News On Japan

Police are questioning a man in his 20s in connection with a pushing incident at a railway station in Osaka. (NHK)

Tochigi Prefectural Police have arrested a 27-year-old man in the stabbing death of his girlfriend in Utsunomiya City, reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

The Japanese government decided Monday to allow skilled foreign workers to work in the agricultural sector in certain special economic zones, aiming to alleviate a labor shortage in the sector exacerbated by the graying of Japan's population. (Japan Today)

Share prices in Tokyo closed on Tuesday at a new high for this year. The Nikkei Average ended at 19,250, up 95 points from Monday's close. (NHK)

US tech giant Apple is reportedly holding talks to invest in a tech fund being set up by Japan's major telecom firm, Softbank. (NHK)

Traditional female entertainers in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto have started extending their formal New Year's greetings. (NHK)

Tokyo police have decided to bar vehicles from the busy Shibuya district when people gather for the New Year's countdown. (NHK)

A depopulated town in the western part of Tokyo is trying to attract young families from other municipalities in the Japanese capital as well as other areas of the country under a project utilizing vacant homes. (Jiji)

An aquarium in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, has started displaying a pair of whale sharks as part of its efforts for the world's first captive breeding of the largest fish on Earth. (Jiji)

The ruling bloc rammed a divisive casino legalization bill through an Upper House committee Tuesday evening, opening the door to its likely passage on Wednesday, the last scheduled day of the current Diet session. (Japan Times)

Also, the unexpected appearance of "Santa Pikachu." (rocketnews24.com)

Japan will cut in stages the prices to buy electricity produced from solar and wind energy under the country's feed-in tariff system over the three years from fiscal 2017, officials said Tuesday. (Jiji)

It may seem like a way to rip you off, but it's actually a delicious aspect of Japanese restaurant culture. (rocketnews24.com)

Japan's Defense Ministry says a US military Osprey aircraft made an emergency water landing in Okinawa Prefecture on Tuesday night. (NHK)

Japan's transport ministry said Tuesday that it will hold a contest to set the background design for special license plates to commemorate the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. (Jiji)

Vladimir Putin denied Tuesday that there is a territorial dispute over the Russian-held, Japanese-claimed islands off Hokkaido, and said Japan must make concessions to conclude a bilateral World War II peace treaty. (Japan Times)

A U.S. Marine Osprey made a belly-landing at an airbase in Okinawa Prefecture on Tuesday, the day when another Osprey crashed off the southern Japan prefecture, U.S. military officials said Wednesday. (Jiji)

Gold bars worth ¥600 million ($5 million) were stolen by men disguised as police officers in the city of Fukuoka sometime around spring this year, investigative sources said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Japan's Diet has enacted a bill to promote establishing "integrated resorts" that include casinos. (NHK)

Police in Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture, said Wednesday they have arrested a 35-year-old woman on suspicion of attempted murder after she gave her 5-year-old daughter milk, knowing the child was allergic to dairy products. (Japan Today)

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