Foreign bloggers take in disaster zone
The Foreign Ministry is inviting prominent overseas bloggers and tweeters to visit areas devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The ministry launched the initiative to revive tourism in...
View ArticleGovt expands use of FX reserves / Economic diplomacy used to assist Eurozone,...
The government is strengthening its economic diplomacy by utilizing foreign exchange holdings to help stem Europe's ongoing financial crisis and prevent sharp declines in the value of Asian...
View ArticleOlympics: Over 50% expect Olympic medal for Nadeshiko
A majority of people expect the Nadeshiko Japan women's soccer team to win a medal at the London Olympic Games scheduled to start on July 27, according to a recent Yomiuri Shimbun poll. Following...
View ArticleChampion lauded for both classical, modern technique
"Winning [the Prix de Lausanne] has greatly encouraged me for my future. I'd like to become a dancer who can move people," said Madoka Sugai, 17, on Sunday after winning the Prix de Lausanne...
View ArticleHole lotta fun as Japanese dig for Golden Shovel
Over a thousand people gathered on the outskirts of Tokyo, shovels and ladders in hand. Their goal: to dig their way to victory in the Japan All-National Hole Digging Competition, and claim the coveted...
View ArticleU.S. reaches deal to avoid Japan, EU trade sanctions
The United States said on Monday it has struck a deal sparing U.S. exporters from hundreds of millions of dollars in European and Japanese trade retaliation in a dispute over how Washington calculates...
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'Herbivore men' causing Japan's population to shrink
Unlike China, Japan's population is in danger of shrinking dramatically. The main reasoning behind this development is what is being called "herbivore men." This type of man is said to have no desire...
View ArticleGreen tea protects against functional disability linked to aging
Regular green tea drinkers have a lower risk of developing functional disability, researchers from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan, reported in the American Journal of...
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Japan's surprising geisha revival
With a few hesitant steps and the swoosh of kimono against a tatami-mat floor, it isn't long before Awagiku finds her rhythm, moving with what comes close to perfection by the end of another exhausting...
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The sun is setting on Japan; a third 'lost decade' awaits
The 'Santa Claus' rally in global equity markets towards the end of 2011 has extended well beyond the first few weeks of January. The broadbased S&P 500 index is approaching its 2011 highs on the...
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Japan's once powerful industries are now crumbling
Within the Japanese business community there are whispers of a sense of paralysis or "hopelessness", and the fear that if decisive action is not taken, some of the companies that were the engine for...
View ArticleReactor No. 2 heats up, gets more water
Workers at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant increased the amount of water injected into reactor 2 on Tuesday to the highest level since the plant achieved cold shutdown in December as concerns grew...
View ArticleTokyo Gate Bridge to open to traffic on Feb 12
Tokyo's newest landmark, the Tokyo Gate Bridge, will open to traffic on Feb 12. The 2,618-meter-long truss bridge is 87.8 meters high and spans Tokyo Bay, linking Wakasu in Koto Ward with the Jonanjima...
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Japanese food: use your noodle
Few countries are as passionate and proud of their food as Japan. Each of its 47 prefectures is fiercely tribalistic about one dish or another, and noodles are particularly contentious. In Shikoku they...
View ArticleAs Japan's tech sector struggles, the winner is... Hitachi?
Sony Corp., Panasonic Corp. and Sharp Corp. all said last week that they now forecast hundreds of billions of yen in net losses for the current fiscal year through March. Toshiba Corp.'s outlook was...
View ArticleGKB47 suicide prevention slogan inspired by AKB48 criticized
The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has come under fire for using a catchphrase in an anti-suicide campaign that evokes images of popular all-girl group AKB48. During discussions in the Diet on...
View ArticleHula girls revive quake-hit Fukushima town
A Hawaiian theme park that propped up the economy of a rural Japanese town in Fukushima prefecture for 45 years was forced to close after the March 11 earthquake. Almost a year later, the hula girls...
View ArticleFive missing after Japan refinery tunnel collapse
Attempts to find five workers missing in an underwater tunnel at a refinery in western Japan were suspended on Tuesday due to poor visibility that posed a risk to rescue divers, police said. Live TV...
View ArticleNikkei slips from 3-month high; Japan Tobacco, shippers climb
Japan's Nikkei average slipped from a three-month high on Tuesday after Greek leaders delayed a decision yet again on the unpopular terms of a new $170 billion bailout, tempering optimism over the...
View ArticleJapan's forex reserves hit record high at $1.307 trillion
Japan's foreign exchange reserves hit a new record of USD 1.307 trillion at the end of January, up 0.8 percent from the previous month, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday. The previous record was USD...
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