Heavy snow stops bullet trains
Many areas across the country, mainly along the Sea of Japan from Hokkaido to the Kinki region, saw heavy snow Monday because of a strong wintertime low-pressure pattern. Heavy snow repeatedly caused...
View ArticleGovt to poll student affluence / Authorities aiming to shrink disparities in...
The government plans to survey students about their families' economic situation in tandem with the annual national achievement test given to all sixth-year primary school students and third-year...
View ArticleJapan nuclear disaster panel faults preparation, communication
A lack of preparation and poor communication at top levels after disaster struck were among the failures that turned a nuclear accident at Japan's Fukushima plant into the worst atomic crisis in 25...
View ArticleSony, Samsung dissolve panel joint venture
Japan's Sony and South Korean rival Samsung are dissolving their joint venture in liquid crystal display panels as Sony tries to stanch years of losses in its TV business. Sony Corp. said Monday that...
View ArticleJapan eases ban on weapons exports to lower costs
Japan is easing its decades-long arms export ban in a bid to lower purchase and production costs fro weapons and take part in global arms projects. Top government spokesman Osamu Fujimura said Tuesday...
View ArticleYasukuni shrine hit by arson attack
Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni shrine, often seen as a symbol of Japan's wartime aggression, had its main wooden gate set on fire early Monday in a suspected arson attack, a shrine official said. A...
View ArticleRugby: New Japan coach aims for top 10 spot
Eddie Jones, who was yesterday named as Japan's new head coach, vowed to make the Brave Blossoms one of the world's best rugby teams by the 2015 World Cup in England. Asian champions Japan's best world...
View ArticleToyota releases Aqua compact hybrid in Japan
Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday began selling in Japan the Aqua compact hybrid vehicle, which it claims has the world's best fuel economy. The vehicle is equipped with a new 1.5-liter hybrid system and...
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Dream over for free flights to Japan
Back in October, Japan's national tourism agency floated a plan that seemed an ideal remedy to boost flagging visitor numbers in the wake of the March 11 disasters. Free flights to Japan in 2012. A...
View ArticleTokyo stocks fall on profit taking
Japanese stocks fell Tuesday on profit taking, but trading was light because of the end of the year holidays and as investors awaited the release of US economic data. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock...
View ArticleMagician declines Kim funeral invite
Tenko Hikita, a magician known for her association with deceased North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, has declined the country's invitation to attend his funeral Wednesday, her management agency said. "I...
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Fast-food chain Wendy's reopens in Japan
United States fast-food chain Wendy's, known for its square beef patties and baked potatoes, on Tuesday unveiled a foie gras burger as it sprang back into life in Japan. Two years after shutting up...
View ArticleLong-pending bullet-train lines OK'd
The government has decided to go ahead with long-pending plans to construct stretches of three bullet-train lines, according to transport minister Takeshi Maeda. Financial resources have been secured...
View ArticleJudo: Uchishiba indicted on rape charges
Prosecutors have filed rape charges against two-time Olympic judo champion Masato Uchishiba. Tokyo prosecutors said the 33-year-old Uchishiba was formally charged Tuesday. He's accused of raping a...
View ArticleNoda hints delay in deciding tax, welfare reform
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda indicated Tuesday that the government and the Democratic Party of Japan will postpone deciding on their social security and tax reform plan until next year, despite their...
View ArticleAmazon to delay e-book service here
Amazon.com Inc. is expected to delay the launch of an electronic book service in Japan beyond its target date of this year due to difficult negotiations with publishers, according to industry sources....
View ArticleDeath sentence is upheld for multiple killer
The Tokyo High Court has upheld a lower court ruling sentencing a 49-year-old man to death for killing a former top health ministry bureaucrat and his wife and attempting to kill another person in a...
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Satellite launch business faces cloudy future
Japan's H-IIA rocket appears to have joined the ranks of the world's major launch vehicles following the Dec. 12 launch of an intelligence-gathering satellite. With 19 successes and one failure,...
View ArticleChina and Japan currency deal not threat to dollar reign
China's surprise currency deal with Japan does little to chip away at the dollar's reign as reserve currency, but it could foreshadow an era when the yuan has more global influence. The two countries...
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No-man's land attests to Japan's nuclear nightmare
Fukushima was just emerging from the snows of winter when the disaster hit - a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, the strongest in Japan's recorded history, followed by a tsunami. The wall of water destroyed...
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