News On Japan

Students living in rural regions of Japan are more likely to underperform academically compared to their peers from urban areas, according to a new international report released Wednesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (Japan Times)

The nation's nuclear watchdog has put the kibosh on plans by Tokyo Electric Power Co. to start freezing underground soil at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant--a stunningly expensive project intended to solve the crisis of accumulating radioactive groundwater at the site. (Asahi)

Consumer electronics manufacturer Cerevo recently introduced an ultra-detailed replica of the Dominator - an iconic gun from the hit anime Psycho Pass. You need to see this thing in action. (rocketnews24.com)

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party expressed its willingness on Wednesday to accept a proposed reduction of 10 of the 475 seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament. (Jiji Press)

Japan's Fisheries Agency plans to propose catch quotas for saury to prevent overfishing of the species at an international conference to be held in April. (NHK)

Police in Tokyo are stepping up crackdowns on illegal parking of sightseeing buses in popular districts as large numbers of Chinese visit Japan's capital during the Lunar New Year holidays. (NHK)

Hotel and train operator Seibu Holdings Inc. settled legal claims by its units against ex-chairman Yoshiaki Tsutsumi and four former managers over damages related to the falsification of shareholder records that led to the company's delisting a decade ago. (Japan Times)

The government announced Wednesday that it will impose unilateral sanctions on North Korea, including a ban on entry by North Korean ships into Japan. (the-japan-news.com)

One of Japan's biggest breweries, Asahi Group Holdings, has announced that it had acquired the right to buy four European beer brands as a means of seeking growth overseas. (NHK)

The Yokohama District Court sentenced a 19-year-old youth on Wednesday to nine to 13 years in prison for murdering a 13-year-old boy in Kawasaki in February last year. (the-japan-news.com)

A group of Japanese researchers say they have discovered a bacterium that breaks up PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, resin widely used for plastic bottles. (NHK)

Business representatives on a Japanese government panel have called for more childrearing support as part of efforts to achieve the country's growth target. (NHK)

Japanese investors are scooping up bonds overseas to flee negative yields at home, driving a global debt-market rally. (Japan Times)

Tokyo has marked the 71st anniversary of devastating US air raids during World War Two. A service to honor those killed was held on Thursday at a memorial hall in the city. (NHK)

The number of cannabis control law offenders in their 20s or younger handled by police in 2015 surged 40 percent from the previous year to 1,034, the National Police Agency said Thursday. (the-japan-news.com)

Friday marks 5 years since a giant earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan. The disaster led to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. But reconstruction of disaster-hit areas has been continually delayed with more than 170,000 people still living in shelters or arranged housing. (NHK)

A ceremony of remembrance has been held in Tokyo for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on March 11th, 2011. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested four male exchange students from Mongolia suspected in a number of thefts, reports Nippon News Network (Mar. 11). (Tokyo Reporter)

Police in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, said Thursday that a 73-year-old woman was found dead at her home with a cord tied around her neck. (Japan Today)

Japan's Cabinet on Friday approved a new 5-year plan for rebuilding areas devastated by the 2011 disaster. (NHK)

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