News On Japan

Nissan Motor Co Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa and other executives of the Japanese automaker are returning a part of their salaries to show remorse over illegal vehicle inspections at the automaker's plants in Japan. (Japan Today)

Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a man for allegedly forcing his partner’s 4-year-old girl into a scalding hot bath that left her with burns earlier this year in what police believe could have been part of regular abuse, reports Jiji Press (tokyoreporter.com)

After beginning service in Japan in 2011, Naver Corporation’s Line messaging app quickly become one of the most popular ways to stay connected to personal acquaintances. (Japan Today)

The overall number of crimes committed in Japan continued to drop in 2016, falling below the 1 million mark for the first time in the postwar era, according to the annual White Paper on Crime released Friday by the Justice Ministry. (Japan Times)

An apology by a Japanese railroad operator for a train's early departure has attracted the attention of foreign media. (NHK)

Yokozuna Grand Champion Harumafuji has reportedly told police that he hit a lower-ranked wrestler with his bare hands, not with a beer bottle as was reported. (NHK)

Japan’s national broadcaster NHK has unveiled this year’s lineup for its annual New Year’s Eve music show "Kohaku Uta Gassen" (Red and White Song Battle), featuring 10 new groups and singers. (Japan Today)

Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly selling cash above face value using marketplace app Mercari and collecting interest exceeding the legal interest rate, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Despite their magical reputation, shooting stars are just pieces of space debris from millimeters to a few centimeters thick that fly into Earth’s atmosphere and brightly burn up into nothing. (rocketnews24.com)

The Phoenix Hall of Byodoin temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, glows at night during a trial illumination on Friday. (the-japan-news.com)

A man died Saturday after falling off a cliff while competing in a trail running race in Saitama Prefecture, police said. (Japan Times)

Police in Tokyo on Saturday arrested an unemployed 42-year-old man of no fixed address on suspicion of killing a 61-year-old homeless man on a riverbank in Katsushika Ward. (Japan Today)

Hyogo Prefectural Police on Friday arrested a sex worker for allegedly stealing a wristwatch valued at 10 million yen from a male customer two years ago, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Prison inmates who don't speak Japanese now have access to better interpretation services, thanks to a new system introduced earlier this month. (NHK)

Japanese railway companies plan to use data from seabed seismometers to quickly stop Shinkansen bullet trains when a major earthquake hits. (NHK)

Police in Okinawa, southwestern Japan, have arrested a US Marine in connection with a fatal traffic accident. (NHK)

Japan's exports grew 14 percent over a year earlier in October on strong demand for vehicles, electronics and machinery. However, customs data released Monday showed even faster growth in imports of oil, gas and coal that caused the trade surplus to fall more than 40 percent from the year before. (Japan Today)

A man on a motorbike came behind women and snatched their handbags on three occasions within 15 minutes on Saturday night in an area near JR Omiya Station in Saitama city, police said Sunday. The man got away with around 80,000 yen, police said. (Japan Today)

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics sent out information to elementary schools nationwide about the games' official mascot on Monday, ahead of a vote for the final selection. (Japan Today)

The US military in Japan has banned all its service members from drinking both on and off base following a fatal car accident in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan. (NHK)

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