News On Japan

At least 15 backpackers from Japan and South Korea living in squalor in minibuses, a shipping container and a caravan, had to be rescued from a raging Sydney fire Wednesday. (Japan Today)

The lead author of two controversial STAP cell papers arrived Wednesday at an office of the government-affiliated Riken research institute in Kobe to participate in experiments to verify the findings of her research once touted as trailblazing. (Kyodo)

South Korean President Park Geun Hye, in an interview broadcast Wednesday, strongly criticized Japan for reviewing the process that led to the 1993 milestone statement on the "comfort women" wartime prostitution system under the former Japanese military. (Jiji Press)

A Japanese politician who claimed over 3 million yen (around US$30,000) in travel expenses without providing any supporting evidence has defended his actions in a dramatic and emotional display. (rocketnews24.com)

North Korea on Wednesday fired two short-range projectiles off its east coast Wednesday, the timing of which comes a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to visit South Korea. (Kyodo)

The approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet was down 4.3 points in a Kyodo News poll conducted after the government decided Tuesday to allow Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense. (Japan Times)

Japanese electronics maker NEC is eyeing rising global demand for satellites. The company has unveiled a new plant to produce satellites in Tokyo. (NHK)

A rising tide of strikes and demands for recompense is forcing Japanese companies to reconsider how they treat employees at their Chinese operations. (Nikkei)

An increasing number of farm sightseeing tours to Kameoka have sprung up due to their popularity among tourists from the United States. (Asahi)

Actor Ken Watanabe says he is ready for the challenge of a lifetime as he prepares for his first Broadway performance in "The King and I." (Japan Today)

Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty, will experiment with longer operating hours and take other steps in an effort to stem the losses at an indoor amusement park in Japan. (Nikkei)

A steam locomotive in the guise of Thomas the Tank Engine, the title character in a popular British TV series, was shown to the press on Wednesday morning. (The Japan News)

East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) announced Wednesday that it will begin a large-scale renovation of the square in front of Tokyo Station's Marunouchi side and its basement area ahead of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo. (The Japan News)

North Korea has handed Japan a list of at least 10 Japanese nationals who are said to be living in that country, including those believed to have been abducated by Pyongyang agents, The Nikkei learned Wednesday. (Nikkei)

The Japanese internet is exploding after a succession of high school girls in Fukuoka Prefecture disturbingly collapsed during school hours on Monday. Students who were at the scene took to their Twitter accounts to post updates as the bizarre spectacle unfolded. (rocketnews24.com)

A 47-year-old politician quickly became an Internet phenomenon Wednesday after crying like a toddler as he tried to explain his profligate use of public funds. (Japan Times)

Idol group AKB48 will resume hosting handshake events starting on July 5 with a large handshake event at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center. (rocketnews24.com)

Every July tourists flock to the Gion Festival in Kyoto for the chance to see a parade of sumptuously decorated floats pass through the heart of the city. (nippon.com)

Japanese brewers will release their longest-ever line-up of canned cocktails this summer as fizzy concoctions come to the fore in efforts to offset a decade of declining beer sales. (Reuters)

Japan will revoke some of its unilateral sanctions on North Korea, the prime minister announced Thursday, after talks on the Cold War kidnapping of Japanese nationals. (SBS)

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