News On Japan

Forty-six Chinese construction workers in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido have gone missing after 11 compatriots were arrested over their eligibility to stay in the country, sources related to their work said Monday. (Kyodo)

Pagers are set to be finally phased out of use in Japan. The last remaining carrier says it will be stopping its service at the end of next September. (NHK)

Theme park operator Huis Ten Bosch Co. plans to accept an investment from Chinese conglomerate Fosun Group as part of efforts to attract more Chinese visitors. (Japan Times)

An increasing number of national parks and other scenic areas in Japan are collecting voluntary entry payments from visitors for environmental protection and infrastructure improvements, including the creation of pathways and the installation of bathrooms. (Japan Times)

A wild boar bit off an elderly woman's finger Tuesday in the western Japan city of Ashiya before being killed by police officers and local hunters, police said. (Kyodo)

Former world championships marathon runner Yumiko Hara has been sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for four years with supervision, for shoplifting food, with the court citing an eating disorder she is suffering from even after her retirement. (Japan Today)

For almost the last 50 years, there have been 29 stops on the Yamanote Line, with the most recent addition being Nishi-Nippori in 1971. The Yamanote Line station family is set to grow to an even 30 soon, though, with construction currently taking place for a new station to be slotted between the existing Shinagawa and Tamachi Stations, and planners have finally announced the name of the new stop. (soranews24.com)

The Lower House approved a bill Tuesday to designate a one-off national holiday period to celebrate next year’s Imperial succession, creating a 10-day block of vacation for many from late April. (Japan Times)

Japanese prosecutors plan to rearrest former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn on suspicion that he underreported his compensation by another 4 billion yen ($35.4 million) over the past three fiscal years, sources familiar with the investigation told Nikkei. (Nikkei)

Researchers warn that Japan could swelter under extremely high temperature every year due to global warming. (NHK)

Officials from the city of Minokamo, Gifu Prefecture, said Wednesday that a case of classical swine fever has been discovered at a public research institute — the third such case of the virus being reported this year and just over a decade since it was official declared eradicated in Japan. (Japan Times)

Four men in their 20s were arrested Wednesday for allegedly overturning a small truck during a Halloween event in late October in the busy Shibuya district of Tokyo, police said. (Japan Today)

Steak lovers across Japan have reason to celebrate. From Friday, they will pay less for a slab of Australian beef at hundreds of outlets run by a major retailer nationwide. (NHK)

SoftBank's mobile service outage Thursday across much of Japan disrupted operations ranging from flights and trains to amusement parks and logistics companies, illustrating both corporate and consumer dependence on wireless communications networks. (Nikkei)

The US Marine Corps says one of the 2 crewmembers rescued after a mid-air collision between 2 US military aircraft off Japan's western coast is dead. (NHK)

The Japanese government plans to revise the rules for its procurement of telecommunications equipment to take into consideration the risks related to national security. (NHK)

Japan's ruling coalition has pushed a controversial bill through the Diet with just a few days left before the current session ends. It will allow more foreign workers into the country. (NHK)

Gunma Prefectural Police have arrested a staff member for the National Police Agency over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl he met online earlier this year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

The Diet on Saturday approved an economic partnership agreement with the European Union that’s set to create a free trade bloc accounting for 30 percent of world output. (Japan Times)

A Chinese court has sentenced a Japanese woman to six years in prison for spying, a source privy to bilateral relations said Saturday. (Japan Today)

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