News On Japan

The Japanese government is planning to revise steps that local governments should take to protect residents in case of armed attack. The move is in response to North Korea's continued development of ballistic missiles. (NHK)

Japan's Coast Guard has released video footage of North Korean boats illegally fishing in Japan's exclusive economic zone. (NHK)

A funeral home set to open soon in Japan plans to provide the country's first-ever drive-through service. (NHK)

Police said Friday that two glass windows and a glass door on train cars on the JR Musashino Line were shattered by stones thrown through them on Wednesday and Thursday nights. (Japan Today)

At the opening of his trial on Friday, an 18-year-old boy admitted to stabbing a woman to death before dumping her body in Ryugasaki City last year, reports Jiji Press (tokyoreporter.com)

The operator of Japan’s only “baby hatch” said Saturday that the nation should allow women to give birth anonymously at hospitals in cases of unwanted pregnancy, while ensuring the children’s right to learn their mother’s identity after they grow up. (Japan Times)

A 27-year-old man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl in Fukui Prefecture and taking her to his home in Aichi Prefecture, police said. (Japan Today)

A ski resort opened in western Japan's Hyogo Prefecture on Saturday, with its operator and the local government saying it is the country's first new facility to be opened to skiers and snowboarders in 14 years. (Japan Today)

Police in Abashiri, Hokkaido, have arrested a 78-year-old man on suspicion of assault after he choked a 62-year-old taxi driver. (Japan Today)

A fire broke out at a three-story reinforced concrete building housing an adult entertainment shop in the eastern Japan city of Saitama on Sunday afternoon, leaving four people dead and one person unconscious and in critical condition, local police and fire authorities said. (Jiji)

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1:21 PM, local time, on Sunday. (NHK)

Researchers, lawmakers and businesses are hoping to use rare earths in deep waters near the coast of Japan to produce LEDs, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. (the-japan-news.com)

Finance Minister Taro Aso and education minister Yoshimasa Hayashi agreed on Monday to increase the number of English teachers at public elementary schools by 1,000 in fiscal 2018, which starts next April. (Japan Times)

Even in a Japan that has clung to cash for 80% of payments, innovations like electronic money are making headway, changing both consumer habits and work patterns. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government intends to deploy a new ground-based missile defense system. This is in response to the acceleration of North Korea's missile development program. (NHK)

Japan's Supreme Court has ruled against more than 380 people seeking official recognition as survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. (NHK)

Japan's Toyota Motor has unveiled bold new plans to cope with the global shift toward electric cars. (NHK)

Finance Minister Taro Aso agreed on Monday to cut total medical fees covered by the country’s public health insurance system by 0.90 percent from the current level. (Japan Times)

Some local elementary school children were invited to meet Xiang Xiang at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Monday, one day before the female giant panda cub is put on public display for the first time since her birth a little more than six months ago. (Jiji)

The Japanese government has reaffirmed its policy of enhancing its coast guard by obtaining new patrol vessels and aircraft. (NHK)

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