News On Japan

Japanese prosecutors on Monday charged a South Korean two weeks after he was arrested for alleged illegal entry into the controversial Yasukuni shrine before it was hit by a small explosion, local media reported. (Japan Today)

For Mohammed, the perils of staying in Damascus crystalized when a sniper's bullet whizzed past his head while he and his cousins were on his rooftop, watching the Syrian air force bomb rebel forces. (Japan Today)

Police are looking for the benevolent owner of 2,000 lottery tickets that were presumably left intentionally at the Tochigi City Hall in Ibaraki Prefecture. (Japan Today)

A woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of damaging a corpse and abandoning it after a human skull and body parts were found in a condominium in Osaka Prefecture. (Japan Times)

From Jan. 1, Japan will tax profits on bond sales and allow investors to cut their tax payments by offsetting gains and losses in bond trading with those in equity transactions. (Jiji Press)

Japanese may be removed as a foreign language subject from Britain's Advanced Levels, or A Levels, which are standard qualifications widely used by British universities to assess students' entrance eligibility. (Jiji Press)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe played a leading role behind a deal the Japanese and South Korean governments reached Monday regarding so-called comfort women, aided by his insistence on not deviating from what he saw as the correct path and his realization that results would not come without compromise. (the-japan-news.com)

With only a few days left before New Year's Day, busy shoppers trying to seeking items for osechi dishes pack a street in the Tsukiji Outer Market in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, on Tuesday afternoon. (the-japan-news.com)

Communities in the Donan southern region of Hokkaido are making last-minute preparations in a festive mood ahead of the launch of the Hokkaido Shinkansen Line on March 26, the first bullet train service in the northernmost Japan prefecture. (Jiji Press)

A rare giant squid was spotted in the waters off Japan on Christmas Eve (December 24th), delighting all those who managed to catch a glimpse of its form in the water. (insidejapantours.com)

The average minimum amount of funds necessary for stock investment in Japan came to 307,000 yen on Wednesday, down 7,000 yen from a year earlier, according to a Jiji Press tally. (Jiji Press)

A year-end ceremony was held at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday, the final trading day of 2015, with the benchmark Nikkei average rising for the fourth straight year. (the-japan-news.com)

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Monday it has adopted an improved Japanese version of the Fujita scale, an international standard to estimate tornado gust speeds from the extent of damage to property. (the-japan-news.com)

The health insurance card information of some 103,000 people has been leaked to name list brokers, welfare ministry officials revealed Wednesday. (the-japan-news.com)

South Koreans held a rally in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul on Wednesday, demanding the withdrawal of an agreement the two countries reached earlier this week to settle the issue of Korean women who were forced into prostitution for Japanese troops during wartime. (Jiji Press)

A huge rice cake has been offered to a shrine in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. The ritual is intended to wish for good health and an abundant harvest in the coming year. (NHK)

Ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers have compiled an outline for a bill detailing where people can and cannot smoke in public places to deal with the issue of passive smoke. (Japan Times)

Police in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, have arrested a 43-year-old woman on suspicion of attempting to kill her 47-year-old husband. (Japan Today)

Undefeated champion Takashi Uchiyama of Japan on Thursday successfully defended his World Boxing Association super featherweight title for the 11th time, beating Nicaraguan Oliver Flores with a technical knockout. (Japan Today)

A red panda that had make a break for freedom from Shizuoka Zoo has been returned to its enclosure after a large search. (insidejapantours.com)

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