News On Japan

Narita Airport plans to charge lower usage fees for flights out of a new budget carrier terminal slated for completion next year, aiming to attract more flights amid intensifying competition from rival Haneda Airport. (Nikkei)

Japan's Tourism Agency says it will publish a guidebook early next year to help businesses welcome Muslim tourists. (NHK)

With Friday marking the 50th anniversary of the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Games, the Olympic cauldron, which served as a symbol of Japan's postwar reconstruction, was removed from the National Stadium in Tokyo in the morning in preparation for the 2020 festivities. (The Japan News)

Finance chiefs of the Group of 20 major economies agreed Friday to work out details of an initiative to promote investment and foster growth worldwide at a time when the global economy faces a raft of slowdown risks. (Kyodo)

An earthquake measuring 6.1 struck off the east coast of Honshu, the U.S. Geological Survey reported on Saturday at 11:36 a.m. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police announced on Friday the arrest of employees of a hostess club for attempting to overcharge a customer, reports TV Asahi (Oct. 10). (Tokyo Reporter)

A 29-year-old Saitama prefectural policeman from the Tokorozawa police station has been charged with riding his motorcycle while under the influence of alcohol. (Japan Today)

Between the country's natural beauty and historic sites, there are plenty of things to see on a trip to Japan. Eventually, though, you're going to have to take a break from sightseeing in order to eat, and even then you're in luck, since Japan is a foodie's paradise. (rocketnews24.com)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has congratulated Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India on being co-winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. (NHK)

Sitting at the foot of volcanic Mount Fuji, the city of Fujiyoshida will set up a task force in November to formulate measures to deal with a sudden eruption. (Asahi)

Two weeks ago a female pop group called The Margarines debuted via a Tokyo news conference. Since Japanese show business has no shortage of young women who want to sing and dance in order to "fulfill their dreams," the new ensemble needed a gimmick. (Japan Times)

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the atom-bombed southwestern city of Nagasaki on Saturday and met with hibakusha, or survivors of the U.S. atomic bombing in 1945. (Jiji Press)

Inspired by her campaign for "education for every child," teachers around Japan have used the words and activities of 17-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai to teach English. Now they are celebrating her winning of the Nobel Peace Prize. (The Japan News)

Yoshimichi Nakajima was waiting for the train one day at his local station in Tokyo when he politely asked the station attendant to lower the volume on his microphone. He was told that would be "difficult," so Nakajima lent a hand by grabbing the mic and throwing it onto the track. (Japan Times)

Firework technicians in Japan have set up a new record. They launched the heaviest firework in the world over a city northwest of Tokyo. (NHK)

Big-serving Australian Samantha Stosur retained a title for the first time in her career Sunday with a resounding 7-6, 6-3 victory over Zarina Diyas in the Japan Women's Open final. (Japan Times)

Residents of Chichibu City, north of Tokyo, launched handmade rockets into the sky on Sunday to give thanks for the autumn harvest. (NHK)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to help women juggle work and family are hitting a roadblock: opposition to building new daycare centers from residents who fear noise from children playing will spoil their quiet neighborhoods. (Japan Today)

The radioactive water woes at the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant got worse over the weekend after the tritium concentration in a groundwater sample surged more than tenfold this month. (Japan Times)

A U.N. protocol for biodiversity protection and a fair sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources came into effect on Sunday, but Japan, which hosted the meeting that adopted the protocol in 2010, failed to ratify it in time. (The Japan News)

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