News On Japan

Asahi Group Holdings said Monday that it will recall some 60,000 packs of baby food products sold by its Asahi Group Foods Ltd. unit, after some were found to contain pieces of resin. (Japan Times)

Powerful Typhoon Lionrock affected air and rail traffic in Japan as it approached the country's northeastern region Tuesday morning. (Jiji Press)

There's nothing an animated vocaloid can't do. When it comes to virtual idol Hatsune Miku, she can be found gracing the ancient art of ukiyo-e woodblock prints, supporting Lady Gaga on tour or appearing live on David Letterman, and now she's teaming up with Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson for a brand new television commercial, promoting a shampoo that's said to give you beautiful, gleaming straight hair. (rocketnews24.com)

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has decided to postpone plans to relocate the aging Tsukiji fish market to the capital's Toyosu waterfront in November, a metropolitan government source said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

A male councilor here was arrested for punching a cabdriver after consuming alcohol, the Sankei Shimbun reported on Tuesday (August 30). (Tokyo Reporter)

The bereaved family of a schoolgirl who committed suicide released on Tuesday some passages from her suicide note, which identified numerous bullies and urged them to "please never bully again." (Tokyo Reporter)

Japan's government plans to overhaul its monitoring system targeting regional banks in efforts to raise their profitability and facilitate lending to local businesses, sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. (Japan Today)

Japanese retailers lowered prices on a majority of food and household items in July in response to consumers' increasing frugality. This could be a temporary trend or a sign of deflation's return. (Nikkei)

An aerial tramway gondola climbs smoothly between the green mountains. Immediately after it reaches the top, a barren basin appears below. Excited passengers exclaim, "Wow!" and "Amazing!" (the-japan-news.com)

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will review the spousal tax deduction, sometimes criticized for discouraging dependent spouses, mainly wives, from seeking full-time jobs, according to the party's tax leader. (Jiji Press)

Sea Shepherd Australia, a division of the antiwhaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, said Tuesday it will send a new high-speed patrol ship to interfere with Japanese research whaling vessels in the Antarctic Ocean. (Jiji Press)

Japan's transport ministry said Tuesday it has newly found that the fuel economy in eight of Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s vehicle models affected by a fuel efficiency scandal was up to 8.8 percent worse than their catalog figures. (Kyodo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit Japan in December, the Interfax news agency reported Tuesday, citing presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. (Jiji Press)

The suspect in a fatal shooting at a construction company in the western city of Wakayama was in an armed standoff with police Wednesday morning after evading an attempt by officers to capture him the previous night. (Japan Today)

About a month after the Japan release of the "Pokemon Go" smartphone game app, 553 minors had been taken into protective custody in Tokyo by the Metropolitan Police Department in relation to the game, according to investigative sources. (the-japan-news.com)

A two-year-old boy on Tuesday fell out of the window of a seventh-floor apartment in Tokyo and survived, police said. (Japan Today)

Heavy rain from Typhoon Lionrock has burst riverbanks and caused flooding over a wide area of northern Japan. (NHK)

Nine bodies were recovered Wednesday after the Omoto River burst its banks and flooded a nursing home in the town of Iwaizumi, Iwate Prefecture, police said. (Japan Times)

Yes, Japan has a desert compete with camels, sane dunes and ... a world class art museum with sand sculptures! This time, John heads to this barren wasteland devoid of vending machines for a taste of the Sahara - in Japan. (ONLY in JAPAN)

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