News On Japan

Police searched a high school in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on Friday over the deaths of eight people, including students, in an avalanche during mountaineering training. (Jiji)

The Japanese government on Friday adopted a package of emergency measures to prevent young women from falling prey to sex crimes such as being forced to appear in porn videos. (Jiji)

Police in Oita Prefecture, western Japan, say a knife-wielding man injured a boy and two women after he burst into a children's daycare center. The man was later arrested. (NHK)

Japanese authorities are considering making pachinko pinball-style gaming machines less rewarding as a measure to combat problem gambling, police officials said Friday. (Japan Today)

A male police inspector has been arrested for allegedly molesting a woman on a train near JR Ikebukuro Station after he went drinking, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Japanese carmaker Subaru celebrated its new company name at its factory in Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Sunday. (NHK)

Two aquariums in Japan said Sunday they canceled their membership of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums due to the organization's decision to no longer allow the acquisition of dolphins caught in controversial drive hunts off the town of Taiji. (Kyodo)

Police in Kawanishi, Nara Prefecture, said Saturday they have arrested a 22-year-old woman on suspicion of fatally abusing her 6-month-old son. (Japan Today)

Love Nara's legendary deer? You'll love them even more when they're in your house. (rocketnews24.com)

Foreign acquisitions by Japanese companies jumped about 30% in the fiscal year ended Friday to a record 10.91 trillion yen ($97.9 billion), as rock-bottom interest rates at home allowed businesses to pursue larger deals than in the past. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government and private-sector firms have developed a system using the Suica smart card to make it easier for visitors to Japan to check in hotels and purchase tax-free goods. (Jiji)

Shimogamo Shrine, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in Kyoto, was found to have been vandalized with a type of liquid Saturday, police said. (Japan Today)

Thousands of people are enjoying the cherry blossoms in Tokyo as weather officials in the capital announced on Sunday they are in full bloom. (NHK)

The bodies of three men and one woman have been found in a minivan in the parking lot of a campsite in Ishioka, Ibaraki Prefecture, police said Sunday. (Japan Today)

The Bank of Japan's Tankan survey shows a growing number of Japanese employers feel their companies are understaffed. (NHK)

People have celebrated the ancient "Yabusame" archery event, which is held annually at Miyazaki Shrine in western Japan. (NHK)

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology on Monday opened online its new Deep-Sea Debris Database, which features videos and images of trash taken in deep waters, including by its Shinkai 6500 manned research submarine. (Jiji)

Discussions have gained momentum in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party over how to widen the range of education provided free of tuition, since a new proposal was floated last week. (Jiji)

A murdered 9-year-old Vietnamese girl, whose body was recently found near a drainage ditch in Chiba Prefecture, was buried Monday at a cemetery in her hometown in northern Vietnam, with about 600 family and friends attending the funeral. (Japan Times)

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida says Japan is sending back its ambassador to South Korea. His announcement ends 3 months of diplomatic standoff over the statue symbolizing those referred to as wartime comfort women. (NHK)

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