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Former women's empowerment minister Noda to run for LDP leadership
Japan's former women's empowerment minister Seiko Noda announced her last-minute run for leadership of the ruling party on Thursday, the day before campaigning begins. The winner of the Sept 29 vote will become prime minister days later and lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) into a general election by late… Read
Japan's top COVID-19 adviser says peak of 5th wave over
Japan's top COVID-19 adviser Shigeru Omi said Thursday that the peak of the fifth coronavirus wave has largely passed, but warned that a close eye must still be kept on the country's overburdened medical system. Speaking to the House of Councillors' health committee, Omi attributed the downtrend in infections to… Read
Bumpy road as aging Japan bets on self-driving cars
With an aging population in need of transport, Japan is betting on autonomous cars, but an accident involving a self-driving showcase at the Paralympics illustrates the challenges ahead. Japan is far from the only place with autonomous vehicles on the roads, but its government has set acceleration of the technology… Read
Google launches News Showcase in Japan; to pay fees to 40 publishers
Google LLC expanded its News Showcase service to Japan on Thursday, enabling users to view headlines from more than 40 Japanese newspapers and news agencies that each collect a license fee from the tech giant. Unlike news content that appears through Google searches, the service allows news organizations to curate… Read
Biden angers France, EU with new Australia-UK initiative
U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to form a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain to counter China is angering France and the European Union. They're feeling left out and seeing it as a return to the Trump era. The security initiative, unveiled this week, appears to have brought Biden’s summer… Read
Angels' Ohtani has sore arm, may not pitch again this season
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch Friday for the Los Angeles Angels because of a sore right arm that could sideline him as a pitcher for the rest of the season. “If there’s any kind of lingering soreness, you may not see him pitch,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said prior… Read
Southwestern Japan volcano erupts
A volcano on a southwestern Japan island erupted early Friday, sending large rocks almost 1 kilometer from the crater and prompting the weather agency to raise its alert by one level to restrict entry into the area surrounding the mountain. The eruption occurred at the crater of Mt Otake on… Read
China submits application to join TPP free trade deal
China has submitted an application to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal, the Commerce Ministry said Thursday, in a move that would have a significant impact on trade in the Asia-Pacific region. But it remains uncertain whether China will be allowed to join the free trade… Read
Akihabara’s landmark 'meat building' being sold as pandemic continues to hit neighborhood hard
It’d be an understatement to say the last year and a half has been difficult for Akihabara. Over the past decade, the neighborhood has become one of Tokyo’s prime tourism destinations, not only for hardcore fans of anime and video games coming to fill their suitcases with treasures from its specialty… Read
Man arrested for smuggling gun parts from U.S.
Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 30-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of violating the Sword and Firearms Control Law after he imported gun parts from the United States to Japan. According to police, Yuhei Ito, who lives in Nagoya, imported parts for a firearm from the U.S. to Yokohama by… Read
