News On Japan

A grilled saury festival drew around 30,000 people near JR Meguro Station in Tokyo on Sunday. (Japan Today)

Yasutomo Ihara, a former stuntman known for his participation in the Kamen Rider franchise, has since turned his training to nefarious ends. (rocketnews24.com)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday he remained "neutral" on whether to proceed with a hike in Japan's sales tax to 10 per cent, adding that decision would hinge on the strength of economic indicators for the current quarter. (straitstimes.com)

US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy has participated in a cycling event in an area that was severely hit by the massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. (NHK)

The Asahi Shimbun, under fire for erroneous reports on Japan's wartime military brothels and the testimony of the late chief of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, revealed Sunday yet another scandal, saying it fabricated an interview with the president of Nintendo Co. (Kyodo)

The number of people aged 65 or older in Japan comes to a record 32.96 million as of Monday, accounting for an all-time high of 25.9 pct of the nation's total population, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications estimated Sunday. (Jiji Press)

Police in Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, have arrested a 47-year-old ryokan manager for killing her husband. (Japan Today)

Police said Monday they arrested a man by mistake after incorrectly measuring the size of a folding knife he had with him during a fight with his father. (Japan Times)

In 1994, member governments of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the whaling regulatory body, agreed to create a vast sanctuary in the Southern Ocean. There, commercial whaling would be barred so whales hunted nearly to extinction could replenish their numbers in the cold, nutrient-rich waters and thrive again. The Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary was designed to serve as a safe haven for these marine mammals in their summer feeding grounds. (The Guardian)

The government had lifted a vehicle ban on National Route 6 through the area where residency is restricted due to the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant, the first time that stretch of highway has been open to automobiles since the nuclear crisis began in March 2011. (Japan Times)

Two women died and a third woman was injured after the car they were in went off a mountain road and plunged into a river in Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture, on Monday. (Japan Today)

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Monday cut its economic outlook for the Group of Seven nations in 2014, including Japan, while expecting a moderate expansion to continue in most of the major economies. (Kyodo)

Tensions between North Korea and Japan are threatening the survival of this and dozens of other Korean schools. (theguardian.com)

Sitting on several fault lines, Japan is no stranger to natural disasters and the havoc that ensues afterward. While these tragedies can't be prevented, their effects can be lessened by making a disaster preparedness kit to handle several days without power or access to food and water. (rocketnews24.com)

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. boss Carlos Ghosn is preparing to cut battery manufacturing, people familiar with the matter said, in a new reversal on electric cars that has re-opened deep divisions with alliance partner Renault. (businessinsider.com.au)

The South Korean government announced Monday it will examine whether it needs to keep in place its ban on imports of marine foods from eight Japanese prefectures including Fukushima, which was hit hard by the 2011 nuclear accident. (Jiji Press)

Five Japanese citizens arrived at Pyongyang Monday to visit graves of their family members who have died in what is now North Korea around the end of World War II. (Jiji Press)

Tokyo shares ended the morning session lower on Tuesday as traders here intended to take profits after recent rally. (globalpost.com)

A car was partially buried due to small mudslide and three people sustained injuries after a magnitude-5.6 quake hit a wide area of Kanto region in Japan around noon on Tuesday, according to local report. (shanghaidaily.com)

The percentage of women at ages associated with child-rearing who are actively participating in the workforce has been increasing and recently hit a record high, according to a monthly survey by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry. (The Japan News)

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