National
Tour brings foreigners to areas devastated by nuclear accident
There is growing interest among foreign tourists for a tour in English to former evacuation zones in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima where a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 triggered a nuclear disaster. "More people are becoming interested in going on the tour that can deepen their… Read
Spring decorations announcement to be pushed back due to imperial succession
The government will delay the customary announcement on April 29 of recipients of spring decorations conferred by the emperor until after Crown Prince Naruhito's ascension to the imperial throne on May 1, a government source said. It will be the first time for a biannual announcement of recipients to be… Read
Interpreter under fire after calling African runners 'chimpanzees'
An interpreter in a recent international marathon race in Japan has come under fire after she called runners from African countries "chimpanzees" in a blog post. The interpreter who is in her 50s apologized for choosing the words in a careless manner and closed the online post, the organizers of… Read
Japanese couples increasingly begin to arrange prenuptial agreements
An age-old practice fairly common in many Western countries is now gaining a foothold in Japan, with more and more people insisting on drawing up prenuptial agreements to ensure they are protected should their marriage end badly. In Japan, formalizing the do's and don'ts of married life or how assets… Read
Memories of Fukushima crisis rapidly fading, warn civic groups
The memories of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster have been rapidly fading in Japan, making it difficult to grasp what is actually happening in the area, civic groups warn. Almost eight years after the massive earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan that triggered the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power… Read
Cabinet OKs limiting health insurance coverage to Japan residents
The cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a bill Friday that will make the country's health insurance program for employees applicable only to workers and their dependents residing in the country to prevent abuse by people living overseas. Japan is seeking to revise the system as it prepares to… Read
Bullet train ticket machines crash across Japan
Ticket machines crashed at some stations on shinkansen bullet train lines across Japan on Friday, due to a technical glitch. The machines went down in the morning at stations including Shin-Yokohama near Tokyo, and Nagoya, with Railway Information Systems Co saying problems occurred after a system upgrade. The company, founded… Read
Russian nuclear-capable bombers fly over Sea of Japan
Nuclear-capable Russian bombers carried out a training flight over the Sea of Japan, prompting Tokyo to scramble air force planes to intercept them, the Interfax news agency cited the Russian defense ministry as saying on Friday. Japanese fighter jets accompanied the Russian bombers for parts of their more than 15-hour… Read
¥100 mil in old banknotes donated to Ehime prefectural gov't
An anonymous donation of around 100 million yen in old banknotes has been delivered to the Ehime prefectural government in western Japan. The prefectural government intends to use the money to finance rebuilding from last summer's heavy rain in the region, Gov Tokihiro Nakamura said at a press conference on… Read
Activists file suit to stop dolphin hunting in Japan
Environmental campaigners have filed an unprecedented lawsuit in a bid to halt the so-called "drive hunting" of dolphins in Japan, arguing the practice is cruel and illegal. In drive hunting, fishermen force dolphins into a cove by beating on boats to disorient them. The panicked animals often get tangled in… Read
