Fukushima soil fallout far short of Chernobyl
In terms of soil contamination, the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant is only about an eighth as severe as the meltdown at the Chernobyl plant, in what is now Ukraine, in 1986,...
View ArticleAuto giants, other major makers cut '12 bonuses
Major Japanese manufacturers offered reduced bonuses in negotiations Wednesday for fiscal 2012 from next month, citing a deterioration in the business environment in the wake of the March 2011...
View ArticleSharp names new president as losses mount
Sharp Corp named the head of its global operations as president to turn around a company facing a record annual loss, the latest Japanese firm to shake up management after tumbling into the red on...
View ArticleShinkansen off power six hours
Kyushu Railway Co. executives apologized Wednesday for stopping bullet-train services for six hours Tuesday, citing "insufficient experience" in trouble-shooting compared with other Japan Rail...
View ArticleRadioactive material sank into ground after Japan crisis
Radioactive substances were believed to have sunk 10 to 30 centimetres into the ground after escaping from damaged Japanese nuclear reactors, Kyodo News reports, citing a research institution....
View ArticleGlobal Fund welcomes $340 million contribution by Japan
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today welcomed a $340 million contribution by Japan, the highest amount that Japan has ever made in 10 years of vigorous support for the Global...
View ArticleAKB48, Misia to sing at cherry blossom concerts in Washington to thank U.S.
Two of Japan's best-selling pop acts will play in Washington to mark the centennial of the capital's cherry blossoms and offer thanks for U.S. support after last year's tsunami, organizers said Monday....
View ArticleNikkei closes above 10,000 for first time in 7-mths
Japan's Nikkei average climbed 1.5 percent to close above 10,000 for the first time in seven months on Wednesday, boosted by Wall Street gains after the Fed upgraded its U.S. economic outlook, while...
View ArticleDeveloped economies to pick up steam in 2012: Reuters poll
Developed economies will pick up steam this year thanks to an array of ultra-loose monetary policies from major central banks and amid new signs of progress in the euro zone's debt crisis, Reuters...
View ArticleSumo: Baruto's title chase hits bump
Estonia-born ozeki Baruto saw his bid for yokozuna promotion take a hit Wednesday as he was sent to a shock first defeat at the hands of Mongolian sekiwake Kakuryu on the fourth day of the Spring Grand...
View ArticleTale of trouble at Japan pension funds
A scandal involving the alleged disappearance of billions of dollars in pension-fund money is highlighting an uncomfortable truth here. Most of the pension plans set up by groups of small businesses in...
View ArticleDoCoMo users hit 60 million, half Japan's population
Though its growth has slowed significantly in recent years, DoCoMo managed to get more than 60 million Japanese to sign up for contracts as of last Sunday. That's nearly half Japan's population of 127...
View ArticleIndia, China, Japan join hands for anti-piracy operations
India has joined China and Japan to coordinate their anti-piracy operations and naval deployment in the Gulf of Aden to escort merchant vessels, the Rajya Sabha was informed Wednesday. "India, China...
View ArticleJapan fails to settle university dispute
It has been a rough year for materials scientist Akihisa Inoue, the president of Tohoku University in Japan. Last March, an earthquake crippled his campus (see Nature 483,141-143; 2012). Since then, he...
View ArticleEx-TV personality held over rape, robbery
A 25-year-old former TV personality who had been accused of robbery and injury in another case was rearrested Wednesday on suspicion of raping and robbing a woman after breaking into her apartment in...
View ArticleAnother hike in sales tax seen in FY16
The government likely will raise the consumption tax rate further in fiscal 2016 after hiking it from the current 5 percent to 10 percent in two steps, it was learned Wednesday. The gist of bills to...
View ArticleGoogle pays tribute to origami pioneer
Google paid tribute on Wednesday to the "father of the modern origami" Akira Yoshizawa by transforming its celebrated homepage logo into an homage to the folded-paper art pioneer. To mark what would...
View ArticleBodies of elderly woman, son lie undiscovered in apartment for weeks
Police said Thursday that the bodies of a mother and her son were found in their apartment in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, on Wednesday, and that they likely died 2-3 weeks ago. The bodies of Fuyo...
View ArticleBadeball: Giants accused of salary breach
Japan's richest baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants, could face an investigation after a newspaper report said they regularly burst the professional league's salary limit between 1997 and 2004. The Asahi...
View Article67th anniversary of battle at Iwo Jima marked
A brass band played under a blazing sun as American veterans and Japanese dignitaries gathered Wednesday on the remote island of Iwo Jima to mark the 67th anniversary of one of World War II's bloodiest...
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