News On Japan

Haruka Kuwabara, at 31 currently the youngest mayor in Japan, was welcomed with flowers and applause by municipal employees in Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, on Monday, her first day in office. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a member of a yakuza organization over the sale of a fake remedy for the infectious disease hepatitis C, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Nissan Motor is facing its second inspection scandal since the fall after it said Monday that emissions data had been tampered with for several years, delivering another blow to the automaker's brand even as it tries to shake off the first. (Nikkei)

The body of Chizuo Matsumoto, the founder and former leader of Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, was cremated on Monday morning, following his execution last week. (Jiji)

In the busiest city in a country famous for working employees to death, Tokyo Workers hopes to help people find the work/life balance they desire. (soranews24.com)

SoftBank Group has filed for the listing of its mobile service unit SoftBank Corp., in an apparent bid to raise about 2.5 trillion yen ($22.6 billion) from the stock debut. (Nikkei)

Japan expects a primary budget deficit of 2.4 trillion yen in fiscal 2025, even if the country's economy grows by 3 pct or higher annually in nominal terms without adjustment with prices, a Cabinet Office estimate showed Monday. (Jiji)

ANA Holdings Inc. said Monday it will cancel 176 domestic flights between Friday and July 22 to inspect Rolls-Royce engines on Boeing 787 aircraft, after calling off 113 domestic flights for July for the same reason. (Kyodo)

Police in Sapporo on Monday arrested a 71-year-old woman on suspicion of abandoning the body of her mother in their apartment in Kita Ward for the past 18 months. (Japan Today)

Yahoo Japan Corp. is blunting the impact of a large stock sale by a big shareholder, buying back about ¥221 billion ($2 billion) worth of its shares in a complicated deal with SoftBank Group Corp. (Japan Times)

Evacuees in rain-hit areas of western Japan are being urged to take precautions for heatstroke and food poisoning, as the hot weather is expected to continue. (NHK)

Gunma Prefectural Police arrested a man after a stabbing incident at a supermarket in Maebashi City on Tuesday left two employees hurt, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

In what is believed to be a first in Japan, a prestigious national women’s university officially announced Tuesday its new policy to open doors from 2020 to people who were assigned as male at birth but identify as female, saying it’s a natural decision that takes gender diversity into account. (Japan Times)

The climbing season for Mount Fuji got fully underway Tuesday with three trails in Shizuoka Prefecture opening to the public. (Japan Times)

Japanese general contractors Obayashi Corp. and Shimizu Corp. admitted Tuesday their involvement in rigging bids for a high-speed magnetic levitation railway project. (Jiji)

A Chinese court ordered a 12-year prison term for a Japanese man over spying and other charges, Japanese government sources said Tuesday. (Jiji)

Typhoon Maria is bringing strong winds and rough seas to a remote island chain in Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa. (NHK)

The death toll from torrential rain that hit mainly western Japan through the weekend reached 157 in 12 prefectures on Tuesday, with 55 remaining missing in six prefectures, authorities said. (Jiji)

Executed Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara's fourth daughter plans to scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean, her lawyer, Taro Takimoto, said Wednesday. (Jiji)

The House of Councillors passed on Wednesday an amendment bill to the public offices election law calling for increasing the number of seats in the upper chamber of Japan's Diet by six from the current 242. (Jiji)

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