Shimokobe accepts govt request to become TEPCO chairman
Kazuhiko Shimokobe, a key official at a public-private fund supporting Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s nuclear compensation payments, on Thursday accepted the government's request for him to become the...
View ArticleHomeowner ordered to remove solar panels
The Yokohama District Court has ordered a homeowner and builder to remove 12 solar panels from a house and pay 220,000 yen in compensation to two neighbors who said light reflecting from the panels...
View ArticleDon't eat that - it's my phone
If you see a lump of rice surmounted by a piece of salmon, topped off with a piece of seaweed, on your co-worker's desk, you should resist the urge to eat it. Likewise, a deep-fried pork cutlet...
View ArticleSoccer: Which direction is Japan soccer going?
Argentine great Osvaldo "Ossie" Ardiles urged J-League clubs to spend big to lure the "very, very best" - even Barcelona's Lionel Messi - and warned they were now losing out to deep-pocketed China....
View ArticleJapan flexing its military muscle
Japan is building its military muscle to play a bigger role in Asia and the rest of the world, and it is making its military might more visible. Japan changed its defense policy last December to allow...
View ArticleS. Korea denies Japan PM's letter includes 'comfort women' issue
South Korea's presidential office denied a news report Friday that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda mentioned the issue of Korean women sexually enslaved by Japan during World War II in a letter...
View ArticleNikkei dips, down for third straight week
aight week of losses a fter a Spanish bond auction failed to extinguish fears of a rerun of the euro zone debt crisis, though a softer yen offered some support. The Nikkei closed 0.3 percent lower at...
View ArticleJapan stocks, a hedge against slowing China: Analyst
Japan's stock market has had a record first quarter with the benchmark Nikkei up 13% year to date, and one analyst expects the bull run to continue as Japanese equities provide a good hedge against a...
View ArticleAt least one dead in Japan as bears go on rampage
At least one woman was thought to have died and another was missing after bears escaped from their enclosures in a park in northern Japan, police said Friday, as they struggled to contain the...
View Article'Lesbian' Japan pop group ad slammed
A commercial showing members of wildly popular all-girl band AKB48 passing bite-sized candies seductively from mouth-to-mouth is under fire in Japan for encouraging homosexuality. The advertisement,...
View ArticleThe Japanese debt crisis (part 2): When does Japan cross the event horizon?
The economic consequences of Japan's aging population are just beginning to manifest themselves, and dissaving - the act of spending down your life savings - isn't the only problem that arises. Social...
View ArticleMan tries to eat 1,050-bacon-strip Whopper
A Whopper burger garnished with 1,050 bacon strips has defeated an ambitious diner who took advantage of a new Burger King promotion. Burger King Japan is currently offering customers the chance to add...
View ArticleReports say Japan to station troops on Tinian
Japanese media reported yesterday that the Japanese government is planning to station its own self-defense forces on Tinian where two-thirds of lands are already leased by the U.S. Department of...
View ArticleA risky game over Japan's disputed islands
Whether it's a genuine attempt to steer Japan's foreign policy or a clever ploy to annoy political leaders in both Japan and China, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's plan to buy three disputed islands in...
View ArticleNew Olympus picks defeat protests
Olympus Corp. won approval Friday to appoint new management, including Yasukuki Kimoto as chief executive officer and Hiroyuki Sasa as president, despite opposition from foreign shareholders. (Japan...
View ArticleNorth sees Japanese wives as leverage
North Korea appears to be considering using home visits by Japanese women who moved to the isolated state with their Korean husbands in a 1959-1984 repatriation project as leverage to improve relations...
View ArticleInactivated polio vaccines to get OK
Health minister Yoko Komiyama said Friday the ministry will approve inactivated polio vaccines shortly so they can be prepared in September for immunizations. A ministry panel Thursday recommended...
View Article2channel's chief said slow to delete inappropriate posts
The administrator of 2channel, an online bulletin board, is reluctant to delete "problematic" postings, according to a man who helped monitor the site. The administrator, whose name was not released,...
View Article81 lawmakers visit Yasukuni ahead of festival
A total of 81 Diet members visited Yasukuni Shrine on Friday, one day before the controversial Tokyo institution starts its annual Reitaisai spring festival. One participant, Takashi Morita of Kokumin...
View ArticleJapan pledges $7.4 billion aid to Mekong nations
Japan pledged 600 billion yen ($7.4 billion) in development aid to support infrastructure projects in five Southeast Asian nations that share the Mekong River. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who met...
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