News On Japan

US trade regulators have rejected Japanese undergarment maker Wacoal's assertion that its apparel can help women lose weight just by being worn. (NHK)

Japanese swimmer Naoya Tomita was given the green light Tuesday to leave South Korea after paying a one million won ($950) fine for stealing a journalist's camera during the Asian Games. (Japan Today)

Of a total of 110 active volcanoes in the nation, the Japan Meteorological Agency's Coordinating Committee for Predictions of Volcanic Eruption identified 47 volcanoes in June 2009 that have the possibility of eruption within about a century and therefore need stronger surveillance and supervision. (The Japan News)

A Japanese man who allegedly kicked a fellow diner to death in a fight over seats in a ramen eatery calmly returned to his food as the other man lay dying, media reported Tuesday. (Japan Today)

Japan's Shinkansen bullet-train has marked its 50th anniversary. The first Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka debuted on October 1st, 1964, ahead of the Tokyo Summer Olympics. (NHK)

With Chinese and Hong Kong markets closed, Nikkei closed down 0.56% and the MSCI Asia index was down 0.4%. (ifamagazine.com)

Japan's Supreme Court has confirmed the 2-year prison sentence of a former secretary of opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa in connection with a political funding scandal. (NHK)

The lawyer for Tatsuya Kato, a Sankei Shimbun reporter investigated by Seoul prosecutors for alleged defamation of South Korea's President Park Geun-hye, has submitted a written request for an immediate lifting of a ban on his departure from the country, the Japanese daily reported Wednesday. (Jiji Press)

Japan's economic recovery has been tardy six months after the nation's consumption tax was raised to 8 pct from 5 pct on April 1, due in part to bad weather in summer and slow wage growth relative to the pace of rises in prices. (Jiji Press)

The Justice Ministry will set up a panel to discuss measures to impose tougher penalties for sex crimes, including revisions of laws that make robbery a more heinous crime than rape. (Asahi)

Fukuoka prefectural police continued cracking down on the Kudo-kai crime syndicate with the rearrests Oct. 1 of its two top leaders along with the arrests of seven other members in connection with the stabbing of a nurse. (Asahi)

A senior US official says his country will support Japan if there is an attempt to seize the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. (NHK)

A Japanese teenage girl has shown the world her wild guitar skills -- without using a guitar. She won the Air Guitar World Championships in August. (NHK)

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 20-year-old man on assault charges after he poured urine from a bottle on the leg of a woman in Adachi Ward in August. (Japan Today)

The scope of tax-free items for foreigners visiting Japan was expanded on Wednesday to include cosmetics, food products and other items. (The Japan News)

Japan's transport ministry is abandoning hope of completing a new subway link that would ease access to Haneda Airport before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, raising questions as to how Japan will handle the flood of visitors to the country. (Nikkei)

Typhoon Phanfone is gathering strength in the western Pacific Ocean, with projections showing that it may intensify significantly - likely to super typhoon status - before veering toward mainland Japan by Oct. 5. (mashable.com)

A 17-year-old girl was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of killing her mother and grandmother at the family's home in Hokkaido earlier in the day. (Japan Times)

Japanese researchers say allergies like atopic dermatitis and those involving food may be preventable if moisturizer is applied to the skin of newborns after birth. (Asahi)

Japanese shares tumbled to three-week lows on Thursday morning after disappointing global manufacturing activity stocked concerns over global growth, while the first confirmed case of Ebola in the United States heightened the risk-averse mood. (brecorder.com)

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