News On Japan

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday endorsed a revision to the Self-Defense Forces law that would allow emergency transportation of Japanese and other nationals overseas using land vehicles. (Japan Times)

With margins shrinking for Japan's criminals, they're becoming more creative in their scams to separate people from their cash. The gullibility of many Japanese is rooted in the nation's traditionally low crime rate. (Deutsche Welle)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday the country will reduce the number of children on nursery waiting lists to zero by fiscal 2017 ending in March 2018. (Jiji Press)

Australia, New Zealand and Peru gave the green light to Japan joining the Trans-Pacific free trade negotiations, leaving Canada as the last country that has yet to give a nod, a Japanese minister said Friday. (Kyodo)

Japan has been shaken anew by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, located in Kuril Islands off the country's northern part. (ibtimes.com)

Jiroemon Kimura, the oldest man ever recorded, celebrated his 116th birthday Friday with a message from Japan's prime minister as health chiefs launched a study into why his home city boasts so many centenarians. (Raw Story)

Under huge pressure from Japanese working mothers, the prime minister says he will aim to have enough openings at day-care centers for all children within a few years. (NHK)

US aviation regulators have approved Boeing's plan to fix its troubled 787 Dreamliner passenger jet, paving the way for the jet's return to commercial service. (NHK)

Ice cream maker and distributor Haagen Dazs Japan Inc. will close its last shop, located in Chiba Prefecture, next Thursday, company officials said. (Yomiuri)

A popular air show has cancelled plans to stage a re-enactment of the devastating World War II atomic bomb attack on Japan after protests, officials said Thursday. (The Star)

Japanese health officials say the bird flu virus spreading in China could develop into a worldwide pandemic. (NHK)

The nation's first hydrogen refueling station to be integrated with a gas station opened Friday in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, playing a part in the spread of "ultimate eco-friendly" fuel cell cars. (Yomiuri)

A woman was slashed on her leg while traveling on the JR Yamanote line in Tokyo on Friday morning. (Japan Today)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with the leaders of three powerful business associations Friday to ask them to support new employment measures to improve working conditions for women and revamp the university student job-hunting process. (Yomiuri)

Finance ministers from the world's largest economies endorsed Japan's recently launched easy-money policy Friday, downplaying previous concerns that the strategy could give Japan an unfair trade advantage. (USA Today)

Five-time defending champions Japan got off to a flying start in the Asian Five Nations rugby tournament by scoring a humiliating 121-0 victory over the promoted Philippines on Saturday. (france24.com)

Japan's Toyota Motor says it will start making its Lexus luxury cars in the United States in 2015. (NHK)

There's no evidence a new bird flu strain is spreading easily among people in China even though there may be sporadic cases of the virus spreading to people who have close contacts with patients, the World Health Organization says. (Washington Post)

Only 6.7 pct of Japanese are using electronic book readers, a Jiji Press survey in March revealed. (Jiji Press)

The Pacific Ocean Wall, a popular free-climbing wall on Tokyo's Miyakejima island of the Izu Islands chain, was badly damaged by Wednesday's earthquake, whose shocks reverberated among the climbing community. (Yomiuri)

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