic activity. (Reuters)

A ruling Liberal Democratic Party tourism committee compiled a set of proposals to the government Thursday to ease visa requirements in order to lift the number of foreign visitors to Japan. (Kyodo)

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