News On Japan

Lawyers representing 1,789 customers of educational services company Benesse filed a 100 million yen suit for damages against the firm on Thursday over a data leak that affected more than 20 million people last year. (Japan Today)

The top leaders of Japan's biggest business group and labor union umbrella body held a meeting Thursday, marking the start of "shunto" wage negotiations this year. (Jiji Press)

Thai police said Wednesday they have arrested a transvestite on suspicion of swindling money from more than 100 Japanese men. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Thursday searched a Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters in Chuo Ward for the alleged sale of drugs to musician Aska, reports TBS News (Jan. 29). (Tokyo Reporter)

A Nagoya University student who says she killed an elderly woman found dead in the 19-year-old's apartment has also admitted poisoning a former high school classmate, investigative sources said Thursday. (Japan Times)

The Marlins handed Ichiro Suzuki a uniform bearing the No. 15 - the reverse of his cherished No. 51. He laughed. So did everyone in Japan when he joked about it. ()

Tokyo stocks closed 1.06 percent lower on Thursday, with videogame giant Nintendo and Canon tumbling after their latest earnings disappointed investors, and after Wall Street fell sharply. (globalpost.com)

A real estate service company that won a court-led auction of the headquarters of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, has signed a deal to resell the property to another real estate firm, it was learned Thursday. (Jiji Press)

Despite being centuries-old, the core traditions of Setsubun can seem as silly as its common English rendering, The Bean-Throwing Festival. (rocketnews24.com)

MBA applicants to the prestigious business school from Japan have dwindled to a precious few. Harvard is beefing up its admissions presence in Tokyo to counter the trend. (fortune.com)

Endangered specimens of plants are set to go on display at an arboretum in Kyoto this April, with the installation of a special greenhouse that will allow for the housing of rare species. (insidejapantours.com)

Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, working with Panasonic and telecom giant NTT, is setting out to create a mobile device app that can automatically translate Japanese and nine other languages with high precision. (Nikkei)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan on Thursday criticized an American textbook that he said inaccurately depicted Japan's actions during World War II, opening a new front in a battle to sway American views of the country's wartime history. (nytimes.com)

Police in Saitama Prefecture said Thursday they have arrested 11 people who, as part of an organized scam group, call up individuals claiming that they had missed a payment for using a website that is actually free to use. (Japan Today)

A deadline set by a militant group for the release of Kenji Goto, a freelance journalist, has expired late Thursday night Japan Time. (The Japan News)

Japan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 3.4 pct in December, down 0.1 percentage point from the previous month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said Friday. (Jiji Press)

Tokyo Disneyland often refers to itself as "The Kingdom of Dreams." But while all those costumed performers, parades, and fireworks might seem like something out of a dreamlike fantasy, Disney fans in Japan are having to deal with a stark economic reality, as this spring admission at both Tokyo Disneyland and its sister park Disney Sea are set to jump for the second year in a row. (rocketnews24.com)

Police in Higashi-Osaka said Friday that a 44-year-old woman attacked a group of elementary school boys walking home from school, injuring some of them. (Japan Today)

Japan's Nikkei share average rose on Friday as strong company earnings led by Nomura Holdings and Advantest Corp buoyed the sentiment, but a sell-off in index-heavyweight SoftBank Corp limited the gains. (thehindubusinessline.com)

UN member nations in the Asia-Pacific region have chosen Japan as their sole candidate for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the next 2-year term. (NHK)

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