News On Japan

Star gazers across Japan got to enjoy seeing a total lunar eclipse. The celestial event occurs when the sun, Earth and the full moon line up, and the moon passes through Earth's shadow. (NHK)

Japan failed to exploit its strong start to the Tokyo Sevens on Sunday, when it crashed out with two straight defeats in the seventh event of World Rugby's Sevens World Series. (Japan Times)

"Do it!" "Hang in there!" Cries from spectators echoed in the dimly lit venue as the packed audience watched muscular men pull fast and furious wrestling moves on each other in the ring under a spotlight. (The Japan News)

A former Japanese abductee has called for continued public support to help the Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea to return home. (NHK)

Opposition party Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) decided Saturday to expel a Lower House lawmaker who skipped a vote on the state budget to go dining that night and travel to Kyoto soon after, a senior member of the party said. (Japan Times)

Japan is one of the most export-oriented economies in the world. In this context, it comes as no surprise that the policies of Abenomics are geared towards facilitating an ideal environment for export-led companies to thrive. (seekingalpha.com)

Police in Kuki, Saitama prefecture, said Sunday that 19 cars parked in a residential district had been vandalized on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. (Japan Today)

In a surprising and poignant appearance at his alma mater, popular J-pop producer and rock star Tsunku revealed on April 4 that he had his vocal cords removed due to a recurrence of laryngeal cancer. (Asahi)

The question of whether parents should be held liable for accidents caused by their children has been raised ahead of a Supreme Court ruling to be made Thursday in a closely watched case involving an elderly man's death. (The Japan News)

A Buddhist statue, designated as a nationally important cultural property in Japan, was placed on display for public viewing at Zenkoji temple in Nagano on Sunday for a period until May 31. (The Japan News)

Sharp Corp. plans to spin off its core small and medium-sized liquid crystal display panel business by having a government-backed fund invest around 100 billion yen in the new subsidiary by the end of next March, sources close to the matter said Sunday. (Kyodo)

Later this month, Godzilla is not only set to become a tourist attraction but also a "resident" to boot, reports public broadcaster NHK. (Tokyo Reporter)

Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga restated his opposition to the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan to the Henoko district of Nago in Okinawa Prefecture in a meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Sunday. (The Japan News)

For the first time, all middle-school social studies textbooks in Japan will refer to the Senkaku Islands and Takeshima, adhering to guidelines that insist they be described as Japanese territory, an education ministry review shows. (Nikkei)

One day after the discovery of the body of a 32-year-old woman inside an apartment, Kagoshima Prefectural Police arrested the victim's boyfriend on an unrelated charge while they pursue a murder investigation, reports Nippon News Network. (Tokyo Reporter)

Police in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, said Tuesday they have arrested an unemployed 30-year-old man on suspicion of throwing sulfuric acid at women on four occasions. (Japan Today)

Tokyo stocks closed at a nearly two- week high Tuesday as investor sentiment was lifted by overnight gains on Wall Street. (eastday.com)

The Japanese government has become the target of growing criticism over its decision not to become a founder member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. (scmp.com)

Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida says the country will likely be asked to make massive investments if it decides to join the China-proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. (NHK)

Trace amounts of radioactive cesium-134 from the March 2011 nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 plant in northeastern Japan were detected in a seawater sample from the shoreline of North America, a U.S. research institute has said. (Jiji Press)

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