News On Japan

Japan has made a list of some 470 citizens who are believed to have been abducted by the North Korean security services and filed it to Pyongyang, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported Sunday, citing Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. (voiceofrussia.com)

Japan's economy grew at a quicker pace than estimated in the first quarter, as business spending increased more than previously reported. (Sydney Morning Herald)

A fire destroyed most of a three-story commercial building in the shopping area near JR Okachimachi station on Monday morning. (Japan Today)

On May 20 at approximately 6:20 p.m., emergency personnel were summoned to an apartment in the Lions Mansion Shinjuku building in Shinjuku Ward. (Tokyo Reporter)

As a police helicopter circled overhead to keep a watchful eye on scores of anti-World Cup demonstrators outside the stadium, over 5,000 fans turned out to watch Japan's first practice session Sunday, a day after the Asian champions arrived in Brazil for soccer's showpiece tournament. (Japan Times)

Japanese shares climbed to a three-month high on Monday following a solid U.S. May jobs report, with investors rotating into growth-sensitive stocks from defensive ones. (Reuters)

Chiba prefectural police said Monday that they have arrested an American man after he made his way onto a restricted area of the tarmac. According to police, the man was approached by a police officer and then struck him, TBS reported. (Japan Today)

The number of people who have contracted syphilis reached 548 as of May 25, on pace to top last year's mark of 1,226 cases, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. (Asahi)

Sony has overtaken Nintendo for the first time in eight years, based on the total number of game consoles sold. (BBC)

Prosecutors on Monday asked the Tokyo District Court to sentence former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Naoko Kikuchi to seven years in prison for her role in the 1995 parcel bomb attack on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, saying she deserved "the heaviest punishment possible." (Japan Times)

Officials with the operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant say the water level inside the No.2 reactor's containment vessel is about half what they had estimated. (NHK)

As one of the Tokyo's current large-scale urban redevelopment projects, another new skyscraper complex is going to open in 2 days in central Tokyo. (akihabaranews.com)

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has announced a set of measures against porcine epidemic diarrhea, or PED. (The Japan News)

Undeterred by heavy security and pouring rain, AKB48 fans elected Mayu Watanabe as their favorite member at the popular all-girl group's annual "general election" event held Saturday. (The Japan News)

The government pledged Monday to drastically expand the budget to tackle the low birthrate and keep Japan's population at around 100 million in 50 years' time, according to the outline of its new economic and fiscal policy blueprint unveiled Monday. (Kyodo)

Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko, and other members of the Imperial family have bid farewell to Prince Katsura, who died at a Tokyo hospital on Sunday. (NHK)

Police in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, said Monday that an elementary school principal has been arrested for taking photos in a women's toilet at the school. (Japan Today)

Uniqlo will increase prices on many items by an estimated 5% or so at its Japanese clothing stores from August amid climbing procurement costs. (Nikkei)

On May 1, officers from the Nishi Arai Police Station announced the bust of a high-profile Korean hostess club in Tokyo's Akasaka entertainment district for violating immigration control laws. (Tokyo Reporter)

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton describes meeting the Japanese empress as a "rare honor," while also praising Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's statements on women's empowerment, in a memoir to be published Tuesday. (Kyodo)

Latest Images