News On Japan

Whether Japan should acquire capabilities to conduct preemptive strikes on enemy bases is becoming a hot topic in the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration. (Jiji)

A woman found stabbed in a car on a street in Nagasaki City had previously consulted police about a stalker, Nippon News Network reported on Sunday. (tokyoreporter.com)

A 28-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in her car in Nagasaki on Saturday, police said, adding that her ex-husband, 30, who they suspect stabbed her, apparently hanged himself at his home nearby. (Japan Today)

At the Bank of Japan, cautious optimism toward U.S. President Donald Trump is giving way to plain caution. (wsj.com)

At JR Tokyo Station one day at 10 p.m., a Filipino family of five boarded an overnight bus bound for Kyoto. Having started their vacation in Osaka, they had made their way to the capital by the same means and were now on their way back to Western Japan. During their 10 days in Japan, they would not stay at hotel even once. (Nikkei)

Global casino operators are stepping up their efforts to woo local partners and venue hosts in Japan, even though it may be a year before lawmakers lay out the ground rules for what could be the world's second-biggest casino market. (Japan Today)

People who can nod off in any situation may consider a move to Japan, where public napping, so long as one follows certain rules of etiquette, is basically seen as virtuous. (newser.com)

A Cabinet Office survey showed Saturday that 64.5 pct of Japanese people consider it difficult to balance work and battles with cancer. (Jiji)

While Japan might be known as a technologically advanced country, there are those who visit to experience the rural environment. (rocketnews24.com)

The former mayor of a central Japan city who stepped down after being convicted of bribery was re-elected Sunday, although he could be forced to leave office again depending on a Supreme Court decision on his conviction appeal. (Kyodo)

Kumamoto Prefectural Police have busted a specialty hostess club in Kumamoto City for employing underage girls, reports Nippon News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

The starting fare for taxis mainly in densely populated areas of Tokyo was cut to 410 yen on Monday from 730 yen as the industry aims to spur demand for short-distance rides in response to the falling number of taxi users. (Jiji)

Toyota Motor Corp. fell from the top spot in global auto sales for the first time in five years in 2016, outperformed by Volkswagen AG of Germany, according to data released by automakers Monday. (Kyodo)

Police in Miyazaki City said Monday they have arrested an unemployed 19-year-old girl on suspicion of abandoning her aborted fetus in a restaurant refrigerator. (Japan Today)

On January 10, a fax sent in the name of Mitsugu Baba, the boss of the Kyoto-based Aizukotetsu-kai, arrived at organized crime organizations throughout the country. The message declared that he would be stepping down and be succeeded by his junior leader, Noboru Harada. (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's goal to restore its fiscal health, the worst among developed countries, is still far off amid prospects for tepid economic growth and swelling spending on health, pensions and defense. (Japan Today)

The Hokkaido city of Hakodate on Monday appointed Jakarta-based pop idol group JKT48 as tourism ambassadors in a bid to draw visitors from Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. (Japan Times)

An Air Self Defense Force fighter jet got stuck on the runway at a commercial airport in Okinawa on Monday, stopping all other flights for nearly 2 hours. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday pledged to make every effort to root out the practice of "amakudari," or descent from heaven, in which high-ranking government bureaucrats obtain juicy jobs mainly in the private sector after retirement. (Jiji)

In rare candor for a Japanese executive, CEO Hiroshi Mikitani of e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's move to ban entry of refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries, saying it made him weep with sadness. (Japan Today)

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