Few new students as school year starts
About 700 elementary and junior high schools in Fukushima Prefecture held ceremonies Friday to kick off the new school year, but some have significantly fewer new students compared with last April....
View ArticleSwimming: Kitajima triumphs in 200-meter breaststroke at nationals
Once again, the Olympic hero proved he's Japan's undisputed king of the pool. And it looks like he's got a good rival and supporting cast now. Kosuke Kitajima edged Ryo Tateishi, winning the men's...
View ArticleDeaf student qualifies to teach English in Nagoya
A deaf student at Nagoya Gakuin University who obtained a license to teach English to students with impaired hearing graduated on March 15. Misato Fujiwara, 23, will start teaching at Aichi Prefectural...
View ArticleWashington OKs auto, insurance talks during TPP negotiations
Tokyo and Washington have agreed to continue free-trade talks on automobiles and insurance while Japan explores its prospects for entering the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact, a senior government...
View ArticleUS, Japan reject invitation from Pyongyang
Pyongyang has invited the European Space Agency and space agencies from eight countries including the US, Japan, China, Russia and India to observe its planned satellite launch some time next week, a...
View ArticleJapan sets new safety standards for nuclear plants
Japan announced new guidelines Friday for how its nuclear power plants try to prevent disasters like last year's meltdowns, as the government aims to ease public concern about restarting idled...
View ArticleJ-Alert hard to use for 30% of local governments
The transmission of quick reports using the J-Alert nationwide warning system would not happen automatically in more than 30 percent of municipalities nationwide should North Korea go through with its...
View ArticleFraud targets Android phones / Major increase in viruses that steal...
There has been a large increase in the number of cases in which Android smartphone users are asked to pay large bills after installing a virus-infected application that steals their personal...
View ArticleSoftbank tops rivals in new phone contracts for second year in row
Softbank Mobile Corp. was the nation's top gainer in mobile phone contracts for the second year in a row in fiscal 2011, the companies' reports showed Friday. In the year to last month, Softbank...
View Article4 family members found dead in Tokyo apartment
Four members of a family have been found dead in their apartment in Edogawa, Tokyo, in what police believe may have been a murder-suicide. Police said that 28-year-old Sayuri Nomoto, her 9-year-old...
View ArticleJapan, China finance ministers meet over bilateral cooperation
Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi and his Chinese counterpart Xie Xuren met Saturday in Tokyo to discuss measures to accelerate cooperation between the two biggest economies in Asia in such areas as...
View ArticleBaseball: Japan's new ace? The search is on
On the side of the Nippon Ham Fighters' spring training bullpen reserved for fan viewing, onlookers clutching cellphones, video cameras and even children jockeyed to capture a glimpse of the pitcher...
View Article23 Japanese institutions to join education expo
Twenty-three Japanese universities and language schools will take part in the international education conference and exhibition to get under way April 17-20 at the Riyadh International Exhibition...
View ArticleJapan gets back its cherry blossom fever
Millions across Japan this week are flocking to the best spots for viewing cherry blossoms, in a tradition that last year was overshadowed by the natural disasters that struck the nation. The national...
View ArticleMizuho joins rush to tap Myanmar's emerging market
Mizuho Corporate Bank opened a representative office in Yangon on Friday, joining the legion of domestic companies seeking to tap into Myanmar as it moves toward democracy. Mizuho's move underlines the...
View ArticleNoda hoping Diet debate on sales tax hike will begin this month
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Saturday expressed hope that Diet deliberations on his proposed sales tax hike will begin this month, despite speculation the debate could be delayed until the end of...
View ArticleCrown Princess prone to fatigue
Crown Princess Masako's health could easily worsen due to fatigue, the head of the Crown Prince's household said, quoting a statement released by her medical team. The Crown Princess, 48, is "in a...
View ArticleJapan, China may bolster IMF funds to stem eurozone crisis
Tokyo and Beijing are considering ways to boost the IMF's resources to prevent Europe's sovereign debt crisis from dragging down the global economy, Finance Minister Jun Azumi said Saturday after talks...
View ArticleLack of strong ties spurs business of dying alone
Traditional Japanese culture celebrated its hermits - poets and enlightened ones who, awakened to the futility of worldly attachments, cast them off and retired to mountain huts to commune with the...
View ArticleJapan deploys missile defenses at 3 locations in Tokyo
Japan has deployed missile batteries in Tokyo and dispatched destroyers as North Korea makes final preparations for a rocket launch that could take place this week despite fierce condemnation from...
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