News On Japan

With speed taking priority over capacity, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) will retire all double-decker Shinkansen trains that have carried commuters to and from Tokyo for 30 years. (Asahi)

The world's leading industrialised nations vowed today to seal a series of free-trade deals that would radically change the shape of global commerce despite rising popular opposition. (themalaymailonline.com)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gained support from his Group of Seven colleagues on Thursday for a recent deal between Japan and North Korea over Pyongyang's past abductions of Japanese nationals. (Jiji Press)

Sapporo Breweries Ltd. will end sales of its Goku Zero as a third-segment beerlike beverage, after receiving notice from tax authorities that the product may not fit into the category, which is subject to a lower tax rate than beer or other quasi-beer products. (The Japan News)

George Takei said he needed courage and anger to come out as gay and to join the equal rights movement for sexual minorities in the U.S., and he hopes his Japanese counterparts will do the same to make their society more equal. (Japan Today)

Pink hair. Ripped jeans. Bling. Meet Japan's "Neo Gals," part Americana, part Tokyo, and lots and lots of bleach. (kotaku.com)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won support from leaders of other Group of Seven nations on Wednesday for the freedoms of navigation and overflight, as well as the importance of the rule of law. (standard.net)

Major Japanese telecom operator Softbank says it will start selling human-like robots early next year. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police earlier this week arrested the Nigerian manager of a night club in the Roppongi entertainment area who had fled Japan last year, reports TV Asahi (June 5). (Tokyo Reporter)

Tokyo stocks have closed flat with investors unmoved by the European Central Bank's launch of unprecedented easing measures to ward off deflation in the eurozone. (tradingroom.com.au)

Police in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, are looking for a man who lured a 6-year-old boy into a shopping center toilet and molested him before fleeing the scene. (Japan Today)

China used the 70th anniversary of World War Two's D-Day landings on Friday to praise Germany for its contrition over its wartime past and slam Japan for what Beijing views as Tokyo's continued denial of its brutal history. (Japan Today)

The price of fish frequently consumed in the home has risen in line with poor catches and the growing popularity of sushi worldwide, squeezing budgets for both businesses and households. (The Japan News)

In a move sure to disappoint fans of Japanese cuisine, an international group of wildlife researchers may determine next week that the Japanese eel is at risk of extinction. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital gave 63 children a powerful anesthetic over a five-year period through 2013 that was banned for use with children, the university said. (Japan Times)

A Japanese transport ministry panel said Friday that it is possible to increase the total annual number of arrival and departure slots at two international airports in the Tokyo area by up to 79,000 from the current level of 717,000 in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. (Jiji Press)

Chinese-affiliated low-cost carrier Spring Airlines Japan said Friday that it will postpone until Aug. 1 flights on three routes linking Narita Airport with Saga, Hiroshima and Takamatsu. (Nikkei)

Police in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, said Friday they have arrested a 47-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after he stabbed his 15-year-old daughter. (Japan Today)