Airline moving dolphins in 'flying coffins'
Hong Kong Airlines is under pressure to stop its live dolphin cargo business, with an online petition alleging that the mammals are transported in "flying coffins". The dolphins are believed to have...
View ArticleBallet popularity in Japan growing by leaps and bounds
Japan is becoming a significant presence in the world of ballet, a recent survey shows, buoyed by a large number of aspiring dancers who benefit from close attention at small schools. The talents of...
View ArticleTesda training focuses on Japanese language
A second batch of Filipino nurses and care workers bound for Japan is undergoing language training through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda). Tesda Director Joel...
View ArticleHitachi: Hurtling toward recovery
Shares of Japanese conglomerate Hitachi have been flatlining for a decade, as the company has ricocheted from one failed restructuring to another. In 2009, it posted one of the largest annual losses...
View ArticleRugby: Japanese touch team's gear stolen hours after arrival
A group of Japanese touch rugby players had nearly all their possessions stolen while they ate at a restaurant in South Auckland only hours after arriving in the country. Brazen thieves used...
View ArticleNoda says 'sorry' to Okinawa in US base row
Japan's premier Yoshihiko Noda offered a personal apology to Okinawa over his government's attitude to the moving of an unpopular US air base. In his first trip as prime minister to the subtropical...
View ArticleSmoke hits idle reactor in Niigata
Smoke was detected in a building full of heat-exchange equipment at an idled reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant but no fire was found, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Sunday. There were no...
View ArticleTsunami alert softened days before 3/11
Just days before the Great East Japan Earthquake, a government panel softened the wording of a report warning that a massive tsunami could strike northeastern Japan after three utilities with nuclear...
View ArticleHospitals in disaster zone hobbled by staff shortages
Seventeen of the 45 major hospitals in coastal areas pummeled by the triple calamity last March are still unable to offer full medical services because of staffing shortages, a survey indicated Sunday....
View ArticleKipyego passes legend to win Tokyo Marathon
Kenya's Michael Kipyego upstaged former world record holder Haile Gebrselassie to win the Tokyo Marathon ahead of Arata Fujiwara in 2 hours, 7 minutes and 37 seconds on Sunday. The 38-year-old...
View ArticleFiscally hobbled Japan nears multiple-currency era: Is yen's demise nigh?
Japan is actually becoming an increasingly Tokyo-centric economy. Tokyo is super rich. Osaka, the second-largest city in the country, pales visibly against Tokyo's dazzling performance. A somewhat Tea...
View ArticleAIJ moved missing pension funds to Caymans, Hong Kong
About 200 billion yen in pension funds managed by AIJ Investment Advisors Co., most of which has vanished, was moved among overseas private investment trust funds and financial institutions, including...
View Article300 pets still in Fukushima facilities
More than 300 dogs and cats rescued from around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant were still being kept at animal shelters and other facilities in Fukushima Prefecture as of Friday, according to...
View ArticleFamilies to be required to report missing elderly
The health ministry intends to require family members living with elderly people who receive pension benefits to report to the Japan Pension Service if the elderly person goes missing, as part of...
View ArticlePlan to scrap spouse tax deductions doomed?
Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada has hinted the Democratic Party of Japan may withdraw its plan to scrap tax deductions for spouses because of opposition within the party. In a lecture in...
View ArticleJapan's last DRAM maker files for bankruptcy
One of Japan's last-standing memory-chip makers could soon be a distant memory if it doesn't turn around fast. As Dow Jones Newswires reports Monday, Elpida Memory Inc., which is struggling under a...
View ArticleJapan's economy going into trauma: Expert
The Japanese economy is headed for a major trauma given its high government debt, ongoing deflation and aging population, says Russell Jones, Global Head of Fixed Income Strategy at Australia's Westpac...
View ArticleNow Japanese universities woo Indian students
Many Indians have heard of Japanese companies such as Suzuki and Toyota but any takers for the University of Tokyo? Very, very few. Now 13 core Japanese universities are keen to attract more Indian...
View ArticleAcross Japan with just a smartphone for money
Over 70 million people in Japan own tap-and-go phones, and their use is on the rise. The country's rulers and other vested interests have pushed the new technology hard so a robust network is now in...
View ArticleMichelin crowns three-star French restaurant as Japan leads
Michelin today awarded a third star to one more restaurant in France, taking the total to 26 in the home of the guide, which drops further behind Japan for top- rated establishments. The new accolade...
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