Numbering system baffles citizens
A government survey released Saturday found that more than 80 percent of respondents were largely unaware of details about an envisioned system that would number citizens to centralize control of tax...
View ArticleNumber of flu cases tops million mark
The number of flu-stricken patients reached about 1.11 million in the week ending last Friday, an increase of about 400,000 from the previous week, according to figures compiled by the health...
View ArticleStudents: English useful, but not for me
Seventy percent of middle school students think English ability would be useful for obtaining a job in the future, but only 11 percent want to get a job that requires English, according to an...
View ArticleQuake efforts blamed for rise in snow mishaps
This winter's heavier snowfall has seen more than 500 people across seven prefectures die or become injured in snow-related accidents, including cases in which they had been trying to remove snow, it...
View ArticleRadiation testing on school lunches differs
Municipalities are carrying out tests for radioactive substances on ingredients used in school lunches, but parents are worried whether their children are adequately protected as the tests are...
View ArticleFree care for Fukushima kids rejected
The government has turned down a request by the Fukushima prefectural government to make medical care free for prefectural residents aged 18 and under. Tatsuo Hirano, state minister for disaster...
View ArticleKawauchi govt heading home / Village 1st to return among those forced out by...
The government of a village forced to relocate due to the Fukushima nuclear crisis will return to the village in April, it has been learned, a move it hopes also will encourage residents to come back....
View ArticleRoyal challenge awaits Noda
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda appears strongly committed to revising the Imperial Household Law to let female members of the Imperial family remain in the royal family even if they marry commoners. The...
View ArticleShotgun swiped with car in Chiba
A car with a loaded shotgun and a box with about 40 shells was stolen early Sunday morning in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, police said the same day. A 67-year-old man phoned police around 4:40 a.m. to...
View ArticleHosono apologizes for Minamata redress delay
Environment Minister Goshi Hosono on Sunday apologized for the time it is taking to wrap up the issue of providing relief measures for uncertified patients of Minamata disease. "I would like to...
View ArticleJapanese, Russian territorial row: No solution in sight
A decades-old territorial dispute that has prevented Japan and Russia from signing a peace treaty is showing no signs of improving following talks between the two country's foreign ministers here, but...
View ArticleChinese tourists return to Japan
After being scared off by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, Chinese tourists are visiting Japan in record numbers again, generating much-needed business and optimism for the nation's struggling...
View ArticleSoccer: Japan draw 0-0 with Qatar in practice match ahead of Olympic q'fier
Japan's Under-23s continued their preparations for their upcoming London Olympic qualifier with Syria with a 0-0 draw against Qatar in a practice match at their camp in Doha on Saturday. Kashima...
View ArticleExxon selling Japan unit for $3.9B to cut refining
Exxon Mobil Corp. is selling its Japanese refining and marketing business to partner TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K. in a $3.9 billion deal that reflects a long-term decline in Japan's demand for fuel and a...
View ArticleJapan finds water leaks at stricken nuclear plant
Japan's stricken nuclear power plant has leaked more than 600 liters of water, forcing it to briefly suspend cooling operations at a spent-fuel pond at the weekend, but none is thought to have escaped...
View ArticleJapan population to shrink by one-third by 2060
Japan's population of 128 million will shrink by one-third and seniors will account for 40 percent of people by 2060, placing a greater burden on a smaller working-age population to support the social...
View ArticleCyber-attack disrupts website of nuclear crisis panel
The website of the government-appointed panel probing the Fukushima disaster was hit by a cyber-attack Saturday night that lasted until Sunday morning. The content of the website was replaced with a...
View ArticleTV makers see shakeout approaching
The halcyon days of Japan's TV makers are long over. Now the business has become a drag on the earnings of the nation's electronics giants. TV demand shrank fast after consumers rushed out to buy...
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Akihabara opens subculture center
A new landmark has opened in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district that houses specialty shops for "Akiba culture" goods. The six-story Akiba Culture Zone, which used to be a Laox Co. computer store...
View ArticleJapanese auto suppliers to pay price-fixing fine
Two Japanese auto suppliers have agreed to pay more than half a billion dollars in criminal fines for a price-fixing conspiracy in the sale of parts to U.S. automakers, the Justice Department announced...
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