News On Japan

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso have agreed to postpone a planned consumption tax hike in the wake of worse-than-expected GDP figures. (NHK)

In the mountains of Nikko, just a short train trip from the modern, glittering megacity of Tokyo, a handful of monks still practice a millennia-old tradition known as shugendo, a form of meditation via endurance-testing communion with nature. (rocketnews24.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Monday announced the arrest of a gang member and 14 others for participation in a 1.5-billion-yen scam that involved selling bonds of non-existent companies, reports Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 17). (Tokyo Reporter)

Weirdness broke out on the afternoon of 16 November in Osaka. Several witness claimed to have seen a woman jump onto the tracks of Izumiotsu Station just as a train was approaching. However, after the train arrived there was no sign of injury and the woman was last seen running away on the platform. (rocketnews24.com)

Renowned actor Ken Takakura, winner of multiple Japanese Academy Awards and one of the country's most recognized film stars, died on Nov. 10 at a Tokyo hospital, his office said Tuesday. He was 83. (Kyodo)

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will start selling its Mirai hydrogen-powered vehicle in Japan on Dec. 15, becoming the world's first automaker to launch a fuel-cell vehicle for general consumers. (Kyodo)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a press conference Tuesday evening to announce his decision to put off the second-stage consumption tax increase by 18 months and to dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap election. (Jiji Press)

The yen recovered from seven-year lows against the dollar on Monday but remained under pressure having sunk across the board after shock data showed Japan's economy slipping back into recession. (brecorder.com)

Japanese stocks had their biggest gain in two weeks on Tuesday as investors waited to see if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will call a snap election and consider fresh steps to support the economy after it slipped into recession in the third quarter. (brecorder.com)

The number of new condominiums put up for sale in the greater Tokyo area in October fell 10.9 percent from a year before to 3,125 units, down for the ninth consecutive month, the Real Estate Economic Institute said Monday. (The Japan News)

An Indonesian conglomerate owned by ethnic Chinese plans to develop a "Little Tokyo" on the outskirts of this capital city to cater to the growing number of Japanese sent here by their employers back home. (Nikkei)

The Tokyo metropolitan government Tuesday announced a plan to increase the number of hydrogen stations for fuel cell vehicles in Tokyo to 35 by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and to 80 by 2025. (Kyodo)

Nearly a year has passed since a volcano erupted on a remote Japanese island in the Pacific Ocean. Nishinoshima Island, about 900 kilometers south of Tokyo, is still gushing out tons of lava. (NHK)

The Japanese government said Tuesday it has submitted a new research whaling plan to the International Whaling Commission's Scientific Committee, setting an annual catch target of 333 minke whales in the Antarctic Ocean. (Jiji Press)

Yasuyuki Konno and Shinji Okazaki scored second-half goals Tuesday to give Japan a 2-1 win over Australia in an Asian Cup warm-up match. (Japan Today)

A Sony executive said Tuesday the firm was taking a hard look at music streaming services after pop star Taylor Swift yanked her songs from industry giant Spotify. (AFP)

Torao Tokuda, former head of the Tokushukai hospital group, has been accused by the Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau of keeping a secret fund of about Y100 million, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned from sources. (The Japan News)

Tokyo Electric Power Co. apparently remains unable to stop the flows of radioactive water from the turbine building of a damaged reactor to underground tunnels at its disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 power station, officials have said. (Jiji Press)

Police in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward said Tuesday they have arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of molesting a girl by riding up behind her on a bike and groping her. (Japan Today)

Japan's Justice Ministry has decided to introduce a facial recognition system at airports as early as fiscal 2017 to speed up immigration control, ministry officials said Tuesday. (Jiji Press)

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