News On Japan

Police in Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, are investigating the murder of a man in his 30s who was found stabbed to death in an apartment. (Japan Today)

Kimiko Date-Krumm, who turns 44 this month, and partner Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic reached their first Grand Slam semifinal as a duo when they won their women's doubles quarterfinal at the U.S. Open on Wednesday. (The Japan News)

A packet of seasoning sold at an Oita city supermarket on Tuesday was found to have traces of poisonous fugu fish in it. (Japan Today)

The approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet has risen to 54.9 percent following Wednesday's reshuffle, a Kyodo News survey found, up from 49.8 percent in the previous poll in early August. (Kyodo)

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda called on the government Thursday to raise the consumption tax from 8 pct to 10 pct as planned for October 2015. (Jiji Press)

Riken will launch a full investigation of the two STAP cell articles published by its research team and later retracted after the Japanese government-affiliated institute accused the lead author of misconduct, the institute said Thursday. (Jiji Press)

The Asahi Shimbun newspaper said Wednesday that it will publish a column by journalist Akira Ikegami about the major daily's recent extensive review of its past "comfort women" reports - reversing its earlier rejection of the article. (Japan Times)

Mazda Motor Corp. unveiled a new version of its iconic MX-5 Miata sports car Thursday for the first time in nine years, counting on the model to help sustain rising sales. (Japan Times)

The censorship action taken by police last month at an Aichi museum showing photos of a photographer's genitals constitutes a human rights violation and highlights the nation's shift toward a more controlling society, the artist said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Japan, the United States and other countries concerned reached an agreement Thursday to halve catches of immature Pacific bluefin tuna beginning in 2015. (Jiji Press)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government closed part of Yoyogi Park on Thursday after confirming that mosquitoes caught in traps earlier this week were carrying the dengue virus, metropolitan officials said. (Japan Times)

The U.S. dollar briefly hit a near six-year high of around 105.70 yen Friday morning in Tokyo on growing optimism that a U.S. Labor Department report due later in the day will show continuing strength in the world's largest economy. (Kyodo)

Police have arrested the 79-year-old driver of a car that plowed into a 7-Eleven convenience store in Higashi-Osaka on Friday morning. A store employee was killed and a customer injured, police said. (Japan Today)

Japan will push nuclear operators to draft plans to scrap a quarter of the country's 48 reactors, which are either too old or too costly to upgrade to meet new standards imposed after the Fukushima disaster, the Nikkei reported on Friday. (Reuters)

Tokyo stocks ended flat on Friday, losing early gains driven by the yen hitting a six-year low against the dollar and the European Central Bank's surprise rate cut. (The Standard)

Japan's first lady says she has such a busy schedule that sometimes it's up to the prime minister to do the dishes or take out the garbage. (abcnews.go.com)

Fast Retailing Co. is ready for war. The clothing maker's battle begins Saturday, when world No. 1 Novak Djokovic takes on 10th-seed Kei Nishikori in the U.S. Open semifinal. (Japan Times)

Heavy rainfall was reported in the northern part of Kyoto Prefecture early Friday morning, prompting local governments to issue evacuation advisories to more than 30,000 people, NHK reported Friday. (Japan Times)

A man who had not recently visited Yoyogi Park in central Tokyo or traveled abroad has been confirmed infected with dengue fever, the government said Friday. (Nikkei)

Ho Jong Man, chairman of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, left Tokyo International Airport at Haneda on Friday to visit North Korea. (Jiji Press)

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