News On Japan

Japanese figure skating star Mao Asada says she will be resuming her competitive career after taking a one-year break. (NHK)

People in Okinawa expressed anxiety over Sunday's crash-landing of a US Marine Corps Osprey aircraft in Hawaii. (NHK)

The American aircraft carrier USS George Washington is returning to the United States after being stationed in Japan for many years. (NHK)

A man from Fukuoka Prefecture who was suspected of contracting the Ebola virus while in West Africa has been cleared, the health ministry said Monday. (Japan Times)

A major Japanese insurance company is using drones to investigate vehicle accidents. (NHK)

"There's no sail; there's no motor." Sonya Baumstein recites the mantra she'll likely be telling herself often over the next 4 to 6 months. "I'm the power; I'm the precision." (CNN)

Nearly half the dolphins in Japan's aquariums are caught using a controversial fishing method that sees dozens more slaughtered every year, a newspaper reported Saturday. (bangkokpost.com)

America has its share of loveable mascots. However, do they really compare to Fukuppy or Marimokkori? (rocketnews24.com)

Visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Japan and South Korea Monday to resolve historical issues, particularly the "comfort women" issue, in a way that can "promote healing and reconciliation." (Jiji Press)

An elementary school teacher in Tachikawa, Tokyo, faces disciplinary action after it was learned that he had taken the fingerprints of every child in his sixth grade class. (Japan Today)

Japan's problems with a rapidly ageing and declining population have been widely publicised. Less so however, is that there is vast stock of ageing and dilapidated houses that could turn many population centres into "ghost towns" in the fairly near future. (asiaone.com)

Two lodging houses in Kawasaki where a fire killed five and injured 19 Sunday had filed false reports about the buildings' structures to the city, according to the municipal government. (The Japan News)

Japan plans to scale back the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as the government runs short of money and time, the country's sports minister said Monday. (Japan Today)

Police in Yokohama have arrested a 15-year-old boy on suspicion of murdering his mother and grandmother at their home on Monday. (Japan Today)

Ichiro Suzuki has tied with US baseball legend Babe Ruth for 42nd place on Major League Baseball's all-time hits list. (NHK)

The opposition Japan Innovation Party elected Yorihisa Matsuno as its new leader Tuesday following the resignation of his predecessor over a failed bid by a local party group to reorganize the Osaka city administration. (Kyodo)

The benchmark Nikkei average rose on overnight rises in European and U.S. markets on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday, closing above 20,000 for the first time in about three weeks. (Japan Times)

Farmers in Japan are closely watching talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. They want the government to maintain tariffs on key agricultural products. (NHK)

Sixteen young people who lived near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, prefectural authorities said May 18, although they added it is "unlikely" a direct result of the nuclear accident. (Asahi)

Baby capybaras are drawing crowds at a zoo near Tokyo. (NHK)

Latest Images