News On Japan

Japan is stepping up efforts to expand automatic train operations to cope with a possible shortage of drivers amid its declining population, with East Japan Railway Co. conducting its latest self-driving test on Tokyo's Yamanote loop line on Monday. (Kyodo)

A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesperson says both Japan and South Korea feel the need for talks over last month's radar incident. (NHK)

Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire known for having been named as the first private passenger to orbit the moon, has now become tweeter of the most retweeted tweet of all time by announcing he will give 1 million yen ($9,200) to 100 people each. (Kyodo)

The head of a major school of the Japanese tea ceremony has served the first tea of 2019. (NHK)

Japan started collecting a ¥1,000 departure tax Monday from each traveler leaving the country in an effort to fund measures to attract more foreign visitors in the run-up to and beyond the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. (Japan Times)

The case of ousted Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn has gripped Japan and the business world since his stunning arrest in November, and now he is finally getting his day in court. (Japan Times)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a male dentist employed at a hospital in Yokohama over the alleged molestation of a female patient last year, reports Nippon News Network (Jan. 8). (tokyoreporter.com)

All Nippon Airways Co. said Tuesday an internal probe had found that last week one of its pilots caused domestic flight delays after drinking alcohol before flight duties despite the company’s 12-hour ban, and that he also asked a co-pilot to lie about it. (Japan Times)

A major Japanese weekly has apologized for using sexually degrading and discriminatory terms against women in part of an article on dating parties amid growing criticism shared in an online petition campaign. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested the female manager of a club in the Roppongi entertainment district and two male foreign nationals in connection with the alleged sale of cocaine last year, reports TV Asahi (Jan. 8). (tokyoreporter.com)

Carlos Ghosn's chief defense lawyer said on Tuesday that he fears the former Nissan Motor chairman could be detained for "at least another six months," given the complicated nature of the case, including language differences. (Nikkei)

The defense team for Nissan Motor's former chairman Carlos Ghosn says they are confident that he committed no crimes and there is no reason for his continued detention. (NHK)

Japan Airlines says one of its pilots cheated two years ago on a preflight breath test by asking somebody else to do it in his place. (NHK)

Carlos Ghosn’s appeal against his ongoing detention was rejected by the Tokyo District Court, according to a statement released by the court Wednesday. The ousted Nissan chairman’s lawyers will now appeal the decision at a higher court, NHK reported. (Japan Times)

The health ministry said Wednesday that the number of influenza patients per medical institution reached 11.17 in the week through Dec. 30, exceeding the warning level of 10. (Japan Times)

Japan's weather bureau said on Thursday the El Nino weather pattern appears to be continuing and that there was an 80 percent chance it would stretch into the northern hemisphere spring. (Japan Today)

A Buddhist monk in Japan is refusing to pay a fine he was issued for driving in a religious robe. (NHK)

Setouchi region with the Inland Sea islands and coastal areas in western Japan have been ranked seventh in The New York Times' list of "52 Places to Go in 2019." (NHK)

Carlos Ghosn will petition again Friday for release from a Japanese jail, even as Tokyo prosecutors are widely expected to lay new charges against the former Nissan Motor boss for breach of trust. (Nikkei)

The Japanese talent company that runs the popular AKB48 band and its numerous spin-off groups is in hot water over its handling of the assault of a member of one of its local girls units, with the victim having to apologize in public for "the trouble caused" after coming forward with her ordeal. (Kyodo)

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