News On Japan

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have re-arrested three surfers for allegedly cultivating marijuana with the intent to sell, reports TV Asahi. (Tokyo Reporter)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine for war dead on Monday to mark the annual autumn festival of the shrine, Kyodo News said. The shrine is seen in China and the two Koreas as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. (Japan Today)

Police are ramping up their vigilance at train stations, temples and shrines amid an increasing presence of alleged Peeping Toms in Kyoto's major tourist areas. (Japan Times)

The governor of the Bank of Japan has again expressed his readiness to take additional credit-easing measures, depending on economic conditions. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stressed Monday that the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact is essential for Japan's growth and regional stability. (Jiji Press)

A 37-year-old president of a company in Tottori Prefecture licensed to grow hemp has been arrested for possessing dried marijuana, sources at the health ministry said Monday. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government's vision for a sharing economy apparently has little room for one important trend -- the growing global popularity of ride-hailing services. (Nikkei)

A teacher in charge of a special needs education class for children with disabilities at an elementary school in Shiraoka City, Saitama Prefecture, has been arrested for allegedly hitting the face of a 10-year-old boy and breaking his jaw. (Japan Today)

The U.S. appears to view Japan as a bigger currency manipulator than China despite the yen's strength and the yuan's weakness against the dollar over the past year, suggesting that Tokyo's hands will remain tied in currency markets for now. (Nikkei)

A team of Japanese researchers has succeeded for the first time in the world in using induced pluripotent stem cells from a mouse tail to produce a large number of eggs in vitro, a study published in the British science journal Nature showed Monday. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government expects to raise 416 billion yen ($4 billion) from the initial public offering of 160 million shares of Kyushu Railway Co, or JR Kyushu, the latest in the privatization of this nation's prized train operations. (Japan Today)

A government-appointed panel began deliberations Monday on the potential abdication of the Japanese emperor, focusing on creating a one-time provision applying only to Emperor Akihito while steering clear of the topic of allowing women to carry on the Imperial line. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government has banned passengers from bringing a specific model of smartphone aboard planes. (insidejapantours.com)

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 53-year-old man on suspicion of stealing a 250,000 yen bike parked near JR Ikebukuro Station in March 2015, and then selling it on an online auction site. (Japan Today)

Toho now sees net profit rising 28% on the year to 33 billion yen ($317 million) for the year ending February 2017, aided by the smash success of a new Godzilla movie and a sleeper animated hit. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 16-year-old boy after a stabbing incident left three persons injured at a high school in Chiyoda Ward, reports TBS News. (Tokyo Reporter)

Nagano Prefectural Police have arrested a 28-year-old French male after a pair of fires broke out under suspicious circumstances in Matsumoto City, reports TV Asahi (Oct. 17). (Tokyo Reporter)

Kyoto Prefectural Police have arrested a 55-year-old male school teacher for allegedly taking illicit films of a woman on the grounds of Kiyomizu Temple after a news crew on the scene to report on such crimes observed the suspect behaving strangely, reports the Asahi Shimbun. (Tokyo Reporter)

Japan is lagging behind growing international moves to restrict microbeads, the tiny synthetic particles that have become a major source of pollution in the world's oceans. (Japan Times)

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