News On Japan

Around 300 tons of groundwater containing radioactive substances could be flowing from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex into the adjacent Pacific Ocean, the government said Wednesday in the latest revelation of how Japan is still struggling to contain the 2011 nuclear disaster. (Kyodo)

Police in Chiba Prefecture are asking for the public's help in locating a 17-year-old girl who went missing last month. (Japan Today)

Police said Thursday they have arrested the 59-year-old driver of a crane involved in a hit-and-run that killed an 11-year-old girl in Osaka. (Japan Today)

The Bank of Japan on Thursday maintained its ultraloose monetary policy introduced in April and left unchanged its assessment of the national economy that it is "starting to recover moderately," after upgrading the view for seven consecutive months. (Kyodo)

Japan's food self-sufficiency rate remained at 39 pct for the third straight year in fiscal 2012 that ended in March in terms of the amount of calories consumed, the agriculture ministry said Thursday. (Jiji Press)

The government approved a medium-term fiscal reform plan Thursday, pledging to narrow Japan's budget deficit by 17 trillion yen over the next two years, but offered no specifics on how to improve public finances with a decision yet to be made on a sales tax hike. (Kyodo)

Tokyo summoned Beijing's envoy on Thursday after Chinese government ships entered Japanese territorial waters near islands at the centre of a bitter row between the Asian giants. (france24.com)

Two Osaka firemen were suspended from duty for six months on Tuesday for appearing in multiple gay adult video (AV) productions. (Tokyo Reporter)

Japanese government bonds pared early losses on Thursday, driven by a sharp downward reversal in Tokyo's Nikkei share average in thin and volatile trade that saw the index end at 6-week lows. (Reuters)

By refraining from adding further to its unprecedented monetary stimulus, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) has signaled increasing confidence in the nation's economic recovery, analysts told CNBC. (cnbc.com)

Departing U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos sent a reassuring message Thursday to the people of the Tohoku region still struggling after the March 2011 disasters struck, using the Japanese word "ganbatte" to encourage them on. (Japan Times)

Unusually warm summer sea temperatures in the Pacific off Hokkaido in northern Japan are bringing a rare catch of bluefin tuna to the area. (NHK)

American film director Oliver Stone has challenged the commonly held U.S. perception that the 1945 atomic bombing of Japan ended World War II - saving a huge number of American lives in the process - as "a tremendous lie" during his visit to Hiroshima through Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Tired dog lovers who think their pet pooch is yawning right along with them may just be right, according to a Japanese study. (ctvnews.ca)

Japan's prime minister Thursday ordered his government to find "multiple, speedy and sure" ways to stop the spread of radioactive groundwater around the meltdown-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, including freezing the surrounding ground. (CNN)

Police have arrested a man in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, for the alleged murder of his wife. (Japan Today)

TOKYO stocks have ended flat after zigzagging in and out of positive territory, with market heavyweight Nikon diving on a big drop in the camera giant's quarterly profit. (news.com.au)

An estimated 16,000 computers in Japan may be infected with the same type of virus used to commit online bank fraud involving stolen user IDs and passwords, according to a police source. (Japan Times)

The Meteorological Agency issued a false alarm shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, warning that a strong earthquake was about to hit Nara and Osaka prefectures. It turned out to be a mild tremor. (Japan Times)

Nagasaki's mayor has criticized Japan's government for failing to sign on to an international nuclear disarmament effort as the country marked the 68th anniversary Friday of the atomic bombing of his city. (washingtonpost.com)

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