News On Japan

In the lead-up to English becoming a part of the primary school curriculum, improving instructors' English teaching skills is urgent business. (the-japan-news.com)

People in western Japan have started dancing to lively music for the annual Awa Odori festival. (NHK)

The administrator of a building used by opposition party supporters and a labor union chapter filed a complaint against the Oita prefectural police on Friday for trespassing and secretly installing cameras on the premises in June. (Japan Today)

Back in the good old days of 2015, Tokyo-based retailer Laox logged a record group net profit catering to shopping-mad Chinese tourists at its sales-tax-free stores in Japan. (Nikkei)

Zentsuji in Kagawa Prefecture is the home to Japan's SQUARE WATERMELONS and I travel to Shikoku Island to the very spot where they've been producing them for decades. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Officials at Japan's Meteorological Agency say a power malfunction in its seismic system caused a false alarm earlier this month that indicated a massive earthquake may hit Tokyo Bay. (NHK)

The new president of Japanese electronics firm Sharp has assumed his post. (NHK)

One of Japan's longest-running pop acts is set to disband at the end of the year. The agent for the all-male band SMAP made the announcement early on Sunday. (NHK)

A 14-year-old boy died after being hit by a train in an apparent suicide on Saturday. (Japan Today)

Kei Nishikori's bid for an Olympic gold medal came up short after a 6-1, 6-4 semifinal defeat to defending champion Andy Murray at the Rio Games on Saturday. (Japan Times)

Thousands of passengers arrived at their destinations all over Japan on Saturday, only to find that everyone's bags were left behind. (rocketnews24.com)

Three Japanese directors have won prizes at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. (NHK)

Kei Nishikori defeated Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-7(1), 6-3 to win bronze at the Rio Olympics on Sunday for Japan's first tennis medal in almost a century. (Kyodo)

Many people in Japan are returning to major cities on Sunday after visiting hometowns and resorts during the "bon" summer holidays. (NHK)

Kagawa Prefectural Police have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of a woman's body in a residence in Takamatsu City, reports Nikkan Sports (Aug. 14). (Tokyo Reporter)

Japan's economy grew at a slower than forecast 0.2 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, as the recovery was sapped by weaker exports and business investment, the government said Monday. (Japan Times)

Ehime Prefectural Police arrested a man who traveled nearly 1,000 kilometers by taxi from the Kanto area to Matsuyama City - and did not pay the fare, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 15). (Tokyo Reporter)

Tochigi Prefectural Police have arrested a 47-year-old male construction worker in the killing of his mother in Utsunomiya City, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 14). (Tokyo Reporter)

Japan plans to let travelers undergo immigration and customs screening before flying into the country, aiming to combat lengthy waits at airports as inbound tourism grows. (Nikkei)

Now that Japan has earned seven gold medals so far in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the slow playing of the national anthem in medal ceremonies has popped out as a talking point among Japanese athletes. (Jiji Press)

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