What's in a $22 million 1 bedroom condo?
This might very well be the world's most expensive one-bedroom condo. The penthouse of the 10-story exclusive residence building "The House Minami-Azabu," located in the Tokyo district of the same...
View ArticleMr. Noda's taxing problem
One-on-one Diet debates between Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and opposition leaders held on April 11 primarily concerned Mr. Noda's plan to raise the consumption tax from April 2014. The prime...
View ArticleNuke majors in decline at universities
The number of students enrolled as nuclear energy majors at seven universities has fallen by 16 percent this year, a Kyodo News survey said Monday. Among universities offering undergraduate and...
View ArticleDPJ's Sengoku describes halt of all nuclear plants 'mass suicide'
Democratic Party of Japan policymaker Yoshito Sengoku created a stir Monday by describing the looming shutdown of all nuclear power plants in Japan as "mass suicide." "If we don't think about what the...
View ArticleTwitter to hire more Japan staff
Twitter Inc. will "aggressively" add sales staff in Japan to attract more advertisers as local user growth exceeds the company's global expansion, Chief Executive Officer Dick Costolo said. The...
View ArticleVideo shows minivan's wild ride
The minivan involved in a fatal accident Thursday in Kyoto's Gion entertainment district was videotaped passing other vehicles on a narrow road at high speed shortly before the crash. The footage,...
View ArticleWWII-era poison gas suit rejected by court
The Tokyo District Court rejected a lawsuit Monday filed by two Chinese who sued the government for injuries caused by a poisonous gas shell the Imperial Japanese Army left in China at the end of World...
View ArticleJapan's embassy in Kabul attacked in Taliban's 'spring offensive'
The Japanese embassy in Kabul came under attack Sunday as explosions and gunfire rocked the Afghan capital. Suicide bombers struck across Afghanistan in coordinated attacks claimed by Taliban...
View ArticleJapan says to provide $60 billion in loans to IMF
Finance Minister Jun Azumi said on Tuesday that Japan would provide $60 billion in loans to the IMF amid renewed concerns about Europe's debt woes, a move that it hopes will encourage other countries...
View ArticleTokyo governor plots to buy disputed islands
Tokyo's conservative governor said Monday that the metropolitan government has decided to purchase a group of islands in the East China Sea at the center of a bitter bilateral territorial dispute...
View ArticleJapanese hermit enjoys retirement - naked
A Japanese man is enjoying retirement, alone and in the buff. A remote desert island in western Japan is home for 76-year-old Masafumi Nagasaki. He's lived there by himself for 20 years. Nagasaki...
View ArticleBOJ chief watching risk of bank system impact from Europe
Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said on Monday he was continuing to monitor the risk that Europe's debt woes could affect Japan's banking system, just as renewed fears about the euro zone...
View ArticleUncertain future for Japan's cat cafes
For the young women whiling away their evenings with a cappuccino in hand and a cat on their lap, Tokyo's "neko cafes" are the ideal place to unwind and soothe their stresses. But for animal rights...
View ArticleNikkei ends little changed, Gree outperforms
Japanese shares steadied on Tuesday after the previous session's sharp losses, though social gaming firm Gree Inc jumped as an upbeat sector report from Bank of America Merrill Lynch forced investors...
View ArticleJapan's population suffers biggest recorded fall
Japan's population last year shrank at the fastest rate since comparable records began, government data showed Tuesday. The number of people in the world's third largest economy dropped by a record 0.2...
View ArticleVending machines seek image upgrade
Japan's ubiquitous vending machines took some abuse last year - not the pounding they might get when they fail to deliver goods that have been paid for - but verbal abuse. The machines were criticized...
View ArticleJapan's newest tower uses anti-quake technology
A Tokyo developer took visitors up the world's tallest freestanding broadcast structure on Tuesday, a 634-meter tower with special technology meant to withstand earthquakes that often strike Japan....
View ArticleChina decries Tokyo-hatched plan to buy disputed isles
Tokyo's controversial governor wants to use public funds to buy islands disputed between Japan and China, prompting Beijing to denounce the plan as illegal and reassert its sovereignty. The islands,...
View ArticleMake way for low-cost carriers
Low-cost carriers will likely occupy a prominent place in Japan's aviation industry from now on as major airlines enter the LCC market. Peach Aviation, in which All Nippon Airways has invested, started...
View ArticleAbduction issue even more muddled by rocket launch
North Korea's failed rocket launch last week once again put Japan in a tricky position over its policy toward the North, triggering concern that a stern posture will complicate efforts to move forward...
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