News On Japan

The number of foreigners who applied for refugee status in Japan reached 7,926 between January and September, surpassing its record high on a calendar year basis, Justice Minister Katsutoshi Kaneda said Friday. (Jiji)

A total of 22 people who live or lived in rural areas in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, have been arrested on charges of possessing cannabis, it was learned Friday. (Jiji)

A public elementary school in eastern Australia is attracting attention with a curriculum that allows children to take all subjects in both English and Japanese. (NHK)

Japan's hip-hop scene had a longer gestation period than most. From Yellow Magic Orchestra's 1981 tune Rap Phenomena, an early electro-rap track that inspired early US crews, via the arrival of the film Wild Style and hip-hop fashion labels, the hip-hop revolution rolled out slowly across Japan. (redbull.com)

Ibaraki Prefectural Police have launched an investigation following the discovery of a corpse inside a burned-out vehicle in Tsuchiura City, reports TBS News (Nov. 26). (tokyoreporter.com)

At a hearing at the Tottori District Court on Thursday, the prosecution announced that it is seeking a prison term for a 35-year-old woman accused of dumping the bodies of two infants, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

In sumo, Yokozuna Grand Champion Kakuryu has won his 3rd career championship. (NHK)

Wineries in Japan produced more white wine than red wine in fiscal 2015 in terms of products using only domestically grown grapes, a National Tax Agency survey has shown. (Jiji)

A member of the idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) was named a chief of police in Yokohama in an effort to eradicate molestations and illicit filming on trains, the second time the group has been involved in such an initiative this year, reports Nippon News Network (Nov. 24). (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sent a message of condolence to Cuban leader Raul Castro on the death of Fidel Castro. (NHK)

A theme park in Kitakyushu City is facing a growing tide of criticism over its educational attraction featuring some 5,000 sea creatures frozen into an ice rink in what it boasts to be a world-first - and possibly Japan's last. (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 38-year-old man in Setagaya Ward after he allegedly threatened a neighbor in a dispute over proper trash disposal, reports TBS News (Nov. 24). (tokyoreporter.com)

Yokozuna Kakuryu, who clinched his third Emperor's Cup on Saturday, beat fellow yokozuna Harumafuji to cap the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in the final bout of the year on Sunday at Fukuoka Kokusai Center. (tokyoreporter.com)

A male worker was crushed to death by an elevator at a cardboard factory in Higashimurayama City, police said on Sunday. (tokyoreporter.com)

Mobile terminals dubbed "biocarts," which have recently been introduced at three Japanese airports, have successfully reduced the time taken by foreign visitors to complete entry procedures by up to 40 percent, according to the Justice Ministry. (the-japan-news.com)

A taxi crashed into the iron fence around a school in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, on Sunday morning after the 65-year-old driver blacked out. (Japan Today)

A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of raping a Japanese tourist the previous day in the famed beach resort of Kovalam in India's southern state of Kerala, police said Sunday. (Japan Today)

Nagano Prefectural Police on Sunday launched an investigation following the discovery of a human leg in a field in the village of Minamimaki. (tokyoreporter.com)

Calling for a weaker yen was a lonely post six months ago for Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC's Mansoor Mohi-uddin. Now the Singapore-based strategist is getting plenty of company from others who are joining him in forecasting the currency will slide to 120 per dollar. (Japan Times)

The number of foreigners visiting Mikawa-Anjo Station, the next stop after Nagoya Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, is increasing, particularly visitors from Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. (Japan Times)

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