News On Japan

First choice Duramente won the Japanese Derby in record time on Sunday to close in on the Japanese triple crown, a feat accomplished by only seven horses in the long history of the sport. (Japan Times)

The Bank of Japan's purchases of shares in real-estate investment trusts has buoyed this key market, helping breathe life back into the nation's moribund property industry. (Bloomberg)

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his South Korean counterpart, Han Min-koo, have held their first talks in four years and agreed to continue a dialogue to improve strained relations. (Japan Times)

The main reason why the earthquake that occurred west of the Ogasawara Islands on Saturday night shook most parts of the country - in addition to the temblor's strength - was that the quake's focus was extremely deep, according to seismologists and the Japan Meteorological Agency. (The Japan News)

People gathered at a ceremony Sunday to mark the 50th year since neurological disorder caused by mercury poisoning in the central Japan prefecture of Niigata was officially recognized. (Jiji Press)

The United States will extend its cyber defence umbrella over Japan, helping its Asian ally cope with the growing threat of online attacks against military bases and infrastructure such as power grids, the two nations said in a joint statement on Saturday. (channelnewsasia.com)

A massive 700-kg kite at a festival in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, injured four people Sunday by crashing into a crowd of spectators, the local fire department said. (Japan Times)

The revised road traffic law came into force in Japan Monday to oblige bicycle riders who commit traffic violations repeatedly to take safety lessons. (Jiji Press)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Monday announced the arrest of a top-level organized crime member for assaulting customers in a club in Shinjuku Ward in November of last year, reports TV Asahi (June 1). (Tokyo Reporter)

The nation's pension system has been hacked and more than a million cases of personal data leaked, authorities said Monday, in an embarrassment that revived memories of a scandal that helped topple Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in his first term in office. (Japan Times)

Police are set to arrest a Japanese man living in New York on suspicion of vandalizing a Chiba shrine with an oily liquid, police sources said Monday. (Japan Times)

The Nikkei 225 Monday traded sideways but edged up 0.03% by the closing bell, pushing the bellwether index into positive territory for 12 straight trading days, a first since Feb. 1988. (nasdaq.com)

Japanese business outlet Nikkei reported that the console - dubbed NX - will use the open source operating system. (dailystar.co.uk)

Ten people were injured in an 8-vehicle pile-up on the Yokohama Bay Bridge on Monday morning. The accident occurred at around 6:30 a.m. when a truck rear-ended a car on the bridge, Sankei reported. (Japan Today)

A Japanese consultative committee on Monday stuck to a controversial government plan for atomic energy to generate 20-22% of the country's electricity by 2030 despite public opposition following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. (Japan Today)

Economists expect upward revisions to Japan's gross domestic product in January-March, estimates released by 10 private-sector think tanks showed Monday. (Jiji Press)

Twenty-nine people temporarily visited Kuchinoerabujima island Monday morning, four days after local residents were evacuated when Mt. Shindake erupted. (The Japan News)

A 28-year-old unemployed woman has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after she stabbed her mother at their apartment in Tokyo's Arakawa Ward on Sunday. (Japan Today)

A solar-powered plane circumnavigating the globe has made an unscheduled landing in Japan due to bad weather. It was on its way from Nanjing, China, to Hawaii. (NHK)

Less than 96 pct of public elementary and junior high school buildings in Japan had met the state quake-resistant standards as of April 1, government data showed Tuesday. (Jiji Press)

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