News On Japan

Japan's Self-Defense Force has begun surveying a lake in the northern prefecture of Aomori where a US fighter jet offloaded 2 external fuel tanks. (NHK)

The health, labor and welfare division of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday broadly approved a diluted draft bill for strengthening measures against passive smoking in public places, including restaurants. (Jiji)

Prosecutors have announced the non-prosecution of a male socialite over the alleged threats of a partner in a sex business last year, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

A senior Japanese official has criticized South Korea for what he calls the illegal occupation of the Takeshima Islands in the Sea of Japan. He made the remark on Thursday at a ceremony to commemorate Japan's incorporation of the islands more than a century ago. (NHK)

Aomori Prefectural Police have arrested an 18-year-old girl for allegedly killing her 2-year-old son at a residence in Mutsu City on Tuesday, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

A World Trade Organization panel has ruled in Japan's favor in a dispute over South Korea's ban on seafood imports from 8 Japanese prefectures. (NHK)

Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito turned 58 on Friday. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 21-year-old Korean national for the alleged possession of marijuana after a pursuit ended in an accident in Shibuya Ward early Wednesday, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

As more foreign travelers visit the historic Japanese capital of Kyoto crowded and delayed city buses have become a headache for local citizens, prompting traffic authorities to take steps to ensure smoother passenger services and encourage the use of subway lines. (Japan Times)

One year since its introduction, "Premium Friday," a nationwide consumption-boosting campaign on the last Friday of each month, has become a name with a familiar ring for many people. (Jiji)

Mongolia lodged a diplomatic protest with Japan on Friday after a monthly kid’s comic magazine included a picture of national hero Genghis Khan with a crude sketch of male genitalia across his forehead. (Japan Times)

Hospitals and clinics in rural areas are finding it increasingly difficult to hire nurses on their own, and the amount of referral fees they are paying to private agents are significantly on the rise, a recent research report shows. (Japan Times)

Chiba Prefectural Police on Thursday arrested a 34-year-old elementary school teacher from Hiroshima Prefecture for allegedly coercing a girl to send him obscene photographs of her via social media, reports Nikkan Sports (tokyoreporter.com)

Shizuoka District Court sentenced Friday a 34-year-old man to death for killing two other men, whose dismembered bodies were found around Lake Hamana in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 2016. (Jiji)

The island of Aoshima, part of Japan’s Ehime Prefecture, is commonly considered a feline paradise. While it’s not Japan’s only cat island, it’s the most famous, attracting visitors both domestic and international who come to see the 130 kitties that roam free along the streets of the island community. (soranews24.com)

Japanese police have arrested 2 men in connection with a shooting at the headquarters of a pro-North Korea organization in central Tokyo. (NHK)

Japan's Nana Takagi on Saturday won a gold medal in the women's speed skating mass start event in the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea, while LS Kitami, which took part in the Winter Games as Japan's national team for women's curling, earned a bronze medal. (Jiji)

Police investigating the disappearance of a Hyogo woman Saturday found what appears to her severed head in a suitcase left at a lodging facility in Osaka’s Nishinari Ward. (Japan Times)

A ceremony was held on Saturday to mark the closure of Okawa municipal elementary school in northeastern Japan, which lost 74 of its 108 students in the March 2011 earthquake-triggered massive tsunami. (Jiji)

Ishikawa Prefectural Police on Thursday found the body of a 36-year-old woman inside her residence in Kanazawa City after her husband apparently attempted to commit suicide, the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

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