News On Japan

Police in Nanto Toyama Prefecture, said Sunday that the body of a 4-year-old boy who disappeared while playing in the backyard of his home on Saturday afternoon has been found after he apparently fell into an agricultural waterway and drowned. (Japan Today)

In a triumph for a local idol, Rino Sashihara returned to the top of the annual popularity contest on June 6 for the all girls pop group AKB48 and its sister groups for the first time since 2013. (Asahi)

A group of Japanese medical experts is calling on doctors across the country to be vigilant against the MERS coronavirus. (NHK)

A Japanese man who went missing in Malaysia after an earthquake on Friday hit the Borneo state of Sabah is believed to be Masahiro Ozaki, the state authority said Sunday. (The Japan News)

Japan's economy grew at an annualized real 3.9 percent in the first quarter of 2015, a faster pace than initially estimated, adding to the view that it is on a recovery track after last year's consumption tax hike triggered a recession. (Kyodo)

The leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations say they strongly oppose changes to the status quo in the world's oceans, including the South China Sea, where China is reclaiming land from reefs. (NHK)

`The King and I' has been awarded best revival of a musical at the Tony Awards, US theatre's highest honors. (NHK)

A 15-year-old boy remained missing Monday after three boys reportedly forced him to jump into a river during a hazing incident in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, on Saturday night. (Japan Today)

Nissan Motor Co.'s new wagon-type cabs made their debut in Tokyo on Monday with the aim of giving a more comfortable ride to luggage-toting foreigners and aging Japanese alike. (Japan Times)

Her Imperial Highness Princess Kako of Akishino, the 20-year old granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, has recently been getting a lot of attention online in Japan after she appeared in public by herself for the first time looking exceptionally poised and beautiful. (rocketnews24.com)

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced Monday that the rainy season has started in the Tokai and Kanto-Koshin regions of Japan. (Japan Today)

In seeking more information on a woman whose body was found in a suitcase left in a locker at Tokyo Station, police on Tuesday released three drawings depicting her face and upper body, reports the Asahi Shimbun (June 9). (Tokyo Reporter)

The International Olympic Committee's executive board has approved the venues for eight more sports on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic program, bringing the total to 26 confirmed locations out of the 28 that are currently scheduled. (Japan Times)

A 43-year-old man has been arrested for confining a woman in his apartment for a week in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. (Japan Today)

New streaming services are expected to alter the landscape of a Japanese music market still heavily reliant on compact discs. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a 55-year-old male from Chiba Prefecture for forcing his girlfriend into prostitution, reports Fuji News Network (June 9). (Tokyo Reporter)

Nadeshiko Japan launched the defense of its Women's World Cup title with a 1-0 win over Switzerland in Group C in Vancouver on Monday. (Japan Times)

The Aichi Prefectural Police confirmed that a body found Tuesday in the Aizuma River in Kariya is that of a 15-year-old high school boy who was allegedly beaten Saturday night by a group of teens and forced to swim across the river before disappearing in the water. (Japan Times)

Japan's first domestically produced passenger jet successfully taxied on the runway for the first time at Nagoya Airport on June 8. (Asahi)

Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd has agreed to pay damages to Japanese whalers for violating a US court injunction and continuing to disturb their research whaling in the Antarctic Ocean. (NHK)

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