News On Japan

Japan's central government debt stood at a record 1,071.56 trillion yen ($9.4 trillion) at the end of fiscal 2016 in March, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Japanese internet, robot and solar company SoftBank Group is reporting a 12-fold climb in quarterly profit, as a turnaround at its U.S. mobile unit Sprint helped it on its way to a record annual profit. (Japan Today)

A man likely in his 40s was injured and taken to a hospital Wednesday after an unidentified person on a motorbike fired several shots at a van in Chiba Prefecture, police said. (Japan Today)

A Japanese government panel of experts proposed Wednesday that so-called integrated resorts in the country be required to have casinos and four other types of facilities. (Jiji)

Yoshimitsu Banno, a Japanese director best known for his film "Godzilla vs Hedorah," died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage at his home in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Sunday. He was 86. (Jiji)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes to confirm close cooperation with New Zealand to have the Trans-Pacific Partnership take effect without the participation of the United States. (NHK)

A blue dragon from the mural of an ancient tomb located in Nara Prefecture in western Japan has been shown to the media. (NHK)

Police in Tokyo have arrested an unemployed 31-year-old man on suspicion of theft after he was caught stealing a wallet from a woman's tote bag on a train. (Japan Today)

Making payments with integrated circuit-embedded cards in Japan is expected to become easier for visitors from abroad as efforts have begun to introduce contactless payment systems that are globally common. (Jiji)

Finally settling a long-standing dispute over the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike agreed Thursday that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will cover the full cost of building about 40 temporary facilities outside the capital where events will be held. (Japan Times)

Japan's professional soccer organization, J.League, has fined first division club Gamba Osaka about 17,500 dollars after supporters of the team hoisted a Nazi-style flag at a match last month. (NHK)

Japanese makers of models are showing their latest products at a trade fair in Shizuoka City. (NHK)

Chiba Prefectural Police are searching for an unknown gunman after a shooting incident on a road in Matsudo City on Wednesday left one gang member injured, reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

Two gang members are among nine persons prosecuted over the theft of hundreds of luxury automobiles, police revealed on Thursday, reports Jiji Press (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's current-account surplus is approaching levels last seen a decade ago as corporations reinvest in staggering amounts money earned from stocks and bonds abroad. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police are investigating an accident at a bread factory in Akishima City in which a female factory worker was seriously injured after her body was jammed in a conveyor belt, reports Nippon News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

Police in Tokyo have arrested 5 Chinese nationals on suspicion of breaking into homes in the wider Tokyo area and stealing property and cash worth nearly 90,000 dollars. (NHK)

A 1-year-old girl became the youngest lung transplant recipient in Japan on Thursday after being given the organs taken from a brain-dead boy, according to a hospital in western Japan's Okayama Prefecture, which performed the surgery. (Japan Today)

Kyoto Prefectural Police have launched an investigation following a break-in at a temporary outlet for French brand Hermes in Higashiyama Ward, reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

President Trump said in an interview published Thursday that the U.S. flew three-dozen high-tech F-35 joint strike fighters directly over Tokyo in early February. (washingtonexaminer.com)

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