EU, Japan reach ‘political agreement’ on free-trade deal

One detail still to be ironed out in the coming months is how disputes arising from the treaty will be settled – a touchy subject in Europe due to concerns that such pacts give too much power to big business. The accord, EU and Japanese officials say ... ( read original story ...)

Japan looks to trigger sales of weaponry

Until a few years ago, the idea of an international arms fair in Japan would have struck many as ludicrous. Japanese troops have not fired a weapon in war since the nation’s once-powerful military was defanged by the US occupation in 1945. Japan’s ... ( read original story ...)

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake kills at least two in Philippines

TACLOBAN, PHILIPPINES – A strong earthquake damaged a power plant, caused landslides and cracked buildings and roads in the central Philippines, injuring scores of people and cutting off outlying villages. An east-central area of the archipelago was ... ( read original story ...)

NZ, US and Japanese scientists research earthquakes off Bay coast

Scientists have been researching earthquakes and tsunamis off the coast of Hawke's Bay as part of a national project. Scientists from New Zealand, United States of America and Japan have spent the last week gathering data from the seafloor off the coast of ... ( read original story ...)

‘Gloomy Japan’ highlights a loss of hope

Genda thinks the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, played a big part in recalibrating people’s views on what is important. If that’s true, it may be something good that has come from that disaster. Natural Selections covers issues related ... ( read original story ...)

Light earthquake, 4.2 mag strikes near Ryugasaki in Japan

A light earthquake magnitude 4.2 (ml/mb) strikes 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Ryugasaki in Japan on Monday. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 73.43 km (46 miles). All ids that are associated to the event: us20009pal. Unique identifier: us20009pal. ( read original story ...)

Why Did Montana Experience a Powerful Earthquake Last Night?

But it also rumbled in the Philippines. Come to think of it, it rumbled in Vanuatu and Japan too. The Earth rumbles a lot. Folks were especially surprised by the earthquake that registered a 5.8 on the Richter scale in Montana. Why? Well, we’re America ... ( read original story ...)

EU and Japan reach free trade deal

These are external links and will open in a new window The European Union and Japan have formally agreed an outline free-trade deal. The agreement paves the way for trading in goods without tariff barriers between two of the world's biggest economic areas. ( read original story ...)

Tennis-Japan’s Osaka enjoys winning Wimbledon debut

July 4 (Reuters) - Japan's Naomi Osaka made a winning start to her first Wimbledon campaign, beating Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-3 7-6(3) in the opening round at the All England Club on Monday. The world number 59 made her WTA main draw breakthrough in ... ( read original story ...)

Japan business confidence hits three-year high: BOJ tankan

The headline diffusion index (DI) measuring big manufacturers' sentiment stood at plus 17 in June, the Bank of Japan's quarterly "tankan" survey showed on Monday, improving from plus 12 in the previous survey in March. It exceeded a median market forecast ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo utility heads plead innocent

TOKYO -- Three former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Co. apologized in court Friday for the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, but pleaded innocent to charges of professional negligence. Tsunehisa Katsumata, the 77-year-old ex-chairman of the utility ... ( read original story ...)