News On Japan

The number of Chinese ships found carrying out poaching and other crimes in Japanese waters in 2014 hit a record high of 16 since the survey launch in 1977, the Japan Coast Guard said Wednesday. (Jiji Press)

Executives at Sony have announced another streamlining move. They plan to spin off their audio and visual equipment business, possibly in October. (NHK)

The Supreme Court has finalized the death sentence for a man convicted of killing seven people and wounding 10 others in an indiscriminate rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district in 2008, court officials said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Prosecutors in Osaka indicted a 68-year-old Kyoto woman charged with the murder of a close friend on Wednesday. They say Chisako Kakehi has admitted to giving him cyanide capsules. (NHK)

Japan's Supreme Court is on course to provide its first judgment on the constitutionality of a Civil Code provision prohibiting married couples from using separate surnames. (Jiji Press)

Aichi Prefectural Police on Wednesday arrested an employee at a construction company in Nagoya affiliated with organized crime for dispatching a minor to clean up radiation near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, reports the Maincihi Shimbun (Feb. 19). (Tokyo Reporter)

The number of international marriages in Japan rose rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, peaking at over 40,000 in 2006. Since then, the number has been decreasing, and now averages around 20,000 per year. (nippon.com)

Japan posted a customs-cleared trade deficit of 1,177.5 billion yen in January, compared with the year-before deficit of 2,795 billion yen, the Ministry of Finance said Thursday. (Jiji Press)

Compared to Tokyo, Japan's former capital, Kyoto, is fairly compact. Most of the commercial development is clustered around Kyoto Station, with a ring of temples, gardens, and other historical sites surrounding the more modern parts of the city. (rocketnews24.com)

Japan recorded its highest number of tourists ever in January, the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Japanese stocks rose to a 15-year high on Thursday, helped by gains in financial stocks, while Sony Corp jumped on a well-received business plan. (Reuters)

Japan's Meteorological Agency plans to issue faster warnings about volcanic eruptions to help climbers and communities living around craters. (NHK)

Throngs of Chinese tourists celebrating the Chinese New Year have descended on Japan, where the weak yen gives shoppers more bang for their buck. (Asahi)

A man in his 80s who was in a state of cardiac arrest died after an ambulance taking him to hospital was involved in a traffic accident in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. (Japan Today)

Japan's biggest airline ANA Holdings Inc and financial services provider Orix Corp have expressed interest in participating in the reconstruction of budget airline Skymark Airlines Inc, people familiar with the situation said. (Reuters)

The United States has begun procedures to deport a Japanese Red Army member following his release from prison there last month, U.S. government sources said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

A proposal put forward by the Japanese government Thursday calls for making parliamentary approval mandatory for the overseas dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces. (Jiji Press)

In 2014, 2.4 million Chinese made the trip across the East China Sea, more than 80% more than in the previous year, according to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization. That was also around 70% greater than 2012, the previous peak in traveler traffic from China. (Wall Street Journal)

This year's Tokyo Marathon will take place under an unprecedented level of security to guard against terrorist threats, following the recent hostage crisis involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant group. (The Japan News)

A 24-year-old police officer has been arrested in Yoshioka, Gunma Prefecture, on suspicion of attempting to kidnap a 10-year-old girl. (Japan Today)

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