News On Japan

The government of Minato Ward, Tokyo, plans to allow its residents to take their pets to evacuation shelters in the event of natural disasters, sources said. (the-japan-news.com)

French police are trying to locate a foreign student who they believe met a Japanese woman shortly before she went missing 3 weeks ago in the eastern city of Besancon. (NHK)

Japan's Defense Ministry says its Self-Defense Forces have confirmed for the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier travelling on the high seas. (NHK)

Visitors enjoy the night lights of the State Guest House in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday. (the-japan-news.com)

Christmas shopping can be stressful – but not today! I've found a Japanese Vending Machine that is perfect, making it easy for you to shop and save time -- and save money! (ONLY in JAPAN)

As recently as five years ago, a Japanese prime minister was in Hawaii for an economic summit meeting, but pointedly stayed away from Pearl Harbor. (nytimes.com)

A wild boar injured four people Sunday as they walked on a crowded trail outside of Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture. (Japan Times)

Okinawa Gov Takeshi Onaga on Monday rescinded an action aimed at blocking the relocation of a U.S. air base within the island prefecture, a step crucial to enabling the central government to resume construction work, sources close to the matter said. (Japan Today)

Dozens of Chinese tourists rioted last week after being stranded at New Chitose Airport due to record snowfall, reports TBS News (Dec. 26). (tokyoreporter.com)

Police in Imari, Saga Prefecture, have arrested seven teenagers, aged 17-18, for making a false 110 call to lure a police patrol car to a spot where they pelted it with eggs, tofu and potatoes. (Japan Today)

The Bank of Japan, which has given up on achieving its 2 percent inflation goal by printing more money, is expected to fret over the fate of the "Trump rally" in 2017. (Japan Times)

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry plans to install free Wi-Fi hotspots in about 30,000 locations across the nation by 2020, including public schools, parks run by municipalities and museums, it has been learned. (the-japan-news.com)

The initial excitement surrounding Nintendo Co.'s debut mobile game, "Super Mario Run," appears to be wearing off. (the-japan-news.com)

KDDI Corp. and a taxi company are testing the feasibility of taxis equipped with automatic translation systems. (the-japan-news.com)

SMAP, one of Japan's most popular and longest-lived pop groups, made their final appearance as a group on Monday before their planned breakup on Saturday, in the final episode of their signature variety show. (Kyodo)

Emperor Akihito, who turned 83 last Friday, will no longer deliver a New Year's message to help alleviate his burdens due to his advanced age, the Imperial Household Agency said Monday. (Japan Times)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Hawaii, where he will remember the victims of Japan's attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor 75 years ago. (NHK)

A man who died in a car accident in 2009 in Yamaguchi Prefecture has been accused in the murder of a 19-year-old female college student who went missing earlier that year after photos of her corpse were found among his personal articles, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Hygiene in daily life is crucial for living a healthy life and while technology has been helping maintain hygiene, it needs a lot of effort when it comes to maintaining hygiene, be it bacteria being left on notes from ATM machines or studies suggesting that smartphone screens having more germs than a toilet seat. (deccanchronicle.com)

Toshiba Corp. may post a loss of more than ¥100 billion for the year through March in connection with its nuclear plant business in the United States, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

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