News On Japan

A car being chased by a police car slammed into another vehicle, leaving one woman dead, in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture, on Friday morning. (Japan Today)

Japan's Emperor and Empress have held a banquet for visiting French President Francois Hollande at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. (NHK)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government on Friday approved legislation to set up a national security council, moving to strengthen the premier's grip on foreign policy in the face of North Korean missile threats and a territorial dispute with China. (Reuters)

France's Francois Hollande was left red-faced in Tokyo on Friday after a slip of the tongue that saw him confuse his Japanese hosts with the Chinese. (inquirer.net)

The Japanese government responded cautiously Friday to a spike in the yen, with top officials expressing concern about the violence of the move but no overt worries about the level of the recently weakening currency. (New York Times)

"Cross the intersection before a policeman gives you a yellow card!" (Yomiuri)

Former national soccer team player Daisuke Oku has been arrested for allegedly making threats over the telephone. (Japan Times)

Britain's Prince Charles visited Japanese machine tool maker Yamazaki Mazak's factory in central England on Thursday to learn about its highly regarded training programs for young workers. (Japan Times)

Electronics retailer Yamada Denki Co. said Thursday it will close its store in Tianjin, China, by the end of June, two years after its June 2011 opening. (Yomiuri)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called on some of Japan's top chefs to cook for visiting French President Francois Hollande. (NHK)

Police in Chiba said Saturday that the glass door of a koban was smashed and a police baton stolen early in the morning on Friday. (Japan Today)

Japan's government will start test drilling for methane hydrate in the Sea of Japan on Saturday. The purpose is to extract natural gas from the frozen substance. (NHK)

Relatives of seven people killed in a rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district prayed and placed flowers at the scene of the crime on Saturday morning to mark the fifth anniversary of the tragedy. (Japan Today)

French President Francois Hollande has told business leaders in Japan that "the crisis in the eurozone is over" on his third and final day in the country. He also pledged to help establish an EU-Japan free trade accord. (Deutsche Welle)

A young Wales side survived a major scare as they held out for victory in the first Test of their summer tour of Japan. Harry Robinson scored a second-half try but Wales were out-scored two tries to one as Japan responded through Michael Broadhurst and Yoshikazu Fujita. (guardian.co.uk)

The commanding general of U.S. Army forces in Japan was suspended on Friday due to allegations he failed to properly investigate a sexual assault complaint, the Pentagon said. (chicagotribune.com)

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako reached the 20th anniversary of their marriage on Sunday. (Jiji Press)

A 28-year-old police officer in Osaka has been arrested for assaulting a police sergeant whom he was dating. (Japan Today)

Six children were injured when a small whirlwind suddenly sprang up on the grounds of a school in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Saturday. (Japan Today)

U.S. President Barack Obama urged his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to "de-escalate" a contentious territorial dispute with Japan and deal with the matter through diplomatic channels, Obama's national security adviser said on Saturday. (Reuters)

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