Category: NEWS

A fire engulfed about 140 houses, shops and other buildings in a Japanese coastal city northwest of Tokyo on Thursday, with early reports of just two people suffering injuries. The military was called in to help battle the blaze which started mid-morning ... ( read original story ...)

TOKYO -- A restaurant fire whipped by high winds spread to at least 140 buildings Thursday in a small Japanese city on the Japan Sea coast. The blaze started in the morning at a ramen shop in Itoigawa city, Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. ( read original story ...)

TOKYO — Japan and the U.S. marked a partial return of the land used by American troops to Okinawa in a ceremony Thursday on the southern island, but there was no sign the move was helping to lessen protests against the island's heavy U.S. military presence. ( read original story ...)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet has approved a ... promoting reform of medical and elderly care," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. A total of 5.98 trillion yen is earmarked for public and other works, such as ... ( read original story ...)

A fire whipped up by strong winds has burnt about 140 buildings in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan. Police said one person was taken to hospital after inhaling smoke. ( read original story ...)

Japanese media reported on Thursday. The total number of births is expected to be between 980,000 and 990,000 this year, reports in the Nikkei business daily and the Kyodo news agency said, down from slightly more than 1 million last year. Kyodo cited ... ( read original story ...)

The annual number of babies born in Japan slipped below 1 million in 2016 for the first time since records began, with the estimated figure for the year coming in at 981,000, according to government figures released Thursday. The number dropped an ... ( read original story ...)

The latest statistics were reported by Kyodo news agency based on unidentified government sources. The number of women in their twenties in Japan is falling Credit: Reuters Among the key factors in the falling number of births is the shrinking population ... ( read original story ...)

Founder of Ice Driving Canada named Yokohama’s brand ambassador. Professional racing driver, and long-time driving instructor, Jean-Sebastien Sauriol will be representing Yokohama Canada as a brand ambassador. “We are excited for the opportunity to ... ( read original story ...)

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics estimate the total cost of hosting the 2020 Games will be between 1.6 and 1.8 trillion yen ($13-$15 billion). The official cost estimate announced Wednesday was below the promised 2 trillion ($17 billion) cap, while ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo won hosting rights largely on its reputation for efficiency Tokyo 2020 organisers unveiled on Wednesday a budget of $16.8 billion for hosting the next Summer Games and vowed to seek further savings in co-operation with the International Olympic ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo Olympic organizers will present their first official cost estimate for the 2020 Games at a level slightly below their promised 2 trillion ($17 billion) cap, Japanese media said Wednesday. Organizers are expected to present an estimated total of 1.6 ... ( read original story ...)

"Japan would have to take a lead and make a real concerted private, as well as public, effort to engage early and strongly and kind of become the spokesman for the expansion group," Shirin Tahir-Kheli told Kyodo News in a recent interview at her ... ( read original story ...)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully launched a new satellite that will study the Earth's inner magnetosphere by passing through the Van Allen radiation belts. Dubbed as "Arase," the new Exploration of Energizing and Radiation in ... ( read original story ...)

Japan has decided to shut down an experimental fast-breeder nuclear reactor that drained government finances for years without living up to hopes it would be a savior for the resource-poor country's energy needs. Government ministers decided Wednesday to ... ( read original story ...)

The Japanese government formally decided Wednesday to decommission ... To have fuller access to the Kyodo News website, it is necessary to subscribe. We offer a broad range of subscription options depending on your needs. Learn more. ( read original story ...)