News On Japan

Tokyo Shoko Research (TSR) Ltd says that in the first half of 2016, the number of bankruptcies of solar power-related companies increased by 24.0% on a year-over-year basis to 31, which is larger than in any first half since 2000. (Japan Today)

The Japanese slang word for a last-minute cancellation, "dotakyan," is a portmanteau made up of "dotamba" and "kyanseru." (Japan Today)

Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a 40-year-old man who is alleged to have confined an elementary school boy inside a car in Tokorozawa City while sexually abusing him, reports TV Asahi (Sept. 9). (Tokyo Reporter)

Ozeki Kisenosato's bid to reach the highest rank of yokozuna is already in jeopardy after the first day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, falling to top-ranked maegashira Okinoumi on Sunday, when yokozuna Kakuryu also suffered defeat. (Japan Times)

Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a 52-year-old male teacher at a middle school in Kasukabe City for allegedly infiltrating into a girl's changing room for the taking of illicit films, TBS News (Sept. 10). (Tokyo Reporter)

Fire fighters in a central Japan city said that 115 people who were taking part in a marathon event Sunday were stung by wasps, but no one suffered serious allergic reactions. (Kyodo)

A Brazilian court has sentenced a man to 56 years and nine months in prison over the 2006 murders of his girlfriend and her two sons in Japan. (Japan Today)

T-shirts given to participants of a national stand-up paddleboarding tournament here left at least 24 with burns and rashes, including one who was hospitalized, Fuji News Network reported on Sunday. (Tokyo Reporter)

Ibaraki Prefectural Police have launched an investigation following the discovery of human bones in a grove of trees in Bando City, reports the Sankei Shimbun. (Tokyo Reporter)

The government's top spokesman said Monday he has cautioned a parliamentary vice minister for being piggybacked over a puddle left at the site of deadly flooding in the wake of Typhoon Lionrock. (Japan Today)

It's called the U.S. Open, and the crowd is definitely from New York, but the clothing on the court is decidedly Japanese. (Japan Times)

The biggest business groups in Japan and Europe are preparing a joint letter to call for an early conclusion of economic partnership agreement negotiations between the Asian country and the European Union, Jiji Press has learned. (the-japan-news.com)

NHK has learned that Japan's Defense Ministry on Monday ordered a Self-Defense Force unit to use its transport helicopters to airlift heavy machinery to the construction site of a US military facility in Okinawa. (NHK)

Pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki, 37, has announced she is getting divorced-for the second time. According to an announcement posted on her members-only fan site "TeamAyu" (TA) on Sunday, the Japanese pop star hinted at an impending breakup with her 28-year-old American husband, with whom she currently resides with in Los Angeles. (Japan Today)

A 7-year-old boy drowned in a river in Hiroshima Prefecture while getting ready with his father for a local cleanup event. (Japan Times)

A long-term upward trend in hotel occupancy rates in Tokyo looks to be over, with demand languishing from both Japanese and foreign travelers. (Nikkei)

After a long, hot summer, Japanese companies are calling in the odour experts to deal with the problem of "smell harassment" in the workplace. (telegraph.co.uk)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday Japan is aiming to coordinate with China and Russia in seeking a fresh U.N. Security Council resolution strengthening sanctions on North Korea following its fifth nuclear test last week. (Kyodo)

US automaker Tesla Motors is rolling out an electric SUV this week in Japan. It says the model, featuring its largest capacity battery, can travel 542 kilometers on a single charge. (NHK)

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