News On Japan

A knife-wielding man has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed a stranger in the face and arms on a street in the town of Kochino in Konan City on Saturday night, police said. (tokyoreporter.com)

US President Donald Trump has claimed his intervention helped reduce the cost of F-35 fighter jets. He said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe thanked him for lowering the price of the aircraft, which Japan also plans to buy. (NHK)

Crowds of men wearing nothing but loincloths joined a nighttime festival in western Japan, vying to catch wooden sticks said to bring good luck. (NHK)

The Japanese government has drawn up a bill to set a stay limit of 180 days annually for "minpaku" private lodging services, according to informed sources. (Jiji)

A woman arrested over the suspected poisoning death of Kim Jong-nam said a man claiming to be Japanese paid her to participate in what he said was a "prank" for a television show in Japan, Nippon News Network reported on Sunday (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 30-year-old man who allegedly started a fire in a bathroom of a pachinko parlor in Katsushika Ward last year, reports TV Asahi (Feb. 20). (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan posted its first trade balance deficit in 5 months in January. Higher oil prices pushed up the costs of imports. (NHK)

Four major parties in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly agreed Monday to set up a powerful committee to look into the issues dogging the Tsukiji fish market relocation plan and possibly summon former Gov. Shintaro Ishihara as a sworn witness. (Japan Times)

The introduction of negative interest rates a year ago by the Bank of Japan is prompting listed companies here to funnel the money they save on borrowing costs toward takeovers and capital investment. (Nikkei)

A man obsessed with a female pop idol pleaded guilty Monday to stabbing her last May in Tokyo after she rejected gifts from him. (Japan Times)

At the opening on Monday of a trial for a former member of the Kudo-kai organized crime group accused in the stabbing of a female nurse four years ago, the prosecution said the hit was ordered by the gang's top boss after he became dissatisfied with a cosmetic surgery procedure, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Feb. 20). (tokyoreporter.com)

Well, there is now a new Internet sensation breaking down those stereotypes and he comes from the comparatively not-so-popular sport of professional pool. His name is Naoyuki Oi, and you may want to remember the name because it may be popping up a bit more often in the future. (rocketnews24.com)

Japan's Shiseido plans to make English the official company language at its head offices around October next year, a step necessitated by the growth into a global enterprise. (Nikkei)

Tokyo International Airport's Terminal 2, currently for domestic flights, is slated to host international flights as well, from March 2020 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics that year, informed sources have said. (Jiji)

The Tokyo metropolitan government plans to introduce alphanumeric route displays for its bus services as early as in 2018, informed sources told Jiji Press on Tuesday. (the-japan-news.com)

Twenty-eight hospitals in Japan have been registered on a government list of medical institutions recommended for non-Japanese as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration seeks to promote the nation's advanced medical services. (Japan Times)

A Polish woman has become the first non-Japanese shogi player to achieve the rank of professional after winning a decisive match in Tokyo. Shogi is a board game that is often called Japan's equivalent of chess. (NHK)

An anesthesiologist injected a narcotic drug into his arm during surgery at a hospital in Ota City in what was his 20th time, police said on Monday. (tokyoreporter.com)

The price of new condominiums in Japan hit the second highest level on record last year, fuelled by rising costs in personnel and materials. (NHK)

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