News On Japan

A Japanese court gave three Taiwanese women suspended sentences Wednesday after finding them guilty of attempting to smuggle gold worth 50 million yen into the country by hiding it in their bras. (Japan Today)

A 22-year-old woman has been arrested in Adachi Ward in Tokyo on suspicion of fatally stabbing her boyfriend. (Japan Today)

A Suntory Holdings Ltd. subsidiary will suspend selling two leading whisky brands due to a shortage of unblended whisky amid the growing popularity of the spirit at home and abroad. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a female professional wrestler over the alleged used of stimulant drugs, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

A monk working for a temple at the World Heritage Site of Mt Koya in western Japan has filed a damages suit, claiming he developed depression and was forced to take a leave of absence because of his heavy workload, a lawyer representing him said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

An online video of more than 30 wild deer running through a residential area in Nara city, western Japan, has gone viral. (NHK)

The Diet, Japan's parliament, enacted Wednesday a bill requesting political parties and organizations to even out the number of male and female candidates in public offices elections as much as possible. (Jiji)

The world’s first cloned cow died of old age Monday, according to the prefectural government of Ishikawa. (Japan Times)

Japanese actor Ken Watanabe, who has appeared in a number of American films including the 2003 period drama "The Last Samurai," has split with his actress wife Kaho Minami, their agencies said Thursday. (Japan Today)

We’re no strangers to the power of a good camera. Last year’s 4K introductory video to the San’in region, with its gorgeous foliage and eerily perfect beaches, set an incredibly high standard. Now, Akita-based cinematics company Armadas is here to push that standard doubly high, with eye-searing, gorgeous shots from a number of locales around Japan – in 8K resolution. (Japan Today)

Hideki Saijo, a singer popular in Asia and best known for his cover song of the megahit “Y.M.C.A.,” died of acute heart failure Wednesday, his office said. He was 63. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 33-year-old man over the alleged molestation of a school girl in Itabashi Ward in which he threatened her before, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

More than 90 percent of child abuse and sexual crime victims and their families didn’t receive compensation from their assailants, nor public financial assistance, largely due to the lack of awareness on the consultation services available, police data showed Thursday. (Japan Times)

Kyoto City officials have discovered about 100 bamboo plants in the city's Arashiyama district vandalized. (NHK)

The Japanese government cannot set a numerical goal for curbing annual growth in its social security spending from fiscal 2019 to 2021, informed sources said Friday. (Jiji)

Torrential rain has hit northeastern Japan. The Meteorological Agency is warning of landslides, overflowing rivers and flooding in the region. (NHK)

A sake produced by a brewery in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi won the top prize in its category Friday for the second year in a row at an international sake contest held in northeastern Japan. (Kyodo)

It was a sad day when the Evangelion Shinkansen made its last journey on the rails on 13 May. But where one door closes, another one opens, and that’s exactly what happened this week, as West Japan Railway finally let us all peek inside their new Hello Kitty Shinkansen, which is set to make its debut next month. (soranews24.com)

The Japanese government has notified the World Trade Organization that it is prepared to take countermeasures against US tariffs on steel and aluminum. (NHK)

Police in Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture, have arrested a 28-year-old painter on suspicion of sexually molesting a woman in her home last September. (Japan Today)

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