News On Japan

Police acting on a tip from a child welfare center arrested a man and a woman from Osaka's Higashisumiyoshi Ward who allegedly placed the woman's 1-year-old son's body inside a cooler in a car's trunk. (Japan Times)

Toyota Motor Corp has developed a new way of observing the movements of tiny particles in batteries used to power electric vehicles - an advance it says will help boost their cruise range by 10 percent to 15 percent. (Japan Today)

Japan Airlines will issue straight bonds as early as this year, becoming the first Japanese company to return to the bond market after filing for bankruptcy. (Nikkei)

NHK has failed, at least for the moment, to secure SMAP for its signature year-ending music program, meaning one of Japan's most popular and longest-lived pop groups may not perform on the famous program before they break up. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a former member of an organized crime group in the killing of a company president three years ago, reports TV Asahi (Nov. 23). (tokyoreporter.com)

The Japan High School Baseball Federation (Koyaren) has submitted a proposal to allow girls to take part in baseball practice sessions at Koshien. (Japan Today)

In the three months since the release of the infectious song "Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen," musician Piko Taro, a.k.a. comedian Kosaka Daimaou, has earned many things: over 90 million YouTube views, a Guinness World Record, and the admiration of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's granddaughter. (rocketnews24.com)

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is drawing up plans for new legislation that will make it harder for foreign companies or individuals to purchase land close to sensitive military facilities. (scmp.com)

Snow fell in central Tokyo for the first time this season on Thursday, resulting in the first accumulation of snow in the area in November since statistics started in 1875. (Jiji)

Local police have arrested a Japanese woman who was found to be in possession of dozens of rare reptiles without authorization, reports NHK (Nov. 23). (tokyoreporter.com)

The Shizuoka District Court on Thursday sentenced a 64-year-old man to death over the 2012 murders of a dried fish store owner and one of her employees before robbing the store of money. (Japan Today)

FIVB General Director Fabio Azevedo asked Friday for the construction of the envisaged Ariake Arena in the Tokyo Bay area to proceed as planned as the venue for volleyball matches at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. (Jiji)

With Japan being the home of so many animation and video game production companies, the country has the most developed voice acting industry in the world. (rocketnews24.com)

Asahi Group Holdings is set to become Japan's first beer maker to produce a flagship product in Europe. (NHK)

Sales to replicate the "Black Friday" shopping frenzy in the United States kicked off in Japan on Friday, with some major Japanese retailers taking part for the first time. (Jiji)

Local governments in the Shikoku region are working to have a local pilgrimage route featuring 88 Buddhist temples designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. (the-japan-news.com)

Japan's consumer prices fell in October, government data showed Friday, extending the longest string of declines in five years and underscoring its struggles to conquer deflation. (Japan Today)

Fashion model and "talent" Rola is making her Hollywood debut in "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" (the series is known as "Biohazard" in Japan). (Japan Today)