News On Japan

Japan is reportedly facing a surge in its population of snapping turtles - threatening some of the country's fragile ecosystems as well as its people's fingers. (BBC)

A Japanese scientist who co-authored controversial research papers on so-called STAP cells has died in an apparent suicide attempt. (NHK)

Japan imposed additional sanctions Tuesday on Russia for its ongoing infringement of Ukrainian sovereignty through continued support of pro-Russian separatists following the downing of a Malaysia Airlines jet last month. (Kyodo)

The latest edition of the "Yokai Watch" series for the Nintendo 3DS video game console has become this year's first million-selling hit among available video game titles. (The Japan News)

South Korea on Tuesday slammed Japan's "ludicrous" reassertion of its claim to a set of disputed islets in a new defence white paper, warning it would further strain relations. (Japan Today)

The nation's food self-sufficiency rate in fiscal 2013, which ended in March, remained at 39 percent on a calorie basis for the fourth straight year, the farm ministry said Tuesday. (The Japan News)

All seven of Japan's big automakers posted higher net profits for the April-June quarter, overcoming the initial blow from a Japanese sales tax hike and a loss of thrust from a weak yen. (Nikkei)

A 16-year-old Japanese schoolgirl who allegedly confessed to decapitating a classmate kept a severed cat head in her refrigerator, a report said Tuesday. (The West)

Sprint Corp. is ending its pursuit of T-Mobile US Inc., after the company and parent SoftBank Corp. decided it would be too difficult to win approval from regulators, people familiar with the matter said. (Nikkei)

Skymark Airlines Inc., Japan's third-largest carrier, which is facing demands for as much as Y70 billion in penalties from Airbus Group NV in connection with the failed purchase of superjumbos, will stop serving Narita International Airport, NHK reported Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Japanese shares dropped to a six-week closing low on Wednesday as tensions over Ukraine hit global equities, and SoftBank Corp tumbled after its U.S. subsidiary Sprint Corp abandoned its bid to acquire T-Mobile U.S. Inc. (Reuters)

Hiroshima is marking the 69th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the city during World War Two. (NHK)

The Japanese and the U.S. governments said Tuesday they have made some progress in a two-day working-level meeting on agricultural tariff issues linked to the ongoing negotiations on a multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement. (Jiji Press)

Line Corp said on Wednesday that it is investing 10 billion yen ($97.5 million) in a new mobile game development fund, as the Japan-based social messaging service firm seeks to bolster its gaming sector and expand its overseas business. (investing.com)

The JR Chuo Line resumed full operations Wednesday morning about one month after a mud slide hit Nagiso in early July. (The Japan News)

Actress Aya Ueto has been named the TV commercial queen for the first six months of 2014. (Japan Today)

If you've been on the internet this week, you've probably seen this smiling face already. This shiba inu, cleverly named Shiba, mans-er, dogs?-the counter at a little cigarette shop in the Musashi-Koganei neighborhood of Tokyo. (rocketnews24.com)

The Chinese government said Wednesday its investigation on the use of out-of-date meat at a factory in Shanghai so far has found no problems in products that the supplier exported to Japan. (Jiji Press)

Fukuoka Prefectural Police on Wednesday applied fresh charges to a married couple, both of whom are in custody for murder, for the killing of a relative of the wife, reports Nippon News Network (Aug. 6). (Tokyo Reporter)

Fuel inside the No.3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant began melting earlier than thought, and more fuel than previously estimated fell into the outer primary container after the cooling function failed following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, a new analysis showed Wednesday. (Kyodo)

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