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Doctors, dentists sue Google for keeping reviews they say are unfair
A group of doctors and dentists in Japan on Thursday filed a lawsuit seeking a total of about 1.4 million yen in damages from Google LLC for keeping what they say are unfair reviews posted on its navigation app. The plaintiffs, made up of 63 professionals in the health care… Read
Japan court denies salmon fishing rights to Ainu people
A court in Japan dismissed a bid by Ainu Indigenous people to reclaim rights over river fishing for salmon, an official said Thursday. It was the first court decision on Indigenous rights related to Ainu people, who traditionally lived in what is now northern Japan as well as in territory… Read
Court orders compensation to 26 unrecognized Minamata victims
A Japanese district court on Thursday ordered a chemical maker to pay 4 million yen each to 26 unrecognized sufferers of the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease, while dismissing claims against the Japanese government. The Niigata District Court recognized that 26 of the 47 plaintiffs in the lawsuit, who were not eligible… Read
M6.6 quake in western Japan leaves at least 12 injured
At least 12 people were injured following a magnitude-6.6 earthquake that struck a wide area of western Japan the previous night, authorities said Thursday. The quake at 11:14 p.m. Wednesday registered lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Ainan, Ehime Prefecture, and Sukumo, Kochi Prefecture, both… Read
Japan records best-ever monthly visitor numbers in March
More than three million foreigners visited Japan in March, a record for a single month, government data showed Wednesday in a major boost for its tourism sector. The total of 3.08 million represented an increase of 69.5 percent from March 2023 and a 11.6-percent gain compared to March 2019 before… Read
Japan opposition party to propose using BOJ's ETF dividends for child care
Japan's biggest opposition party is set to propose the government taps dividend income from exchange-traded funds (ETF) owned by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to help fund a planned $23 billion child care support package. The proposal, to be submitted to the parliament by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan… Read
M6.4 quake jolts Ehime, Kochi prefectures
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning. The epicenter was the Bungo Channel, a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, the agency said. Ehime and Kochi prefectures were hit by… Read
3-year-old girl falls to her death from balcony of high-rise apartment in Hiroshima
A three-year-old girl died after apparently falling from the balcony of a high-rise apartment where she lived with her family in Hiroshima on Tuesday. An apartment resident called 119 at around 6 p.m. and said that a child was lying on the ground in front of the 53-floor building, broadcaster… Read
Bears designated as animal subject to subsidized culling in Japan
The Japanese government on Tuesday added bears to the list of animals that can be culled with the help of government subsidies, after a record number of attacks was reported in the country. The Environment Ministry's panel of experts urged local governments in February to create clear zoning of land… Read
Snake found on bullet train at Tokyo Station, causing brief delay
A snake about 40 centimeters long was found on a shinkansen bullet train after it had arrived at Tokyo Station on Tuesday afternoon, causing a brief delay in the service. The snake was seen by a passenger on a Tokaido Shinkansen Line's Kodama train that had departed Nagoya in central… Read
