News On Japan

Police said Tuesday they are looking for the driver of a car that hit a police officer on a motorbike, and then kept going. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday it has won backing from two municipal governments to apply for a safety assessment of its idled nuclear reactors in Niigata Prefecture. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday it is struggling in its latest efforts to stop radioactive groundwater from flowing into the sea at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. (Japan Times)

A government panel proposed Tuesday to raise the average hourly minimum wage by 14 yen to 763 yen in fiscal 2013, the largest hike in three years, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aiming for his economic stimulus to spill over into workers' pay. (Kyodo)

Japanese household budgets for this year's summer holidays have risen for the first time in three years thanks to a pickup in the economy, a survey by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. revealed Tuesday. (Jiji Press)

Authorities have suspended their search for a missing crew member in a U.S. military helicopter that crashed in Okinawa after human remains were found at the site. (CNN)

One of Japan's popular summer events, the Tanabata Festival, is enthralling spectators with thousands of colorful bamboo poles. (NHK)

Tokyo stocks have plunged 4.0 per cent as selling pressure soared because of a stronger yen and after growing jitters over a likely pullback of the US stimulus dragged Wall Street lower. (tradingroom.com.au)

Japan's health ministry has instructed a pharmaceutical company, Novartis Pharma, to caution consumers against the side effects of a drug used to treat high blood pressure. (NHK)

A 6-year-old boy died after being hit by a truck in Yokohama, police said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Japan has unveiled its biggest warship since the Second World War, leading to fears that the conflict over disputed islands between it and China could escalate. (independent.co.uk)

The Democratic Party of Japan and four other opposition parties issued a joint statement Wednesday urging Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso to step down or be dismissed over his remarks referring to Nazi Germany in regard to how to revise the Constitution. (Kyodo)

Over the past few weeks, news reports have said that the seven suspects being held on murder and robbery charges related to the beating death of a 16-year-old girl in Hiroshima Prefecture were engaged in an "entertainment" business. (Tokyo Reporter)

Your Party decided Wednesday to replace Kenji Eda as the midsize opposition party's secretary-general, on the back of disagreement within the party over a possible realignment of Japan's opposition forces. (Jiji Press)

Average summer bonuses that major Japanese companies agreed to pay rose for the first time in two years in 2013, a private-sector survey showed Wednesday. (Jiji Press)

The Bank of Japan is expected to maintain its massive monetary stimulus on Thursday as its board debates whether growing bright signs from prices and the job market justify offering a rosier view on the economy. (Reuters)

The average retail price of regular gasoline in Japan as of Monday topped 160 yen per liter for the first time since October 2008, government data showed Wednesday. (Jiji Press)

Empress Michiko has honored two nurses who have dedicated themselves to helping victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. (NHK)

The Great Buddha statue in the ancient capital of Nara in western Japan has been cleaned up in an annual, mid-summer ritual. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the industry ministry on Wednesday to take appropriate measures to tackle the "urgent issue" of radioactive water building up at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. (Reuters)

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