News On Japan

Australian rugby legend George Smith was arrested by the Tokyo police on New Year’s Eve for allegedly assaulting a taxi driver after refusing to pay his fare, authorities said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Japan is marking the 23rd anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake that hit the western port city of Kobe and the surrounding areas. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested hip-hop artist Uzi over the alleged possession of marijuana earlier this week, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested two male Korean nationals who are suspected in dozens of burglaries in the capital dating back to late last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

The number of criminal offenses recognized by police in Japan in 2017 fell by 81,009, or 8.1 pct, from the preceding year to 915,111, hitting a postwar low for the third straight year, the National Police Agency said in a preliminary report Thursday. (Jiji)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, successfully launched on Thursday its third Epsilon small rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite. (Jiji)

The Environment Ministry said Wednesday that a highly pathogenic, H5N6-type avian influenza virus was detected in a dead northern goshawk found earlier this month at a park in Tokyo’s Ota Ward. (Japan Times)

The common snarky comment about Japanese idol singers is that their musical talents aren’t nearly strong enough to justify their fanbases, but it is true that the most successful idols have a media presence that goes far beyond just singing and dancing. (rocketnews24.com)

Hakuho, one of three yokozuna competing in the ongoing New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, has withdrawn due to toe injuries, the Japan Sumo Association said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Two 19-year-old boys in Mie Prefecture have been arrested for causing an onsen to overflow after pouring shampoo into the natural hot spring last August. The suspects, who cannot be named because they are minors, were charged with forcible obstruction of business, Fuji TV reported Wednesday. (Japan Today)

A new study shows the number of public elementary and junior high schools in Japan may fall to a third of its current total by 2050, due to a declining population. (NHK)

Shining night clouds were observed in skies over wide areas of western Japan after a rocket lifted off from southern Japan early on Thursday. (NHK)

A seven-week trial of cab-sharing services in Tokyo will kick off next Monday, the first of its kind in Japan. (Nikkei)

Bath houses in Japan have been a part of the culture for hundreds of years and in Tokyo, there are 600 of them in neighborhood all around the city. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Australian counterpart, Malcolm Turnbull, have agreed that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is indispensable for safety in Asia. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 33-year-old man who admits to spitting and throwing urine on dozens women in Adachi Ward and nearby over the past six years, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

The finances of college students are limited to various basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. Hence, the amount left for miscellaneous activities is very minimal. In turn, this leaves the student with little options regarding the manner in which they wish to spend the extra amount of money given the fact that they ought to save and still have fun. (newsonjapan.com)

Hyoe Inukai, a former Asahi Shimbun reporter who was severely wounded in a 1987 deadly shooting attack on a bureau of the major Japanese newspaper publisher, died on Tuesday, it was learned Friday. He was 73. (Jiji)

Japanese government officials have upgraded their monthly economic assessment for the first time in seven months. (NHK)

A woman gave birth to a baby girl on a train at a station in Chiba Prefecture on Friday. The mother and child were taken to a hospital by ambulance, firefighters said. (Japan Times)

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