News On Japan

Ikutaro Kakehashi, an influential figure in the 1980s pop music scene and founder of electronic instrument makers Roland Corp. and ATV Corp., has died at the age of 87, an ATV spokeswoman told The Japan Times on Monday. (Japan Times)

A roller coaster was brought to an emergency stop at the Nagashima Spa Land amusement park in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, Monday morning, leaving seven passengers suspended in midair for about 15 minutes. (Jiji)

A large cargo truck crashed into heavy traffic and triggered a five-car pileup on an expressway in Suwa City on Monday, leaving at least 19 people injured. (tokyoreporter.com)

The release last week of a report that popular actor Ken Watanabe is engaged in a seemingly open extra-marital affair while his wife battles breast cancer is causing more details to emerge. (tokyoreporter.com)

Universal Studios Japan continued to ramp up its allure for consumers in the year ended in March, again outshining archrival Tokyo Disney Resort in attendance growth. (Nikkei)

Japan's only existing double-decker Shinkansen bullet train series is set to end its service by the March 2021 end of fiscal 2020. (Jiji)

Japan is nowhere near 2 pct inflation four years after the Bank of Japan made a drastic monetary policy regime change with much fanfare. (Jiji)

Workers are busy preparing to reopen a scenic mountain route through central Japan's Northern Alps after a winter closure. (NHK)

The University of Tokyo was crowned the nation's top university for teaching and learning environments in a first-ever Japan ranking by the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine, with Tohoku University in Miyagi Prefecture coming in second and Kyoto University placing third. (Japan Times)

Promising to address public concerns about the social ills associated with gambling, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kicked off the inaugural meeting Tuesday of a government task force that will make recommendations on licensing and operating integrated resorts (IR) with casinos. (Japan Times)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 41-year-old man for allegedly stabbing his father who later died, reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

The shoji player who became the youngest-ever professional in Japan last year has now set a new record, clinching his 11th straight victory since his debut match. (NHK)

Despite growing support nationally for added LGBT protection in recent years, nearly 60 percent of sexual minorities have been bullied at school, according to a recent online survey that also found teachers did not help end the intimidation. (Japan Times)

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on Wednesday welcomed Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who are visiting Japan as state guests, at the Imperial Palace, with Crown Prince Naruhito and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also attending a related event there. (Japan Times)

Moritomo Gakuen, a nationalist school operator at the center of a political scandal connected to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over its bargain-price purchase of state property, was sued Wednesday for allegedly not fully paying bills for building a new elementary school at the site. (Japan Today)

The Trump administration is so alarmed that Chinese investors may try to purchase Westinghouse Electric Co.'s nuclear business that U.S. officials are trying to find an American or allied buyer for the company instead, two people familiar with the matter said. (Japan Times)

The decaying bodies of three people have been found in an apartment in Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, police said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

With the use of virtual currency spreading especially overseas, more retailers in Japan are opening up to payments from tourists via the blockchain technology. (Japan Times)

Nearly one in every four men and one in every seven women in Japan had remained unmarried at age 50 in 2015 in a clear sign that Japanese people are increasingly shying away from tying the knot, a government report shows. (Japan Today)

Japanese postdisaster reconstruction minister Masahiro Imamura on Wednesday came under fire for his angry responses to questions from a journalist on support for nuclear disaster voluntary evacuees. (Jiji)

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