News On Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye have held their first-ever summit in Seoul. (NHK)

Some Japanese government offices and companies have begun lowering their room temperatures in an effort to conserve electricity. (NHK)

ASUKA, Nara Prefecture--For the first time, the public can view the golden star map on the ancient Takamatsuzuka burial mound's ceiling at an exhibition that runs through Nov. 8. (Asahi)

The United States and Japan are pushing to get concerns about the South China Sea included in a statement to be issued after regional defense talks this week in Malaysia, despite Chinese objections to any mention of the disputed waterway, officials said. (Japan Times)

A Japanese draft resolution calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons that for the first time refers to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings received overwhelming approval Monday from a U.N. General Assembly committee but failed to secure endorsement from the United States and other key powers. (Japan Times)

The Nagoya Board of Education on Monday began an investigation into the death of a 12-year-old boy who jumped to his death in front of a train at a Nagoya subway station on Sunday. (Japan Today)

With all the sights, sounds, and history Kyoto City has to offer, from the Golden Pavilion to the thousands of torii shrine gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine, most people forget that there is much more to Kyoto outside of the bustling capital city. Kyoto Prefecture actually reaches farther north, with its northernmost cities bordering the ocean on the Sea of Japan side, earning the area the nickname "Umi no Kyoto", literally meaning "Kyoto of the Sea". (rocketnews24.com)

The largest number of visitors to Universal Studios Japan was recorded last month (October), as the theme park made the most of Halloween. (insidejapantours.com)

Japan's Emperor Akihito has awarded this year's Order of Culture, the nation's highest cultural honor, to 2 Nobel Prize laureates and other prominent figures. (NHK)

Police in Higashi-Osaka said Tuesday they have arrested a 26-year-old man for spitting coffee on a woman on Oct 27. (Japan Today)

A newborn girl, with her umbilical cord still attached, was found by the side of a narrow road in Hokota, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Tuesday morning. (Japan Today)

Japan and the United States on Tuesday agreed to set up and immediately start the operation of permanent joint consultative panels to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation in order to effectively respond to so-called gray-zone contingencies amid China's accelerating maritime expansion. (The Japan News)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 30-year-old prostitute for extorting a potential customer in the Kabukicho red-light district of Shinjuku Ward, reports Jiji Press (Nov. 4). (Tokyo Reporter)

JR East and three mobile phone carriers this week started a campaign in Tokyo to caution commuters against "aruki smaho" (using smartphones while walking), which has recently caused many accidents and trouble on train platforms. (Japan Today)

A stone wall of Koriyama Castle in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, that was built in the 16th century, will be open to the public on Nov. 14 and 15, offering a rare glimpse of the inner structure of a castle wall, according to city officials. (Japan Times)

Early Tuesday morning, Osaka Prefectural Police made multiple arrests for various traffic violations at a parade for specialized motorcycles and cars in Kishiwada City, reports the Sankei Shimbun. (Tokyo Reporter)

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has decided to recommend a drastic reform of the management of the Monju prototype fast breeder nuclear reactor to science and technology minister Hiroshi Hase, it was learned Wednesday. (Jiji Press)

An Australian Super Rugby club says Japanese star Ayumu Goromaru will join the team for the 2016 season starting in February. (NHK)

A train hit a bicycle that had been placed on the tracks late Tuesday night in central Tokyo, police said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Honda reported a quarterly profit of 127.7 billion yen ($1 billion) Wednesday, up 7% from its revised result from the year before, even as costs of a massive recall related to defective air bags dented the boost from healthy sales. (Japan Today)

Latest Images