News On Japan

Japan and North Korea held unofficial talks in Shenyang, China, on Monday on the sidelines of a meeting of the Red Cross societies of the two countries, with a Japanese source indicating Tokyo raised the abduction issue in the talks. (Jiji Press)

There is no reason for concern that plutonium held by Japan could be diverted for nuclear arms purposes, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Monday, after objections raised by China in another dispute between the east Asian neighbours. (Reuters)

In Japan's underworld of organised crime, there is of course the infamous Yakuza, but there are also foreign nationals, including Iranians. For more than two decades now, they have been dealing drugs on behalf of the lower rungs of Japanese criminals. An Iranian with insider knowledge of these activities explains how this came about. (france24.com)

Japan Post Co. on Monday began selling stamps and postcards for the new postal fees that will go into effect on April 1 in line with the consumption tax rate hike the same day. (The Japan News)

Japan's Nikkei average clawed higher on Tuesday, snapping four days of losses as some foreign investors scooped up battered shares, although concerns over mounting tensions in Ukraine kept the market on edge. (business-standard.com)

One man was killed and three others were injured or robbed late Monday night on streets in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, some 30 kilometers northeast of downtown Tokyo, in what appear to be random street attacks, police said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

North Korea fired seven projectiles into waters off its eastern coast Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing South Korea's Defense Ministry. (Kyodo)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has encouraged Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to take positive moves to speedily resolve Iran's nuclear issue. (NHK)

Evacuees from a village near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have drafted a plan to start rebuilding with solar power and public housing. (NHK)

Tokyo District Court on Wednesday found a sister of former House of Representatives lawmaker Takeshi Tokuda guilty of violating the public offices election law in his campaign for the 2012 Lower House poll. (Jiji Press)

In his speech at a U.N. meeting Wednesday, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se criticized Japan over so-called comfort women, who were forced into prostitution for Japanese soldiers during the wartime, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said. (Jiji Press)

Japanese commercial music juggernaut AKB48 is looking to build on its wildly successful all-girl group by adding a more mature member to its teen-dominated line-up, an advert released Wednesday said. (digitaljournal.com)

Bathing is a ritualised and highly-prized activity in Japan and the footbaths are intended as places for passengers to relax rather than to clean their feet. (khaleejtimes.com)

Kabuki actors have signed autographs for charity to help rebuild Japan's northeast, which was ravaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (NHK)

Following the collapse of Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, Japanese regulators are laying down the law -- and considering treating the digital currency in the same manner as gold. (ZDNet)

China took reporters on Thursday on an unusual trip to a camp which housed Western prisoners of the Japanese in World War Two, a further sign of Beijing broadening efforts to drive a wedge between the West and Japan over its wartime past. (Reuters)

Saitama prefectural police have arrested five men for their involvement in a case in which an 18-year-old girl was held captive and then forced into prostitution. (Japan Today)

The world's oldest woman was celebrating her 116th birthday on Wednesday in a Japanese nursing home with a cake and candles. (inquirer.net)

Japan's tallest building will open tomorrow in Osaka, as Asia's third-biggest metropolitan economy aims to lure tourists and stem businesses from moving to Tokyo. (BusinessWeek)

Japan's Nikkei share average jumped to a five-week high on Thursday as investors took heart from news about the world's largest pension fund's allocation plan, and as a weaker yen boosted shares of exporters. (Reuters)

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