News On Japan

The Japanese government is considering meting out additional punishment to Shoko Chukin Bank as the scale of its fraudulent lending is now believed to be larger than earlier thought, officials said Friday. (Jiji)

Japan's agriculture ministry said Friday it has set an ambitious goal of increasing annual rice exports to 100,000 tons by 2019. (Jiji)

A large land mass on Pluto has been named after the Japanese asteroid explorer Hayabusa, which brought back the first asteroid sample to Earth, from Itokawa in 2010 after a seven-year voyage. (Jiji)

Walk into any Japanese convenience store, and you'll find a row of magazine racks, usually just inside the windows that run along the front of the store. (Japan Today)

Hakuho on Friday pulled out of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament getting underway Sunday due to pain in his left knee, becoming the third yokozuna to withdraw from the meet after Kisenosato and Kakuryu. (Japan Times)

strong earthquake has struck Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. Japan's Meteorological Agency says a quake with an estimated magnitude of 5.2 occurred around 10:23 PM Japan Time on Friday. It says there is no risk of a tsunami. (NHK)

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan left Yokosuka naval base on Friday for a surveillance mission amid growing tensions over North Korea. (the-japan-news.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 60-year-old man suspected in a series of thefts of women's underwear, reports Fuji News Network. (tokyoreporter.com)

The Japan Tourism Agency is considering asking municipalities to designate periods during which minpaku (private lodging services) must be shut in their regions. (Japan Times)

The Japanese foreign minister has asked ministers in Qatar to slash the number of North Korean nationals working in that Middle Eastern nation. (NHK)

A worker dismantling tanks at Japan's wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was found to have been exposed to a small amount of radiation during a routine safety check on Friday, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said. (Japan Today)

The opportunity to see wild brown bears in their natural environment has made a national park in Hokkaido a popular hiking destination. (Japan Times)

Japan's Daichi Nakamura won the first prize in the violin category at the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Poertschach, southern Austria, on Friday. (Jiji)

The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has released a video of auroras that are believed to have appeared due to a solar flare - an explosion on the sun's surface - that occurred on Wednesday. (the-japan-news.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have busted a mail order service based in a Nerima Ward that sold about 1 million illegal pornographic DVDs each year since 2012. The operation is believed to have funded organized crime, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

Yoshihide Kiryu has become the first Japanese to break the 10-second barrier in the men's 100 meter sprint. (NHK)

A tour bus caught fire and burned up Saturday on the Shin-Tomei Expressway in Aichi Prefecture, but the driver and his 40 passengers escaped without injury. (Japan Times)

A 24-year-old male professional dancer was arrested after stealing a taxi in Tokyo and injuring the 41-year-old male driver, police said Saturday. (Japan Today)

American songstress Katy Perry is known around the world for her hit songs, extravagant costumes, and her bad blood with fellow singer Taylor Swift. Here in Japan, though, the 32-year-old performer is becoming known for her love of local reed diffusers and fabric softeners, thanks to a new commercial being broadcast to television screens around the nation from 8 September. (Japan Today)

Reflecting the recent rise of alpine accidents amid the trekking boom in Japan, experts advise hikers to get insurance covering search and rescue expenses, which can be hugely expensive. (Japan Today)

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