Government adopts safety plan for children
The government on Friday adopted a basic policy on safety education at schools for the next five years, with the goal of minimizing harm to children in the event of natural disasters and other...
View Article3 crested ibis chicks confirmed safe by ministry
The Environment Ministry has confirmed that the three newly hatched crested ibis chicks in Niigata Prefecture, are in good condition even after the recent approach of a predatory crow. (Yomiuri)
View ArticleJapan sea sediments tell of past 'Tohoku quakes'
Previous earthquakes that rivalled the March 2011 Tohoku tremor in size may be recorded in sediment samples just recovered from the seafloor off Japan. A German-led scientific cruise obtained the cores...
View ArticlePutting a number on Japan's happiness
Last November, Japan got a visit from the King and Queen of Bhutan, a nation known for its index of gross national happiness, or GNH. Not to be outdone, Japan's Minister of National Strategy, Economic...
View ArticleHigh court OK's sale of drugs online
The Tokyo High Court has ruled illegal a health ministry ordinance regulating online drug sales, abandoning an earlier ruling by the Tokyo District Court and recognizing two plaintiff companies' right...
View ArticleForeign buyers snap up land / Survey shows many people use Japanese names to...
At least 1,100 hectares of mountain forest and other land have been acquired by foreigners, with Hokkaido providing the lion's share, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey. The survey discovered 63...
View ArticleLaw to amend postal privatization enacted; share sales deadline removed
The Diet on Friday enacted a bill to amend the law on privatizing the nation's postal services. The law previously required Japan Post Holdings Co. to sell all equity stakes in its two wholly owned...
View ArticleU.N. OKs Japan's claim to extend continental shelf in Pacific
The U.N. commission on seabed claims has adopted a recommendation allowing Japan to extend its continental shelf areas in the western Pacific, government officials said Saturday. The U.N. Commission on...
View ArticleCity official accused of forcing teen girls to send obscene photos
Under suspicion of violating the law against juvenile porno, Ochiai Koji, a staff member of Narashi city in Chiba Prefecture who works at an elementary school within the city, was arrested. He is also...
View ArticleManager arrested for forcing elementary students to recruit customers
The manager at a girls bar in Minami Osaka was arrested for forcing a 6th year elementary student to work for him. He was arrested for suspicion of violating the Labor standards act. (tbsnews)
View ArticleYakuza boss arrested in Philippines
The boss of a yakuza gang and his wives were arrested for suspicions of operating a Philippine pub without a license. The 3 accused, Yakuza gang boss Ito Ukatsuhiko and his wives Maria Ito and Koldova...
View ArticleJapan, ASEAN vow to complete trade 'roadmap'
Ministers from Japan and Southeast Asia agreed to complete a "roadmap" in August to double trade in 10 years between the world's third largest economy and the rapidly developing region. (AFP)
View ArticleMassive landslide in Hokkaido leaves railway tracks hanging in midair
Services on a train line here have been seriously disrupted after a massive landslide along a railway embankment, probably due to snowmelt, left part of the line's tracks hanging in the air. (Mainichi)
View ArticleBaseball: 'Rock star' Yu Darvish set to make Toronto debut
After Yu Darvish's first three major-league starts, Blue Jays fans would be forgiven for smugly dreaming up words that rhymed with "BUST" to write on the handmade signs they planned to bring to the...
View ArticleAs Japan strains to care for elderly, sacrifices begin
The ominous demographics of this aging nation have long been seen by Japanese as a distant concern, not a present-day one. But that mind-set is being called into question by a prime minister who says...
View ArticleOlympics: Japan hammer champ relishes Olympic challenge
Japan's world hammer throw champion Koji Murofushi has said he is thrilled at the chance of competing for a second Olympic gold this year, and may even continue his career until the next Games....
View ArticleObama to discuss security, economy with Japanese leader
President Barack Obama will host Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda this weekend in Washington, DC, where they will discuss a variety of issues ranging from regional and international security...
View ArticleOzawa prosecution mulls appeal
Following the not-guilty ruling in the trial against former Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa, the focus has shifted to whether lawyers serving as prosecutors in the case will appeal...
View ArticleRainy season kicks off in Okinawa
Okinawa Prefecture on Saturday became the first area in the nation to enter the rainy season, the weather agency said. The season began 11 days earlier than average and two days earlier than last year,...
View ArticleForeigners to start getting notices for new registry system
Foreign residents will start receiving government notices in May asking them to confirm their identities before the residence registration system for foreigners is merged with the national one in July,...
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