Japan ministers plan Yasukuni war shrine visit
Two Japanese cabinet ministers said Friday they were planning to visit Tokyo's controversial war shrine next week, in a move likely to inflame sometimes testy relations with neighbouring countries. (AFP)
View ArticleRecord low number of babies born in Japan
Fewer babies were born in Japan in the last year than any other on record, pulling down its population for the third year in a row, according to government statistics released this week. (latimes.com)
View ArticleYoung Japanese women becoming less interested in sex, survey says
For the past few years, Japan has been in a fuss about "soshoku danshi," literally translated as "herbivore boys." These are young men who represent the antithesis of the rowdy, skirt-chasing,...
View ArticleKeeping retirees employed
The Lower House on Aug. 2 passed a bill to make it obligatory in principle for enterprises to keep employing through the age of 65 all workers who want to continue to work after reaching the mandatory...
View Article92% fear effects from planned sales tax hike
Ninety-two percent of Japanese are worried about adverse effects from a planned increase in the sales tax from the current 5 percent, according to a new opinion poll. (Mainichi)
View ArticleMarkets brush off Japan growth slowdown
A larger-than-anticipated slowdown in Japan's growth rate failed to dent investor hopes Monday of more stimulus measures from the world's central banks. (boston.com)
View ArticleJapan's utilities lose $46 billion as end of era nears
Japan's atomic power industry lost a record $46 billion since the Fukushima tsunami and meltdown last year, wiping out seven years of profit. Then came the bad news. (Bloomberg)
View ArticleJapan GDP points to shaky recovery
The Japanese economy slowed more sharply than expected in the April-June quarter as exports and consumer spending lost steam, raising the specter of further deceleration for the rest of this year....
View ArticleChinese geisha wannabe in Japan
It takes Rinka at least two hours to apply her thick white makeup and get dressed in an elaborate kimono on formal occasions, as is typical of most trainee geisha. (stuff.co.nz)
View Article1.8-million-Lego map of Japan will make you feel like Godzilla
Lego sure has been partying hard these past few months. Last weekend, it celebrated Brickfair in Chantilly, Virginia, and Friday marked the 80th birthday of the original Lego wooden toy company. This...
View ArticleGov't to seek princesses' opinions on creating imperial branches
The government will ask female imperial family members their opinion on establishing their own imperial family branches so they can retain their imperial status even after marriage, amid concerns over...
View ArticleGovt eyes intl trial to show ownership of Takeshima isles
The government's announcement that it may file a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice over the sovereignty of the Takeshima islands is aimed at demonstrating the legitimacy of Japan's...
View ArticleImperial Couple, judo medalist enjoy Tokyo shrine festival
A procession of 55 portable shrines paraded through Tokyo's streets during Tomioka Hachiman Shrine's summer festival in Koto Ward on Aug. 12, as Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko looked on and a...
View ArticleKin of 1985 JAL jet crash victims visit accident site on 27th anniv.
Families and friends of the 520 victims of the 1985 Japan Airlines jumbo jet crash climbed to the mountain accident site north of Tokyo on Sunday to mark the 27th anniversary with prayers and wishes...
View ArticleJapan's economy slows more than expected
Japan's economic expansion slowed more than expected in the second quarter, as a rebound in consumer spending starts to lose momentum and Europe's debt crisis weighs on global demand. (Sydney Morning...
View ArticleJapan's social security reform - A history of inaction
The passage of the bill to hike the consumption tax may reduce government borrowing for the next few years, but it is far from providing a fundamental fix to Japan's fiscal problem. Its biggest cause -...
View ArticleComedian Hazama begins 440-km marathon in quake-hit northeast
Comedian Kampei Hazama began a nine-day marathon Monday across northeastern Japan, which was hit hardest by last year's earthquake and tsunami, in an effort to spread cheer among disaster-stricken...
View ArticleS. Korea rejects Japan's move to ICC mediation
South Korea has rejected Japan's move to internationalize the issue of the Dokdo islets, known as Takeshima in Japan, after a visit to the islets by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. (Xinhua)
View ArticleSoftbank clients 'top 30 million'
Softbank Mobile Corp. Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said the mobile phone company now has more than 30 million subscribers, or double the number it had in 2006 when Softbank Corp. bought the local...
View ArticleNo-go zone graves visited for 1st time since quake
Residents of a district that had been in the no-go zone around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant were able to visit their family graves Monday during the Bon festival for the first time since the...
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