News On Japan

Messaging app developer Line filed for a second time to go public in Tokyo, with an eye toward an initial public offering as early as this year. (Nikkei)

As a part of an ongoing crackdown, Kanagawa Prefectural Police on Wednesday morning busted a shop specializing in herbs in Yokohama for the sale of illegal drugs, reports Nippon News Network (Tokyo Reporter)

Companies humored their customers on April Fools' Day, offering eye-catching products and services that in some cases appeared to meet a credulous audience. (Japan Times)

Tokyo stocks jumped 1.46 percent on Thursday, rebounding after two days of losses despite a negative lead from Wall Street, while investors await the release of US jobs data. (brecorder.com)

The residents of Kotobuki live not far from the glitzy shops and upscale restaurants of Yokohama, Japan's second-biggest city, adjoining Tokyo, the capital. Yet Kotobuki is an altogether different world: a squalid district, it is a pit stop for local Japanese on their way to destitution. (economist.com)

A 19-year-old youth who uploaded a series of prank videos on YouTube in January, including one in which he inserted a toothpick into a snack food in a supermarket, was sent to a moderate security juvenile correctional facility. (Japan Today)

Alien spaceships have never entered Japanese airspace, the country's defense minister has told parliamentarians, after being questioned about a possible aerial invasion by little green men. (Japan Today)

The number of consultations Japanese police received over revenge porn came to 110 in about a month after the country's law against such acts entered into force late last November, National Police Agency data showed Thursday. (Jiji Press)

The National Museum of Nature and Science and Toppan Printing Co. have made an about two-meter-long replica of a baby Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton using a 3-D printer. Due to partial repair work at the museum in Tokyo's Ueno district, the replica will be put on display in July. (The Japan News)

North Korea told Japan on Thursday that official negotiations resumed one year ago are facing difficulties, criticizing Tokyo for playing an active role globally in condemning Pyongyang's human rights records. (Kyodo)

A government survey shows that "ramen" noodles and sushi are popular among foreign tourists to Japan. (NHK)

A Taiwan-based budget airline has begun service to Japan to meet increasing demand. (NHK)

As part of efforts to keep the economy on its recovery path, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday urged small and midsize enterprises to raise wages. (Nikkei)

A grand memorial service began Thursday on Mt. Koya in Wakayama Prefecture to mark the 1,200th anniversary of the opening of a training monastery by Kukai (774 - 835), a monk who founded the Koyasan Shingonshu sect of Buddhism. (The Japan News)

Zensho Holdings Co. said Thursday it will raise prices for "gyudon" beef-on-rice bowls served at its Sukiya restaurants, effective April 15. (The Japan News)

Japan's first forensics team made up of only women police officers has been launched in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. The team will try to ease the psychological burden of women victims in sex crimes. (NHK)

Earthquake-sensing circuit breakers are now receiving attention as a trump card against a possible major earthquake with its focus directly below Tokyo. (The Japan News)

A Japanese restaurateur believed to have invented a popular style of ramen has died aged 80. (NHK)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday slammed North Korea's notification the previous day that it may suspend bilateral negotiations on the issue of Japanese nationals abducted in the 1970s and 1980s. (Kyodo)

A record 23,861,000 people in Japan will make domestic or overseas trips overnight or longer in total during the Golden Week holiday period from late April to early May, JTB Corp. estimated Thursday. (Jiji Press)

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