Imports of young eels plummet as wholesale prices double
Imports of young Japanese eels plunged by almost half from January to February while their price more than doubled to over ¥2.1 million per kilogram, according to Finance Ministry data. This indicates...
View ArticleLawson looks to open outlets in Myanmar
Convenience store chain Lawson Inc. plans to open outlets in Myanmar, company sources said Thursday. Lawson officials in charge of overseas operations will visit the country next week to hold talks...
View ArticleSwimming: Terakawa books ticket to London
Aya Terakawa booked a trip to the London Olympics by winning the women's 100-meter backstroke in a Japan record of 59.10 seconds at the national championships on Thursday. Terakawa, who won a silver at...
View Article'World's first' chocolate kimono planned for Japan
A US chocolatier will unveil what is being billed as the world's first chocolate kimono at its new outlet in Japan later this month -- but the unusual garment is not for sweet-toothed customers. About...
View ArticleCan Japan, South Korea connect?
On April 1, two Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (MSDF) escort destroyers,Kurama and Yamagiri, anchored at a South Korean navybase in Pyeongtaek as part of a training voyage. The move sent a...
View ArticleStrong yen forcing auto firms out of Japan: Ghosn
Even after some softening against the US dollar, the strong yen remains a "real headwind" for the growth of Japan-based automakers, Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn said on Wednesday. With the "yen...
View ArticleU.S Coast Guard sinks Japanese fishing trawler near Alaska
The U.S. Coast Guard sank a Japanese fishing trawler off the coast of Alaska on Thursday, more than a year after it was swept away by a tsunami off the east coast of Japan, authorities said. The...
View ArticleRadiation worries spur 'quackery' cures
In the year-plus since the world's worst nuclear accident in a quarter century, Japan has seen a run of dubious products aimed at detecting or alleviating radiation's effects. In January, Japan's...
View ArticlePolice crackdown targets 'legal' drugs
The National Police Agency said Thursday it will cooperate with the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to strengthen surveillance of the sale and use of "legal" hallucinogenic drugs. "Legal" products...
View ArticlePrius tops sales list for 3rd year
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid vehicle was the best-selling car in the nation for the third straight year in fiscal 2011, industry data showed Thursday. In the year that ended Saturday, Prius sales...
View ArticleFiscal 2012 budget enacted at record-high 96 trillion yen
The fiscal 2012 budget was enacted Thursday, in line with a constitutional provision that gives priority to the House of Representatives, which is controlled by the ruling coalition. With...
View ArticleOnline profiles to be allowed from next election
The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said Thursday it has decided to display candidate profiles on the websites of prefectural election administration commissions from the next state-level...
View ArticleTokyo cops seize 6,600 uncensored porn DVDs in Kabukicho raid
Tokyo Metropolitan Police announced on Friday the arrest in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward of one suspect for the possession of large quantities of uncensored adult video DVDs, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Apr....
View ArticleJapan throws off year of crisis as cherries bloom
Spring has begun in Japan with the blooming of the country's beloved cherry trees, with revelers eager to use the occasion as a way to break from a year marked by crisis and disaster. This year,...
View ArticleBaseball: Japan's reputation at stake in 'Yu-phoria'
When Yu Darvish, Japan's latest high-priced baseball export, makes his debut in the regular US major league season, it is not just the reputation of his blazing right hand that will be at stake....
View ArticleEmperor recuperating in Hayama
Emperor Akihito is currently recuperating at the imperial villa in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture, the Imperial Household Agency said Thursday. The 78-year-old emperor, who underwent a four-hour heart...
View ArticleRejected BOJ nominee says Japan's policies aren't realistic
BNP Paribas SA (BNP) economist Ryutaro Kono, rejected by lawmakers as a nominee for the Bank of Japan (8301)'s board, said politicians are proposing monetary policies that are "divorced from reality."...
View ArticleJETRO leaves Japan's largest business organization to cut costs
The semigovernmental Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) has quit the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), Japan's largest business organization, in order to reduce its costs. JETRO has...
View ArticleJapanese shares close down 0.81 per cent
Japanese shares fell 0.81 per cent on Friday after a sluggish session on Wall Street and continuing fears over Europe's fiscal woes, with investors eyeing US jobs data later in the day. The Nikkei 225...
View ArticleTibet picked for Asia observatory
Astronomers from Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan have picked a highland area in the Tibetan Autonomous Region as the most likely candidate for their joint astronomical observation site, academic...
View Article