News On Japan

Intense heat continues to grip Japan on Wednesday. Temperatures are soaring, especially in western and eastern Japan. (NHK)

The central Japan city of Iga has released an unusual statement warning against fake news, noting, "We do not recruit ninjas." (Jiji)

A second senior official of Japan's education and science ministry has been arrested on bribery charges. Kazuaki Kawabata allegedly accepted gifts in exchange for giving a favor to a medical consulting firm in Tokyo. (NHK)

Japan's Justice Ministry on Thursday executed all of the six remaining former senior members of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo on death row. (Jiji)

Vegetable prices have spiked as much as 65 percent amid a grueling two-week long heat wave that drove temperatures Wednesday to records in some regions, including areas where recovery and cleanup efforts are underway after devastating floods and landslides. (Japan Times)

A fire broke out at a building construction site in the city of Tama, Tokyo, on Thursday, killing five workers and injuring about 40 others, including more than 20 with severe wounds, according to police and firefighting authorities. (Jiji)

The influx of cash into Japan's biggest banks and their parking of such money at the Bank of Japan are putting large commercial banks on the verge of having to pay the central bank interest on deposits there for the first time in two years. (Nikkei)

Internet portal operator Yahoo Japan said Friday that it will start a mobile payment service this autumn, becoming the latest to join the cashless payment bandwagon. (Nikkei)

The life and times of Japan's first golfer: Amsterdam 1605 (thesamuraigolfer.com)

A professor at Japan’s prestigious Waseda University has been fired over reportedly repeated sexual harassment of a female student, the university announced in a statement on Friday. (Japan Today)

Parasols -- accessories normally associated with women trying to protect their skin from the sun -- are proving increasingly popular with men as the nation grapples with one of its hottest summers ever. (Japan Times)

A major fireworks festival was held on Sunday evening along one of Tokyo's rivers after being postponed on Saturday due to an approaching typhoon. (NHK)

Tropical storm Jongdari is hitting the Kyushu region in southwestern Japan. (NHK)

The Defense Ministry said Monday that planned Aegis Ashore radars to protect Japan from ballistic missiles will cost 134 billion yen per unit, up over 60 pct from the initial estimate. (Jiji)

A university in Tokyo decided Monday it will dismiss two former coaches of its American football team over a dangerous late tackle by one of its players during an intercollegiate game in May that injured an opposing player. (Japan Today)

A runway at Narita Airport near Tokyo has reopened after being closed for several hours due to a passenger plane that mistakenly entered a taxiway under construction. (NHK)

Japan's Defense Ministry has finished withdrawing missile interceptor units deployed around the country. (NHK)

The Bank of Japan's decision on Tuesday to continue "powerful monetary easing" but to also allow long-term interest rates to move in a wider band reflects the dilemma faced by Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda. (Nikkei)

Japan has decided to reduce its plutonium stockpile, in line with its principle of possessing only the amount necessary for peaceful use, the country’s nuclear panel said Tuesday, while failing to give a numerical target. (Japan Times)

The Japan Amateur Boxing Federation has responded to allegations of fraud, including the misuse of federal grant money, saying “a lot of” the accusations made by regional federation executives and former boxers are false. (Japan Times)

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