News On Japan

Bridge builders and artisans who toiled under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate designed spans that were more than just aesthetically pleasing--they were built to last and endure heavy loads. (Asahi)

The survival rate of Japanese golden eagle chicks has been halved over the past 30 years because the forestry industry's decline has affected the hunting grounds of the endangered species, environmental experts say. (Asahi)

The manager of a dating service company and nine others have been arrested on suspicion of defrauding a woman by demanding money to erase her e-mail address from where they claimed it had been leaked online. (The Japan News)

The government should begin to study the possibility of preparing economy-boosting measures before implementing a planned additional consumption tax increase from 8 percent to 10 percent in October 2015, Finance Minister Taro Aso said Friday. (The Japan News)

East Japan Railway Co. plans to take part in the international bidding as early as this fall to choose railcars for a planned high-speed railway line in California, offering Japan's bullet train technology, JR East sources said Friday. (Kyodo)

Economic Revitalization Minister Akira Amari says if the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks fail to reach a broad agreement by the end of this year, the talks will continue for a long time. (NHK)

The compound of Matsumoto Castle in central Japan is now open for free in the evenings to allow visitors to enjoy the harvest moon. (NHK)

About 803,900 people worldwide are estimated to have killed themselves in 2012, a World Health Organization report revealed Thursday. (The Japan News)

A 36-year-old woman and three minors have been charged with inflicting bodily injury resulting in death after the body of a 17-year-old girl was found in the closet of an apartment in Iyo, Ehime Prefecture, last month. (Japan Today)

Japanese researchers have developed a two-legged robot that can run like a human. (NHK)

The Japanese economy appears to be recovering more slowly than anticipated, as bad weather kept would-be shoppers at home and wages failed to keep pace with rising prices. (Nikkei)

Japan's new welfare minister tasked with reforming the country's 110 trillion yen pension fund is a Harvard-educated former central banker with a sharp sense of the reforms that markets want to see and a willingness to buck the system. (Japan Today)

Police are looking for a woman who is suspected of being involved in 20 purse-snatching cases in Tokyo. In all cases, the suspect has been described as being a young woman with long hair and wearing a long one-piece dress, police said. (Japan Today)

IMPHAL, India--Rusting helmets and rifles, water canteens with kanji characters and photos of loved ones: They are among the few relics of the Battle of Imphal, fought here 70 years ago at a cost of more than 30,000 Japanese lives. (Asahi)

Rakuten Inc. is finalizing negotiations to acquire major U.S. cashback shopping site operator Ebates Inc., informed sources said Saturday. (The Japan News)

The government may make requests to NHK that affect its international services by promoting state views on political issues, Sanae Takaichi, new minister of internal affairs and communications, said. (Japan Times)

On August 28, troubled musician Aska plead guilty to charges of drug use and possession in the Tokyo District Court. (Tokyo Reporter)

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Saturday that Bangladesh will abandon its bid for a nonpermanent seat on the U.N. Security Council for the 2016-2017 term and support Japan's candidacy. (Kyodo)

US police have arrested a 46-year-old man on suspicion of murdering his Japanese wife, who was found dead in California in 2007. (NHK)

Two elementary school girls, aged 11 and 12, apparently jumped to their deaths from an apartment building in Tokyo's Ota Ward, police said Saturday. (Japan Today)

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