News On Japan

Nearly 90 percent of 101 major Japanese companies said they expect economic expansion in 2016, with many projecting recovery in private consumption and capital spending that lacked vigor in 2015, a Kyodo News poll showed Saturday. (Kyodo)

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry is set to develop a smartphone-based payment application to encourage foreign visitors to further boost consumption during their stays in the country. (the-japan-news.com)

Scientists at Japanese universities are launching a full-scale probe into whether there is life in outer space. (NHK)

Early risers gathered on Sunday in Yamanashi Prefecture to see the sun appear from behind Mount Fuji. (NHK)

Another effort is underway to pad UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list with a tradition in which people dressed as god-like demons visit homes near the end of the year to bring good fortune. (Japan Times)

Honda Motor Co. says a defective air bag made by Takata Corp. was responsible for the death of a driver near Pittsburgh. (Japan Times)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seems to be keeping a firm grip on power in the run-up to the triennial election for the House of Councillors next summer. (Jiji Press)

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the proclamation of Japan's Constitution. Publishing companies are planning to release new books on the topic. (NHK)

An ostrich that had escaped from its owner in Gifu Prefecture at the end of last year was found dead Sunday with the branch of a tree protruding from in its neck, the Asahi Shimbun reported Monday. (Japan Times)

Temperatures in many parts of Japan have hit record highs for the month of January. (NHK)

People who returned to big cities began their first day of work Monday after spending the New Year's holidays overseas or at their family homes. (Japan Times)

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso stressed the need to address the country's low birthrate, in a fiscal policy speech on Monday. (Jiji Press)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 32-year-old male construction worker for the stabbing death of his ex-wife's boyfriend in Yokohama, reports Nippon News Network (Jan. 3). (Tokyo Reporter)

For the first year since 1989, foreigners sold Japanese stocks and missed a rally. (Japan Times)

Last month the Supreme Court handed down its verdict on a lawsuit filed by people who objected to the Civil Code requirement that married couples be registered under one surname. (Japan Times)

There has been a lot of discussion recently about allowing more foreign workers into Japan to make up for severe labor shortages in some fields. As of the end of 2014, the labor ministry estimated there were 790,000 foreign nationals working in Japan legally, which is more than the number of national civil servants (640,000). (Japan Times)

Emperor Akihito expertly zigzagged his way between traffic cones on the way to successfully renewing his driver's license for the last time on Jan. 8. (Asahi)

The organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics on Saturday picked four finalists for new emblem designs for the 2020 Games. (Jiji Press)

Top Japanese brewer Asahi Group Holdings is taking a gamble amid a new wave of global consolidation. (Nikkei)

Thousands of people took part in a New Year race at a Shinto shrine in western Japan on Sunday. The winner is crowned the year's "luckiest man." (NHK)

Latest Images