National
Elementary school boy drowns during swimming class in western Japan
A fourth grade boy attending an elementary school in western Japan drowned while taking a swimming class, a local education board said Saturday. The boy was taking a class shortly before 11 a.m. Friday at a swimming pool in a nearby junior high school as his elementary school's swimming pool… Read
Japan MSDF chief eyeing resignation over mishandling of info
The chief of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is considering resigning following the mishandling of classified information by personnel on several destroyers, a government source said Saturday. Adm. Ryo Sakai, chief of staff of the MSDF, has expressed his intention to take responsibility, with the Defense Ministry planning to punish… Read
Inflexible rules, miscommunication at root of automakers' test woes
Rather than revealing fraud and intentional deception, the latest test scandal to strike Japan's automakers has instead shown the rules governing the process are not fit for purpose, leaving Japan Inc. to suffer an entirely self-inflicted PR disaster. Regulators said Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Mazda Motor Corp., Suzuki… Read
Japan intercepts Taiwan boat suspected of illegal fishing
A Taiwanese fishing vessel was intercepted by Japanese authorities in the early hours of Friday on suspicion of illegally operating in waters near Amami-Oshima Island in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima, according to Taiwan's coast guard. It said the Fu Yang No. 266, registered in Taiwan's northern port city of… Read
Japan's household spending falls 1.8% in May on higher prices
Japan's household spending in May dropped a real 1.8 percent from a year earlier, the first decline in two months, as rising prices prompted people to cut back on food outlays and a weak yen discouraged travel abroad, government data showed Friday. Average spending by households with two or more… Read
Record 19,000 people with dementia reported missing in Japan in 2023
The number of dementia sufferers or those suspected to have the disease who were reported missing in Japan reached a record 19,039 in 2023, up 330 from the previous year amid the rapidly aging population, police data shows. The figure has increased each year since first being compiled in 2012.… Read
'Fashion power': Zarny, the Myanmar refugee turned Tokyo designer
Having fled Myanmar for Japan with his parents as a child, Shibuya Zarny began his fashion career as a model in Tokyo and went on to make clothes for royalty. "Fashion is an art that has enabled me to survive," the designer, whose label recently held a 10-year anniversary show… Read
Japan court orders gov't to admit gay man as refugee over persecution
A Japanese court ordered Thursday the government to grant refugee status to a gay man from a North African country who is seeking asylum from persecution, ruling against immigration authorities. The man in his 30s came to Japan in December 2019, leaving his home country, where having a relationship with… Read
Japan envoy meets with Japanese executive detained in Myanmar
The Japanese ambassador to Myanmar on Thursday met with a Japanese executive of a local supermarket joint venture who has been detained for allegedly violating rules on the selling price of rice, the Japanese Embassy in Yangon said. Ambassador Ichiro Maruyama found Hiroshi Kasamatsu, 53, the merchandise division chief of… Read
Michelin Guide unveils Japan hotel ratings for 1st time
The Michelin Guide unveiled Thursday its ratings for hotels in Japan for the first time, with six facilities receiving the maximum three "keys," a designation similar to stars for restaurants. Among the six that received the highest rating for promising an "extraordinary stay" are Gora Kadan in the famous hot… Read
