News On Japan

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is working on the development of technology to protect aeroplanes from severe weather conditions and volcanic activity. (insidejapantours.com)

The Utsunomiya District Court in Tochigi Prefecture sentenced a man, 33, to life in prison on Friday for fatally stabbing a seven-year-old girl in 2005. (the-japan-news.com)

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games has disclosed 4 sets of candidates for the emblems of the event. (NHK)

Police on Friday arrested a 25-year-old man and his 48-year-old mother on charges of kidnapping a 13-year-old junior high school student from her residence in Toyama Prefecture and taking her to their home in Shinjo, Yamagata Prefecture. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested the 49-year-old girlfriend of a man who died after she allegedly stabbed him inside the residence they share in Toshima Ward, reports TBS News (April 8). (Tokyo Reporter)

Hokkaido Prefectural Police have arrested a 26-year-old bar host for allegedly removing a tooth from a colleague in Sapporo, reports the Sankei Shimbun (April 9). (Tokyo Reporter)

North Korea claimed Saturday to have successfully tested a new type of engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile, in its latest episode of saber-rattling ahead of a rare party congress scheduled for early next month. (Kyodo)

In addition to the Ise-Shima Group of Seven summit meeting, eight of the 10 ministerial meetings to be held around the country are concentrated in a six-week period starting on Sunday. (the-japan-news.com)

About 4,300 police officers have been deployed in the city of Hiroshima, where foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations will gather on Sunday. (NHK)

The Nippon Badminton Association says star player Kento Momota will be banned from competition indefinitely. The decision means he will not be selected for Japan's national team for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. (NHK)

Police in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, said Sunday they have arrested a 31-year-old university assistant professor for filming up a girl's skirt. (Japan Today)

Investigative sources with the Toyama Prefectural Police revealed on Sunday that a man and his mother, both of whom have been arrested in the abduction of a 13-year-old girl, likely committed the crime to molest the victim, reports Nippon News Network (April 10). (Tokyo Reporter)

Japanese are increasingly choosing to study English in the Philippines over the United States or U.K., driven by the lures of cheaper tuition fees and the proximity to home. (Japan Times)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday visited a peace park marking the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing in the western Japan city of Hiroshima, the first U.S. state secretary to do so. (Kyodo)

A 6-year-old girl fell to her death from her family apartment on the 43rd floor of a high-rise building in Osaka's Abeno Ward in an apparent accident, police said Monday. (Japan Today)

Demand for the yen showed little signs of abating on Monday, with the currency reaching a fresh 17-month high, prompting the government to warn that it could take steps to weaken the exchange rate. (the-japan-news.com)

Some local governments are making moves to lift a ban on ball play in parks. The moves are triggered by children and parents seeking places where they can play catch and other ball games. (the-japan-news.com)

The education ministry is considering a major realignment of both public and private universities ahead of an expected drop in the number of students, ministry sources said Monday. (Japan Today)

International competition for the chartering of large container vessels has forced shipping companies to slash rates. (Nikkei)

For global equity investors and Shinzo Abe, it's splitsville. Starting in the first days of 2016, foreign traders have been pulling out of Tokyo's stock market for 13 straight weeks, the longest stretch since 1998. (Japan Times)

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