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Tokyo toilet gleams with more than cleanliness
First, Japan gave the world high-tech toilets. Now, a crystal toilet -- studded with more than 72,000 pieces of Swarovski cut crystal and valued at over $100,000. Toilet manufacturer INAX teamed up...
View ArticleLocals worried by ice, snow falling from Tokyo Sky Tree
The builders of Tokyo Sky Tree have announced some of the technologies that have been installed to deal with the winter weather, after it was confirmed that chunks of snow and ice had fallen from the...
View ArticleJapan picks Lockheed F-35 fighter as allies stress tight ties
Japan picked Lockheed Martin's F-35 jet as its next mainstay fighter on Tuesday, choosing the aircraft over combat-proven but less stealthy rivals, as concern simmers over North Korea and as China...
View ArticleJapan says arrests China boat captain for illegal fishing
Japan's coastguard said on Tuesday it had arrested the captain of a Chinese fishing boat operating illegally in Japanese waters, though China's response to the incident has so far been muted. Ties...
View ArticlePS Vita Japanese release rocky
The initial launch of the PlayStation Vita handheld in Japan has been a bit rocky. Reports of a number of software issues, as well as system lockups and touchscreen freezes, seem to be the order of the...
View ArticleRugby: Ex-Wallaby coach Jones 'picked for Japan job'
Former Australia coach Eddie Jones has been chosen to replace All Blacks legend John Kirwan as head coach of the Japan rugby team, media reports said Tuesday. The Japan Rugby Football Union recommended...
View ArticleJapan sales tax debate in final stage as deadline looms
Japan's government has entered the final stage of debate on doubling the 5 percent sales tax to pay for welfare costs, a welcome step towards fiscal consolidation that would still require further tax...
View ArticleAnalysis: Olympus ex-CEO looks to be losing boardroom bid
Michael Woodford, the ousted boss of Japan's Olympus Corp, has won the battle to force his former employer to admit to more than a decade of accounting fraud. His bid to return as chief executive...
View ArticleJapan's 'Lolita' style: Cutesy and disturbing
Outlandish pannier skirts with layers of frilly lace; teenage girls with larger-than-life make-up; a dash of sexuality and lashings of Victoriana are the order of the day for Japan's Lolita girls. What...
View ArticleMother cycling with 2 daughters run over at crossing; both children die
A mother riding a bicycle with her two young daughters was run over by a car at a crossing in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, on Monday afternoon. Police said Tuesday that the woman has yet to regain...
View ArticleRadioactive water floods tunnel at Fukushima plant
Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Dec. 19 released a photo showing about 230 tons of radioactive water that had accumulated in an underground tunnel at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The tunnel,...
View ArticleNikkei gains in thin trade, mood still shaky on Europe
Japan's Nikkei average rose modestly on Tuesday as short-term players bought back shares that had been sold after news of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il raised fears about regional...
View ArticleOlympus aims to tap Sony, others for $1.3 bln in new capital
Olympus Corp is preparing to issue about $1.28 billion (100 billion yen) in new shares to bolster its depleted finances, with Japanese high-tech stalwarts Sony and Fujifilm seen as possible buyers, the...
View ArticleImmigration changes to come as new law takes effect in July
The revised immigration law will take effect next July 9 and the government will start accepting applications for new residence registration cards on Jan. 13, the Cabinet decided Tuesday, paving the...
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2011: The year when Japan went global over social networking
A report on Japanese social-networking services usage issued by Nielsen/NetRatings on Nov. 18 made a huge impact in Japan, as the statistics indicated that the number of Mixi users (8.39 million) has...
View ArticleU.S. efforts to cut off Iran's oil exports put Japan in tight spot
The latest U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil exports have put Tokyo in a difficult position, with Japanese diplomats and companies scrambling to secure sufficient energy resources while avoiding penalties...
View ArticleResearch reactor ceiling catches fire
A fire Tuesday partially burned the ceiling of a building housing a nuclear reactor in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, the prefectural government and the reactor's operator said. The fire broke out at...
View ArticleEconomy sees first signs of nasty drop
Kiyohito Okuda is a businessman and an optimist, and so he has found at least one redeeming angle to Japan's slow-motion economic decline: Never has the pain felt too acute to bear. After years of...
View ArticleJapan fighter buy bolsters U.S. leverage in Asia
Against the backdrop of renewed uncertainty on the nearby Korean Peninsula, Japan's government today gave a boost to the Pentagon's biggest weapons program by selecting the F-35 fighter as its first...
View ArticleLady Gaga spending holidays in Japan
She may have spent Thanksgiving in New York City with her family, but Lady Gaga is traveling for Christmas and New Year's. The Mother Monster is going east for the holidays. The Far East, that is. The...
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