News On Japan

Two Japanese professional players of the traditional board games shogi and go have received the country's People's Honor Award. (NHK)

The Japanese government will urge companies to adopt a more transparent decision-making process through measures such as allocating at least one-third of board seats to outsiders. (Nikkei)

Japan's Cabinet Office says the country's Gross Domestic Product from October to December 2017 grew 0.1 percent compared to the previous quarter based on preliminary data. (NHK)

Officials with East Japan Railway Company say a metal part that went missing from a Shinkansen bullet train has been found. They say the problem did not disrupt services or cause any injuries. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed during a phone call Wednesday night to continue exerting maximum pressure on North Korea, while reaffirming that the reclusive state must agree to denuclearize before any dialogue can happen. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of two men who are suspected of participating in a brawl in Taito Ward three years ago that involved nearly a dozen members of two rival street touting groups, reports Nippon News Network. (tokyoreporter.com)

The education ministry released a draft Wednesday of revised curriculum guidelines for high schools, including the introduction of comprehensive history and public affairs as new compulsory subjects. (Japan Times)

After two years of the Bank of Japan guiding key interest rates into negative territory, lenders here have seen loan rates slide toward zero, pushing financial institutions to reassess their business models. (Nikkei)

A woman in her 20s has sued a public-private investment fund designed to promote Japanese pop culture overseas for sexual harassment and unfair labor practices, her lawyer said Thursday. (Japan Today)

Slightly increased volcanic activity has been reported at Mount Io in southwest Japan. (NHK)

Japanese football legend Kazuyoshi Miura has been certified as the oldest professional soccer player to score a goal in a competitive league. His fans in Japan call him 'Kazu'. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested four persons, including an organized crime member, over the alleged smuggling of more than 100 kilograms of marijuana inside wooden doors, reports NHK. (tokyoreporter.com)

Having been sired by the wonder-horse Frankel, Soul Stirring was always likely to be an above average performer on the turf. (newsonjapan.com)

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party made progress Friday in its discussions to seek the first-ever amendments to Japan's postwar Constitution, agreeing on the wording of a draft for rewriting an existing article on electoral systems. (Japan Today)

Demonstrators took to the streets in a dozen cities in Japan on Friday demanding the dismissal of National Tax Agency Commissioner Nobuhisa Sagawa, who is accused of giving false parliamentary testimony over a controversial sale of state land. (Jiji)

The Japanese government decided at a meeting of related ministers on Friday to raise the retirement age for national public servants from the current 60 to 65 in stages. (Jiji)

Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu has won gold in the men's figure skating in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea. (NHK)

Teen shogi star Sota Fujii has clinched his first title in an official tournament. (NHK)

A Tokyo-based operator of women-only share houses may have been involved in dubious rent business dealings under its former president amid the rapid expansion of the operation. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly molesting a teenage girl on a street in Chuo Ward last year, reports Nikkan Sports (tokyoreporter.com)

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