News On Japan

McDonald's Japan is still reeling from a series of food-safety scandals. Executives have responded by cutting the number of outlets that are open 24 hours a day. (NHK)

Twelve of the 29 suma mackerel tuna have died at Tokyo Sea Life Park in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, since the aquarium released the fish into its tank less than a week ago, it was learned Thursday. There has been a mysterious die-off of kuromaguro bluefin tuna, hatsugatsuo and other species of bonito at the aquarium since December. (The Japan News)

A 45-year-old male patient at a clinic in Kadoma, Osaka, has been arrested on suspicion of attacking a woman working at the reception desk with a knife. (Japan Today)

The key Nikkei average extended its winning streak to an 11th session to rewrite its highest closing level in more than 15 years for the eighth consecutive trading day on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Friday, thanks to buying backed by brisk corporate earnings. (Japan Times)

A sudden volcano eruption on the small southern Japanese island of Kuchinoerabu-jima has forced authorities to raise the alert to the highest level and advise evacuation of the immediate area. (rt.com)

Embattled Skymark Airlines Inc. has come up with a detailed plan to rebuild itself, but the airline still needs the approval of its key creditors to initiate the program to help pull itself out of bankruptcy. (Asahi)

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has filed claims against Japan's Institute for Cetacean Research (ICR) in the U.S. District Court in Washington, seeking a declaration that ICR's whaling in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica is illegal under international law. (Japan Today)

A day after the eruption of Mount Shindake caused the evacuation of a small island off Kyushu, evacuees on Saturday began bracing for a long stay away from home as the Meteorological Agency warned of more eruptions to come. (Japan Times)

A train line in Miyagi Prefecture resumed full services Saturday more than four years after being washed away by the killer tsunami that devastated much of Tohoku's Pacific coastline. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government has decided to extend the period during which Thai airlines are allowed to operate flights to and from Japan while the agreement on railway development cooperation has been inked by the two countries. (thainews)

The explosive eruption on Mt. Shindake in Kagoshima Prefecture on Friday is likely to have involved the direct ejection of magma, or direct subterranean contact between magma and groundwater, experts say. (The Japan News)

A 60-year-old man and a seven-year-old girl drowned in a pond in Usuki, Oita Prefecture, on Friday. (Japan Today)

A violent volcanic eruption in Japan that forced the evacuation of an island appears to have come to a halt, the country's weather agency has announced. (9news.com.au)

A magnitude 8.5 earthquake struck off the east coast of Japan on Saturday, shaking buildings in Tokyo, but there was no danger of a tsunami and no immediate reports of damage since the quake was extremely deep. (Reuters)

Japan's Minister of Defense warned on Saturday that land reclamation projects in the South China Sea risked plunging the region into disorder and urged nations, including China, to behave responsibly. (businessinsider.com)

Elevators in a Tokyo skyscraper stopped for about 2 hours on Saturday after a strong earthquake shook the Japanese capital and other parts of the country. (NHK)

A one-year-old boy fell to his death from a hotel room in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, on Sunday morning. (Japan Today)

Twelve people suffered minor injuries and businesses returned to normal Sunday after a powerful earthquake near remote Japanese islands shook most of the country the previous night, but it was well beneath the earth's surface and did not trigger a tsunami. (usnews.com)

Personnel at JR Tokyo Station discovered a woman's corpse on Sunday after opening a suitcase discarded in a locker last month and placed in storage, reports the Asahi Shimbun (May 31). (Tokyo Reporter)

Tax breaks come in many forms. Charitable gifts. Health-care expenses. Mortgage-interest payments. In the fishing village of Hirado, they come in a cooler. It is part of the great tax giveaway happening across Japan. (seattletimes.com)

Latest Images