News On Japan

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday hinted at the possibility of his government again putting off the planned increase in the consumption tax rate from the present 8 percent to 10 percent slated for next April. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police are investigating a mugging in the Ginza entertainment district of Chuo Ward in which a man was robbed of 100,000 yen, reports the Sankei Shimbun (April 2). (Tokyo Reporter)

Standing out from Japan's many girl groups can be a daunting task, but one act, Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls), has found the answer by hiding behind masks. (Japan Times)

Prize-winning Okinawan novelist Shun Medoruma was released by the authorities Saturday, a day after his arrest for allegedly trespassing in a restricted area near a U.S. military base in Okinawa during a protest. (Japan Times)

New recruits marked their first day at work in firms and organizations across Japan as fiscal 2016 got underway on Friday. (NHK)

Police have arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of assaulting a 72-year-old man who scolded him for using his smartphone while walking. (Japan Today)

Over time, international travelers' willingness to experience certain parts of local culture can change remarkably. Not so long ago, it wasn't unusual for visitors to Japan to feel squeamish about eating raw fish or baffled at the idea of waiting in line for a lowly bowl of noodles, but now most would argue that your Japan experience isn't complete without sampling the country's amazing sushi and ramen. (Japan Today)

Sharp and its major lenders had been considering whether to choose a restructuring plan proposed by Japan's public-private partnership fund, the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, or the offer from Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry. (NHK)

Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry has signed a final contract to take over Japanese electronics maker Sharp. (NHK)

Japan is witnessing a record number of compensation claims related to death from overwork, or karoshi, a phenomenon previously associated with the long-suffering salaryman that is increasingly afflicting young and female employees. (Japan Times)

The highly enriched uranium at the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute which is to be taken to the United States for disposal is contained in nuclear fuel. (NHK)

Three vessels including a submarine belonging to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force on Sunday made a port call at Subic Bay in the Philippines' main island of Luzon. (Kyodo)

A tree-falling ritual, a climax in the famed Onbashira Shinto festival held every six years, began in the Suwa district in Nagano Prefecture on Sunday. (the-japan-news.com)

Japan's space agency plans to try again to make orbital adjustments to its Venus probe Akatsuki in an attempt to at least double its operable period. (NHK)

The Emperor and Empress visited the tomb for Emperor Jimmu, known as the country's first emperor, in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, on Sunday. (the-japan-news.com)

Revelers carried giant phalluses through the streets of Kawasaki on Sunday to worship the humble penis and fertility in one of the world's most unusual festivals. (Japan Times)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police have launched an investigation after a package exploded at a residence of a man who has been a target of abuse in the past, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (April 4). (Tokyo Reporter)

A 15-year-old high school boy drowned Sunday after a boat he and three former classmates were aboard capsized in a moat surrounding Takada Park in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, where hundreds of people had converged to view cherry blossoms in full bloom. (Japan Times)

Honda Motor Co. said Monday that it will recall a total of 164,388 units of its mainstay Fit subcompact car and Vezel sport-utility vehicle in Japan, due to defects in the idling stop and power steering systems. (Jiji Press)

Sixty-five percent of respondents in a recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey said the planned hike in the consumption tax rate from the current 8 percent to 10 percent in April 2017 should be postponed. (the-japan-news.com)

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