Bare cheek as Japan men strip off for naked festival

Okayama, Japan: With only a skimpy loincloth to protect their modesty, thousands of men brave freezing temperatures to fight for lucky charms thrown by a priest at Japan’s annual Naked Man Festival. A writhing mass of sweaty worshippers wrestled for ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo Steel keeps product prices unchanged for March delivery

"We have decided to maintain prices for March so that local market prices would come in line with our revised prices," Tokyo Steel's managing director Kiyoshi Imamura told a news conference on Monday. "Export demand is improving as China reduces its ... ( read original story ...)

Tokyo stocks retreat in morning as firm yen dents exporters

TOKYO, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks retreated Monday morning as the Japanese yen's strength against the U.S dollar hurt exporters and dragged down the broader market. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average shed 27.32 points, or 0.14 percent, from Friday to ... ( read original story ...)

Nagoya junior high trio hold cancer event to share concerns

The first event, called cancer philosophy cafe, was held on Feb. 11 at a medical facility in Mizuho Ward in Nagoya and the three students plan to hold the gathering once every three months. The event was organized by 14-year-old cancer patient Kodai ... ( read original story ...)

Yokohama to Introduce New OTR Tire

The MYX S01 will be part of the company’s range of OTR and commercial tire offerings at ConExpo. Yokohama will be rolling out a new off-the-road (OTR) radial all-weather tire – the MYX S01 – at ConExpo in Las Vegas, March 7-11. In total, the company ... ( read original story ...)

Asian Games: Largest Asian Winter Games open in Sapporo

"I declare open the eighth Asian Winter Games which are being held in Sapporo and Obihiro," the crown prince said of the games, which will run until next Sunday. Australia and New Zealand are attending as non-medal participants in their Asian Winter Games ... ( read original story ...)

Japan’s buckling health care system at a crossroads

The inauguration last month of Donald Trump as U.S. president and his plan to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare,” has left many people here wondering: How does Japan compare? In Japan, health care has long been likened to air and ... ( read original story ...)