News On Japan

Princess Aiko, the daughter and only child of Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, turned 14 on Tuesday. (Jiji Press)

Kyoto Prefectural Police on Monday busted a company that operates the top dating site in Japan for fostering prostitution, reports NHK (Nov. 30). (Tokyo Reporter)

Tochigi Prefectural Police on Monday arrested a 33-year-old housewife in Utsunomiya City for attempting to kill her estranged husband by poisoning his alcohol, reports Nippon News Network (Nov. 30). (Tokyo Reporter)

East Japan Railway Co. suspended operation of its new train on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo only a day after its debut Monday after multiple malfunction warnings were displayed on the driver's cab monitor, company sources said. (Japan Times)

Honda Motor Co. plans to shake up job terms next fiscal year and lift its retirement age by five years to 65, making the carmaker one of Japan Inc.'s biggest companies to take action in coping with the nation's aging demographics. (Japan Times)

Even samurai would have been vulnerable had they been glued to smartphone screens while walking. So says a video parody unveiled Tuesday by mobile carrier NTT Docomo Inc. that depicts a legion of samurai warriors undertaking a ritual pilgrimage while fiddling with their smartphones. (Japan Times)

The International Monetary Fund on Monday officially decided to include the yuan in its Special Drawing Rights basket. (Nikkei)

Manga artist Shigeru Mizuki, who died Nov. 30 at age 93, enjoyed living like a cat--sleeping whenever he felt like it, and then waking up with a big yawn. He was convinced from boyhood that he "could never live any other way than as a lazy bum." (Asahi)

The Nikkei surged to close above 20,000 for the first time in more than three months on Tuesday, backed by robust growth in domestic corporate capital spending. (Japan Times)

Japan's whaling fleet set out for the Antarctic on Tuesday to resume a hunt for the mammals after a year-long hiatus, prompting criticism from Australia as well as key ally, the United States. (Japan Today)

Tokyo police have opened an investigation center at Haneda airport to apprehend criminal suspects attempting to flee Japan. (NHK)

Japan's education ministry is considering ways to improve the English language ability of junior high school students. The ways may include requiring students to take new kinds of speaking tests. (NHK)

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani says a laser beam was pointed at a US aircraft at the US Marines' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa in October. (NHK)

Around 150 citizens filed lawsuits Tuesday with five regional courts in Japan demanding the government suspend the use of identification numbers under the new My Number social security and tax number system due to be launched in 2016. (Kyodo)

A war of words has erupted between librarians and a newspaper after it published a snapshot of the high school reading habits of famed novelist Haruki Murakami. (Japan Times)

The emissions scandal continued to dog Volkswagen's Japanese performance in November, sending sales of new cars down about 30% compared with a year earlier. (Nikkei)

One city in Gifu is trying to put a little bounce into its local tourism by using Kocho, the top-heavy character from No-Rin, on its promotional media. (rocketnews24.com)

Japan's government has unveiled its first guidelines for evacuation shelters on volcanoes following last year's deadly eruption at Mount Ontake that killed dozens of climbers. (NHK)

Japan's government is planning to offer an incentive to hotels and inns for upgrading their facilities. A subsidy to cover part of the improvement costs is aimed at expanding the amount of accommodation available to a growing number of foreign tourists. (NHK)

A restaurant featuring ramen noodles took its place among the more exalted gourmet restaurants as Tokyo kept its crown as the Michelin guide's dining capital of the world for the ninth straight year on Tuesday. (Japan Times)

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