News On Japan

A married couple have been arrested on suspicion of blackmailing a man who was baited into taking an upskirt photograph of the provocatively posed wife. (Asahi)

Seven more people in Japan have been confirmed to have dengue fever, raising the total number of cases to 103, the health ministry said Thursday. (Jiji Press)

Princess Kako dropped out of Gakushuin University in Tokyo at the end of August in the hope of entering another university, it was learned Thursday. (The Japan News)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks with Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda on Thursday amid increasing signs of headwinds in the face of efforts to revive the country's economy, with the central bank chief saying he would not hesitate to additionally ease monetary policy. (Kyodo)

A Tottori mascot that was ditched by the city three days after its July debut due to its depressing appearance has made a surprising - if somewhat controversial - comeback. (Japan Times)

Defending Asian Cup champion Japan will host 2011 runner-up Australia in an international friendly ahead of the 2015 event. (Japan Today)

A low-pressure system off the west of Hokkaido brought unusually heavy rain to northern and northeastern Japan on Thursday, leading the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue a special warning in the prefecture. (The Japan News)

Japan's government has released transcripts of interviews about the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. (NHK)

Some 246,000 people are still living as evacuees three and a half years after eastern Japan was hit by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and huge tsunami on March 11, 2011. (Jiji Press)

A man died after he jumped from a moving train onto the tracks in Yokohama, police said Thursday. (Japan Today)

Police in Chiba are investigating a series of thefts at two high schools in which 80 students were robbed of a total of Y360,000. (Japan Today)

Starbucks Coffee Japan plans to open a store in Tottori Prefecture, the sole remaining Japanese prefecture where the coffee shop operator still lacks a presence. (Nikkei)

The Asahi Shimbun admitted that its May article on the so-called Yoshida file concerning the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant was incorrect and removed Nobuyuki Sugiura from the post of executive editor to take responsibility, the newspaper's President Tadakazu Kimura announced Thursday. (The Japan News)

One of the more bizarre stories of 2014 in Japan has taken yet another turn. (Tokyo Reporter)

Japanese share prices rose for the fifth straight session on Friday to end at an eight-month high, with exporters leading the gains on the yen's weakness. (Reuters)

The Tokyo District Court on Friday handed singer Aska a suspended three-year prison sentence on charges of possession and use of stimulant drugs, reports the Nikkei Shimbun (Sept. 12). (Tokyo Reporter)

For the first time in seven years, Mazda Motor has revamped its Demio compact, which now comes with eco-friendly diesel engine technology. (Nikkei)

A busy walkway leading to Kamakura's famed Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine is set to receive its first full-scale renovation in more than 800 years. (Asahi)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged his Cabinet ministers to work out measures to revitalize regional communities. (NHK)

Rakuten Inc, Japan's largest e-commerce company, has been actively considering launching a service like website Airbnb that would provide a hub to rent apartments and homes in Japan to short-term guests, two people with knowledge of the developing plans told Reuters. (Japan Today)

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