Motor racing: Japan woman speedway racer killed in crash
A Japanese woman speedway rider whose glamourous presence in the pit lane revitalised the sport has been killed in a high-speed accident just months after her debut, Auto Race's official website said....
View ArticleTennis: 'I might play until I'm 50!' - Japan's Date-Krumm
Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm, at 41 the oldest player at the Australian Open, said she might continue playing until 50 after being bundled out of the year's first grand slam on Monday. The former world...
View ArticleJapan police probe find of body with severed genitals
Tokyo police were investigating Monday after finding the body of a naked man whose genitals had been sliced off with a kitchen knife, Japanese media reported. The corpse of the 49-year-old man, who had...
View ArticleJapan key orders jump; policymakers fret over euro
Japan's key gauge of corporate capital spending rose at its fastest pace in nearly four years in November, thanks partly to post-quake rebuilding demand, but policymakers were kept on guard over the...
View ArticleChinese attacker of Japanese Embassy reveals eccentricities
A Chinese man detained after throwing firebombs at Japan's Embassy in Seoul as a protest over Tokyo's wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women has shown eccentric behavior such as singing Korea's...
View ArticleBOJ cuts its economic view for seven of nine regions
The Bank of Japan cut its economic assessment of seven of the country's nine regions as a global slowdown and the yen's gain threaten the nation's recovery from the March earthquake. Conditions in...
View ArticleTokyo Shares End Down As S&P Action, Weak Euro Rekindle Fears
Tokyo stocks fell sharply Monday, as Standard & Poor's credit rating downgrades on several European nations and fresh weakness in the euro translated into a selloff for financial shares such as...
View ArticleCorporate Japan: woeful lack of outside directors
Japan Inc. is often criticized for its poor corporate governance, especially when it comes to monitoring how top management makes decisions. The Olympus Corp. scandal, based at the very least on the...
View ArticleRadioactive concrete found in new condo
High levels of radiation have been detected in a condominium building in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, which was built in July using concrete mixed with material taken from an evacuation zone...
View ArticleJapan to name islets in disputed area
Japan has decided to name several uninhabited islands in a group that is also claimed by China and Taiwan, a move likely to anger the Asian neighbors. Japan's chief government spokesman said Monday...
View ArticleOpposition quick to brand new defense chief an amateur
New Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka drew flak from the opposition camp Monday for making statements over the weekend that seemed to indicate Tokyo was intent on beginning the contentious relocation of...
View ArticleSumo: Hakuho, Baruto remain locked together for lead
It was business as usual for yokozuna Hakuho while ozeki Baruto also remained undefeated to share the lead in the title race at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday. Hakuho stayed on course in...
View Article11 hot-zone holdouts refuse to leave Fukushima homes
Eleven people are still ignoring radiation hazards in the 20-km exclusion zone around the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and refuse to budge. The 11 - six males and five females ranging in age...
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Snakes on a plane? No, Japanese maids on a train!
In Japan, there are all types of otaku ("geeks"). There are anime otaku, video game otaku, and even train otaku. Otaku from all walks of life seem to like the same thing: maids. So what happens when...
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When the Internet ate my son's manga magazine
The card in the mail delivered sad news, disguised as progress. Shonen Jump magazine, a monthly digest of translated-into-English Japanese manga,, was ceasing print publication. Instead, subscribers...
View ArticleConstruction boss shot in Fukuoka, cops investigating gangster involvement
The head of a construction firm in Kyushu was shot in front of his office early Tuesday morning, reports broadcaster NHK (Jan.17). At about 5:30 a.m., Takashi Kurose, 52, president of contractor Kurose...
View ArticleNew Fukushima probe promises to dig deeper
The head of Japan's latest investigation into the Fukushima nuclear disaster promised to dig deeper than previous inquiries into the events that unfolded after a earthquake and tsunami struck the...
View Article'Life' lit up for 17th anniversary of Kobe quake
A lighting display event was held on Jan. 16. on a sandbar in the Mukogawa river running through Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. A...
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Osaka - Hokkaido
We wanted to make a ski & snowboarding video this year. This is our journey traveling from Osaka to Hokkaido by train, to make it happen. Luckily, some cool guys up in Niseko & Sapporo helped...
View ArticleOlympus probe finds 5 auditors responsible
An internal investigation at Olympus Corp. found that five current and former auditors are responsible for a combined 8.38 billion yen ($109 million) in losses linked to the Japanese company's...
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