News On Japan

Japanese convenience store chain Lawson says it will raise its age limit for hiring operations managers from 55 to 65. (NHK)

The invention of the blue light-emitting diode helped unlock new markets in the lighting and digital electronics industries, such as energy-efficient lamps and backlights for flat-screen TVs. (Nikkei)

For the first time in 11 years, McDonald's Japan is in the red. The company today predicted a net loss of 17 billion yen ($157 million) for the current fiscal year, owing to a sharp decline in sales following this summer's expired-meat scandal. (Quartz)

Waseda University said Tuesday it will strip embattled researcher Haruko Obokata of her doctorate unless she corrects her dissertation, following her involvement in a scandal earlier this year related to research on so-called STAP cells. (Kyodo)

Japan's health ministry said Tuesday that a young woman is believed to have been infected with dengue fever in the western Japan city of Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, the first confirmed dengue infection outside the Tokyo metropolitan area. (Jiji Press)

Rescue workers on Tuesday found three bodies in the ash on a volcano in central Japan, bringing the death toll to 54. At least 12 hikers are still unaccounted for following the Sept 27 eruption. (Japan Today)

Police in Hokkaido said a man wanted for questioning as a possible witness in the murder of a woman in Sapporo in May was found dead Monday in an apparent suicide. (Japan Today)

Three Japanese-born researchers on Tuesday won the Nobel Prize for Physics for inventing the LED lamp, a boon in the fight against global warming and aiding people in poverty. (asiaone.com)

An armed man who held police at bay in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, for 16 hours while he threatened to commit suicide, surrendered on Wednesday morning. (Japan Today)

Japanese stocks fell on Wednesday after surprisingly weak German factory data sparked renewed concerns over global economic growth, bolstering the yen and prompting investors to sell shares in exporters. (economictimes)

Developed by Isamu Akasaki, a professor at Meijo University; Hiroshi Amano, a professor at Nagoya University; and Shuji Nakamura, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) had been considered a difficult challenge to be overcome in the 20th century. (The Japan News)

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Wednesday indicted former chief of The Sankei Shimbun's Seoul Bureau on charges he defamed South Korean President Park Geun-hye. (The Japan News)

Japan's seasonally adjusted core machinery orders in August rose 4.7 pct from the previous month, the Cabinet Office said Thursday. (Jiji Press)

Japan and the United States have compiled an interim report on revising their defense cooperation guidelines. (NHK)

Evening viewers in much of Asia and early risers in parts of the Americas were treated to a stunning lunar eclipse on Wednesday, though clouds obscured it for some. (Japan Times)

Twitter was set ablaze last night after dozens of people shared photos of "a beautiful foreigner walking a polar bear" between throngs of pedestrians at the world-famous Shibuya Scramble crossing in Tokyo. (rocketnews24.com)

Tokyo shares fell 0.75 percent Thursday as a stronger yen wiped out early gains after the Federal Reserve dampened expectations for a US interest rate hike in early 2015. (brecorder.com)

The Japanese government on Thursday criticized the indictment of a Japanese journalist in South Korea over a story about President Park Geun-Hye, saying the move raised serious concerns about press freedoms. (Japan Today)

Police in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, said Thursday they have arrested a couple for chaining their 8-year-old son to a column in their livingroom. (Japan Today)

Official campaigning started Thursday for the Oct. 26 gubernatorial election in Fukushima Prefecture, with the main focus on recovery from the 2011 quake, tsunami and nuclear disasters. (Japan Times)

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