News On Japan

A Japanese man has been stopped by the Russian border guard while on a visa-free trip to Kunashiri, one of the four Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands claimed by Japan, informed sources said Sunday. (Jiji Press)

Eight women in western Tokyo suffered minor cuts in an apparent assault at a public pool crowded with swimmers enjoying a mid-summer weekend. Police are investigating the incident as a possible assault. (NHK)

Tropical storm "Mindulle" is approaching the Tokyo Metropolitan region. The capital and surrounding areas will be hit by heavy rain that is expected to start Monday morning. (NHK)

There is a "sufficient chance" the Bank of Japan will add to its unprecedented easing at next month's policy meeting, Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said in a recent interview published in the Sankei newspaper. (Japan Times)

The spending power of Chinese tourists in Japan is so impressive there's a special word for it: bakugai (explosive buying). (Japan Times)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stunned the world at the Rio Olympics closing ceremony with a cosplay performance dressed as Mario. (rocketnews24.com)

When staying at this century-old correctional facility, you might hope they lock you up and throw away the key. (rocketnews24.com)

The first columbarium in the Chubu region to use an automated cinerary box conveyor system opened last month in Nagoya as the popularity of tombs that do not require much maintenance grows. (Japan Times)

Police in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, have arrested a 48-year-old man on suspicion of killing his 13-year-old son. (Japan Today)

Spring Airlines Japan has launched only its fifth route from Tokyo Narita (NRT). On 20 August the LCC began daily service to Sapporo Chitose (CTS) using its 737-800s. (anna.aero)

Growing market speculation that the Japanese government will not intervene in the currency market any time soon is threatening to remove what little downward pressure still remains on the yen. (Nikkei)

Organizers for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo are taking a close look at Rio's successes and shortcomings this year, hoping to glean solutions to the Japanese capital's own cost and space challenges. (Nikkei)

Shinzo Abe doesn't wear a wizard's hat. Nor is the prime minister known to be skilled in sorcery, voodoo or hypnosis. And yet somehow Abenomics entranced millions for nearly three years, none more so than the MBA set in New York and London that should have known better. (Japan Times)

Nearly two decades after Sony introduced corporate officers to Japan in 1997, a growing number of companies are opting out of what had become a well-established system as closer attention to governance exposes its flaws. (Nikkei)

Shigeo Yamamoto, the founder of the popular Sekai no Yama-chan restaurant chain, died on Sunday. He was 59 years old, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Aug. 22). (Tokyo Reporter)

The slashing incident Sunday at a major amusement park in western Tokyo has caught operators of other major theme parks off guard, prompting concerns that current security might not be enough to prevent similar incidents. (Japan Times)

The government is set to promote the wider use of maiden names as it attempts to create a more female-friendly work environment at a time when the nation's labor force is expected to shrink. (Japan Times)

Japan's first lady Akie Abe made an unofficial visit to Pearl Harbor on Sunday where she paid tribute to Americans killed in Japan's surprise attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. (Reuters)

A mother in Sue, Fukuoka Prefecture, was arrested Monday for allegedly killing her four children, who were found dead in their home, police said. (Japan Times)

Strong winds from a typhoon forced air traffic controllers to temporarily abandon the control tower at Narita International Airport on Monday, shutting down one of Tokyo's two main airports for about an hour. Hundreds of domestic flights were canceled at the city's other major airport. (Japan Today)

Latest Images