News On Japan

Japan's nuclear regulator is considering stricter safety measures for the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant, which is being decommissioned. (NHK)

Negotiations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact meeting that began here July 5 have effectively reached agreement in two areas-labor issues and quarantines related to the safety of imported food. The talks will run through Saturday. (The Japan News)

Office rents in downtown Tokyo climbed for the sixth consecutive month as vacancy rates hit a five-year low amid robust demand for office space. (Nikkei)

Automaker Honda said on Thursday it was recalling about 175,000 vehicles in Japan due to on-board software problems that resulted in 11 minor accidents. (channelnewsasia.com)

A special committee of the Legislative Council has adopted a draft report that requires police and prosecutors to implement video recording of the entire interrogation process for cases handled by lay judges, as well as independent investigations by prosecutors' offices. (The Japan News)

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was taken to task on social media Thursday for tweeting a "cringe-worthy" photo of himself with Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe posing by a giant tire. (Japan Today)

Tokyo is rolling out the red carpet for Hollywood's "Godzilla" remake although the nation that gave birth to the fire-breathing monster is seeing the latest movie after it opened everywhere else. (chron.com)

Many ordinary Japanese may have royal blood running in their veins. For nearly half a century, imperial family members have donated blood in nationwide drives and are credited with helping the endeavor enjoy the success it does today. (Asahi)

Shipments of beer and beer-like drinks in Japan hit a record low for the first 6 months of the year. (NHK)

Tokyo prosecutors indicted two former and one current executives of a Tokyo consulting firm without arrest on Thursday, alleging they paid tens of millions of yen in kickbacks to Vietnamese government officials over a railway project in the Southeast Asian country covered by Japan's official development assistance program. (Jiji Press)

A Japanese IT firm running an online study program is suspected of using personal data leaked from education company Benesse to send direct mail. (NHK)

From December of last year until this February, Tottori City held an open call for mascot ideas for a character to represent the Tottori Castle ruins. The ruins were named one of Japan's 100 notable castles and have enjoyed an influx of tourists. (rocketnews24.com)

"Welcome!" two young women in shorts and Hawaiian shirts chime over the clatter of pinballs and J-pop at the entrance to Million pachinko parlor in Tokyo's Suginami district. (businessweek.com)

Tokyo's metropolitan government and police together with the health ministry carried out on-site inspections of shops suspected of selling quasi-legal narcotics in the Japanese capital Thursday. (Jiji Press)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday Japan will provide 20 billion yen in official development assistance to Papua New Guinea over the next three years. (Jiji Press)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of an employee at a sex-guide booth in Toshima Ward for providing a teenager with "skills training" to be a prostitute, reports the Sankei Shimbun (July 8). (Tokyo Reporter)

Torrential rain brought by Typhoon Neoguri caused mudslides at a mountain town in central Japan on Wednesday, killing a boy. Houses and a railway were washed away. (NHK)

In the latest sign of tension between South Korea and Japan, the luxury Lotte Hotel in Seoul has refused to hold a reception by the Japanese embassy to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. (Japan Today)

A Hyogo prefectural assemblyman resigned July 11 after capturing global attention for screaming and wailing at a news conference that was held to explain his dubious expenditures. (Asahi)

Fast Retailing Co., Asia's biggest clothing retailer, cut its annual profit forecast for a second time this fiscal year after suffering losses at its J Brand premium denim unit in the United States. (Japan Times)

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