Category: NEWS

Johanna Konta uses big words, according to Naomi Osaka, but the British number one had bigger shots too in her straight-sets win over the Japanese at the Australian Open. Osaka is widely considered a future star of the women's game, with her booming serve ... ( read original story ...)

IP-Watch is a non-profit independent news service, and subscribing to our service helps ... recently published its analysis about the public health implications of the Nagoya Protocol on genetic resources access and benefit-sharing, and in particular ... ( read original story ...)

A Japanese hotel chain has come under fire for its owner's claims that a World War Two massacre in the Chinese city of Nanjing did not take place. A book by Toshio Motoya, who owns APA Hotels, was found this week to be widely distributed in his outlets. ( read original story ...)

Japan coach Jamie Joseph wants to forget the country's astonishing 2015 World Cup run as he looks to create his own blueprint for the future. The former All Black had a baptism of fire after taking over the 'Brave Blossoms' last November and is under no ... ( read original story ...)

TOKYO - As more foreigners choose Japan as a holiday destination, the country's toilet manufacturers have joined forces to simplify the sometimes complicated business of washing and drying Japanese style. A 2014 survey found many foreigners have difficulty ... ( read original story ...)

Japan's toilet chiefs say they have come up with a plan to stop tourists getting their knickers in a twist over the country's mind-bogglingly high-tech loos. Under new guidelines, manufacturers will use the same eight pictograms to tell users which button ... ( read original story ...)

MELBOURNE, Australia - No.9 seed and Apia International Sydney champion Johanna Konta kept up her hopes of another deep run in Melbourne with a decisive 6-4, 6-2 win over Japan's Naomi Osaka to reach the third round of the Australian Open. Konta opened Day ... ( read original story ...)

Each December at the annual Yokohama Hot Rod & Custom Show. That it’s in Yokohama not Yorba Linda perhaps should not be surprising. For when Japanese wax nostalgic their imaginations often head out on a desert highway, into a mythical land they first ... ( read original story ...)

Japanese toilets are set to become easier to use, after manufacturers agreed to standardise the symbols on the control panels. Japan's hi-tech toilets famously include features such as lid and seat controls, flush strength, front and back bidets, and air ... ( read original story ...)

Extraordinary snow creations of famous anime characters have been appearing all over Japan after recent snowfalls. Less than a month before Sapporo's famous snow festival, amateur snow sculptors have been posting pictures of their creations on social media. ( read original story ...)

Caroline Kennedy is stepping down Wednesday after three years as U.S. ambassador to Japan, where she was welcomed like a celebrity and worked to deepen the U.S.-Japan relationship despite regular flare-ups over American military bases on the southern ... ( read original story ...)

The good news is that Osaka, although she admitted she was ‘very nervous’, felt no recurrence of the left-wrist pain of Auckland, which bodes well for an entertaining contest with Konta. The pair have met once before, in qualifying for the US Open in ... ( read original story ...)

Melbourne: Thailand's Luksika Kumkhum was edged out by Japanese Naomi Osaka in three thrilling sets in the first round of the Australian Open yesterday. The nineteen-year-old Japanese overcame losing the first-set to beat Luksika 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-5. ( read original story ...)

Tokyo 2020 organizers say they will review membership practices at the golf course selected for the Olympic Games following criticism that it does not allow women as full members. Founded in 1929, the Kasumigaseki Country Club is one of the oldest private ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo's legendary Tsukiji fish market, which supplies the city's finest sushi restaurants and the general public, is set to be closed down and moved to a bigger, more modern site. Toichiro Iida, a third-generation tuna wholesaler, explains how families ... ( read original story ...)

A Tokyo hospital director was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of defrauding a company executive after falsely diagnosing him with a sexually transmitted disease, police said. Michinari Hayashi, 69, head of Shinjuku Central Clinic, allegedly swindled about ¥ ... ( read original story ...)