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Japan battles gridlock in the sky
Japan's airspace, already among the most congested in the world, is facing new pressure as more flights are funneled into Tokyo airports. Airlines and aviation authorities are hoping that a...
View ArticleUS, Japanese tourists report rapes in Argentina
A female tourist from the U.S. and one from Japan say they were raped in separate attacks in Argentina's Salta province. That's the area where two young Frenchwomen were raped and murdered last July....
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Japan's cat cafes hit with new curfew
Times are looking tough for Tokyo's cat cafes, where feline aficionados can drop in for tea and some time with a cat. At most such establishments, it's the post-work rush that brings in the most cash,...
View ArticleGovt to pay 250 billion yen in first round of relief cash
The government announced on Friday it will pay out 250.9 billion yen in the first round of subsidies to be given to seven prefectures and 59 municipalities hard-hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake....
View Article4 die in Gunma house fire
Four people died in a house in Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture, on Friday after having apparently inhaled carbon monoxide. Smoke and fire were seen emanating from a house belonging to Koji Kaburaki at around 5...
View ArticleJapan PM: No individual to blame for Fukushima
No individual can be held responsible for the nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima, Japan's prime minister said Saturday, insisting everyone had to "share the pain". Yoshihiko Noda told foreign journalists...
View ArticleAfter Civic bruising, Honda fights for its soul
The future of Honda Motor Co may rest with a pair of contrarian Japanese car engineers working from a drab Tokyo suburb with a hotline to the boardroom. Their mission: just say no. Hondas creative...
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Why it's cheap in Japan
In Japan, dining can be an overwhelming experience as there are over 30 Michelin three-star restaurants all over the archipelago. But if your stars are down and you are on a budget, there is Depachika,...
View ArticleSake's comeback symbolises Japan's recovery
Sake, the national drink of Japan which for years has been in steep decline, has become the very spirit of the country's recovery from the devastation of last March's tsunami. Twelve months ago, the...
View ArticleJapan's lonely people: Where do they all belong?
In recent weeks, three cases of kodokushi, or "lonely deaths," have been covered extensively in the news. One involved a Saitama Prefecture family of three whose bodies were found in their apartment...
View ArticleJapan may double consumption tax: Noda
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said yesterday he thinks he can reach a deal with the opposition to double the 5 percent consumption tax in order to shore up the country's social security...
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Japan: A mind-opening adventure
The only thing I planned for my first trip to Japan was to recreate Scarlett Johansson's crossing the Shibuya in Lost in Translation. I did buy the requisite travel guides, bookmarked links on...
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Japanese monk guards remains of tsunami unknown
Hundreds of the 19,000 people killed by Japan's horrific quake-tsunami remain unmourned, their bodies never claimed because there is no one left to notice they have gone. Buddhist monk Ryushin Miyabe...
View ArticleChina, Taiwan slam Japan over disputed islands
China and Taiwan criticised Japan for giving Japanese names to disputed islands in the East China Sea claimed by all three parties in a long-running diplomatic row. China and Japan have a lengthy...
View ArticleAnti-yakuza laws are taking their toll
Five months after tough new ordinances cracking down on the activities of organized crime syndicates went into effect, it's not yet clear what impact, if any, they've had on gang activities. "We are...
View ArticleSergeant arrested for stealing cash from police station
A police sergeant has been arrested for allegedly stealing money from a police station in Oji, Tokyo. The 34-year-old officer, a sergeant in the Community Safety Department, is suspected of having...
View ArticleOzawa criticizes reported secret meeting between Noda, Tanigaki
Former Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa on Saturday criticized a reported secret meeting between Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Liberal Democratic Party leader Sadakazu...
View ArticleJapanese emperor goes home after heart surgery
Japan's 78-year-old emperor has left hospital after heart surgery. The Imperial Household Agency says Emperor Akihito returned home to his palace on Sunday following successful heart bypass surgery on...
View ArticleTokyo to drop fugu license ordinance amid decline in fatal diner poisonings
Fugu, a fish delicacy usually offered to discerning diners at expensive Japanese restaurants, may become available at cheaper eateries in Tokyo in October if the metropolitan government allows...
View Article20% of tsunami zone families have insomnia
Twenty percent of the families in Ishinomaki and the nearby town of Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, who refused to move after the March 2011 tsunami have members suffering from insomnia and other...
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