News On Japan

A parcel delivery experiment using a drone began on Monday in the Makuhari area in the city of Chiba, east of Tokyo, which has been designated as a national strategic special deregulation zone by the Japanese government. (Jiji Press)

A video has emerged purportedly showing a Sydney woman snowboarding in a Japanese ski resort, blissfully unaware of a bear chasing her a short distance behind. (9news.com.au)

Five years after a tsunami damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, radioactive wild boars are wreaking havoc in nearby towns. (globalnews.ca)

Visitors to Japan may soon be able to forget the hassle of having to change money - with the launch of a new system enabling fingerprints to be used as currency. (telegraph.co.uk)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have apprehended three male Peruvian nationals believed to be behind dozens of burglaries in the metropolitan area, reports the Sankei Shimbun (April 11). (Tokyo Reporter)

Hyogo Prefectural Police have made an arrest after a vehicle rammed the headquarters of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime group in Awaji City, reports NHK (April 11). (Tokyo Reporter)

The Group of Seven foreign ministers concluded a historic two-day meeting in Hiroshima on Monday that saw them discuss the goal of global nuclear disarmament in the first city destroyed by an atomic bomb. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 58-year-old man at a Tokyo airport after an arson attack left his disabled brother dead and another attempt resulted in the evacuation of his apartment building, reports Nikkan Sports (April 11). (Tokyo Reporter)

Police in Ikoma, Nara Prefecture, have arrested a 39-year-old man on suspicion of killing his 2-year-old son by confining him in a plastic storage case, where he died of hypoxia. (Japan Today)

A fire has destroyed at least 3 wooden buildings in Shinjuku's Golden Gai, one of Tokyo's most famous traditional drinking districts. (NHK)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to introduce new boat services with an eye toward the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in the city. Officials are hoping to conduct a trial of them this summer. (NHK)

Executives at Japan's biggest brokerage, Nomura Holdings, say volatile financial markets have forced them to make some tough decisions. They say they're planning to cut back on operations at their US and European branches. (NHK)

The Uniqlo casual clothing chain will slash prices and return to its simple pricing regime because price hikes in the past two years have proven to be a mistake, Tadashi Yanai, chairman and president of parent company Fast Retailing, said in a recent interview with The Nikkei. (Nikkei)

Toyota Motor Corp. has opened to media for the first time the new assembly line for the Lexus ES luxury car model at its Kentucky plant in Georgetown. (the-japan-news.com)

The International Monetary Fund has cut its growth forecast for Japan, citing the global economic slowdown. (NHK)

Universal Studios Japan opened new attractions based on the "Harry Potter" film franchise on Wednesday, aiming to log another year of record traffic. (Nikkei)

Japan's tallest Ferris wheel will begin operating July 1 at a commercial complex in Osaka, western Japan, according to its operator Ferris Wheel Investment Co. (Japan Today)

The ruling coalition is considering pushing back a plan to ratify a Pacific Rim free trade deal and enact related bills during the current Diet session ending June 1 due to stalled debate with opposition parties, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday Japan is forecast to incur an economic contraction of 0.1 pct in 2017, the only major nation in the world seen suffering negative growth that year. (Jiji Press)

A source familiar with Japan-Russia relations says a close aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit Hiroshima to pay tribute to the victims of the 1945 US atomic bombing. (NHK)

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