High levels of toxic chemicals were found in groundwater tests at a new facility scheduled to replace Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market -- the world's largest -- clouding the costly relocation plan, news reports said Saturday. The controversial project has been ... ( read original story ...)
Sapporo experience invaluable for Aussie athletes
SAPPORO 2017: Becoming accustomed to the atmosphere in an Olympic Village at the February Asian Winter Games will provide invaluable experience for emerging and seasoned athletes. Among the thirty athletes selected by the Australian Olympic Committee for ... ( read original story ...)
Nintendo Switch game console to launch in March
TOKYO - The Nintendo Switch video game console will sell for 29,980 yen (about $260) in Japan, starting March 3, the same date as its global rollout in the U.S. and Europe. The Japanese company promises the device will be packed with fun features of all ... ( read original story ...)
Tokyo governor urges golf venue to allow women members
The club situated in Saitama Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, also bars women from playing there on Sundays, according to a Kyodo news agency report. Last year, Muirfield golf club lost its place on the rotation of venues for the British Open after a ballot ... ( read original story ...)
Definitions of 'comfort women' reveal Japan-S. Korea divide
TOKYO – "Comfort women," used by the Japanese military used for sex, were present wherever the army invaded and occupied Asia countries from the early 1930s through the end of World War II. That aspect of wartime history was kept quiet until the early ... ( read original story ...)
Japan 'fish exorcist' ritual draws claims of animal abuse
Organisers acknowledged to the news site J-Cast that they had received several complaints from the public. The ceremony's defenders insisted it was part of Japan's cultural heritage, with one online comment complaining: "People are too uptight these days." ( read original story ...)
Japan drone delivers soup to surfers in test flight
FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN - A drone successfully delivered a bottle of hot soup to surfers in Japan on Thursday in a test of an unmanned flying vehicle traveling a preset route of more than 10 kilometres. Japan's Industry Ministry and the Fukushima prefectural ... ( read original story ...)
Japan to aid Manila 'war on drugs'
MANILA - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged a 1 trillion yen ($8.7 billion) aid package, including government aid and private investment in infrastructural development in the Philippines over the next five years, as Japan moves to strengthen ties ... ( read original story ...)
Japan watching closely for rapid yen rises – Ishihara
TOKYO The Japanese government is monitoring closely for rapid rises ... hit by a loss of confidence in the U.S. reflation trade a day after a news conference by President-elect Donald Trump. (Reporting by Minami Funakoshi; Editing by Chris Gallagher) ( read original story ...)
Japan gov't "highly praises" outgoing U.S. envoy Kennedy's work
... Okinawa Prefecture shoulders for hosting the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan. 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 ...)
Japan PM first foreign leader to visit Duterte s Philippines – Yahoo7
Manila (AFP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered support for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's controversial drug war on Thursday as the pair met in Manila for talks that also focused on territorial rows with China. Abe's two-day visit to the ... ( read original story ...)
Japan emperor: How abdication could usher in a calendar change
For the first time in two centuries a Japanese emperor may be about to abdicate. The huge change for Japan could also affect one aspect of everyday life - the calendar. Emperor Akihito, 83, has hinted he wants to stand down at the end of 2018, allowing ... ( read original story ...)
Former Sydney FC man Kazuyoshi Miura extends contract to play into his 50s with Yokohama FC
FORMER Japan striker Kazuyoshi Miura, who turns 50 next month, has renewed his contract with Yokohama FC, stretching his record as the oldest Japanese to play professional football. The forward, dubbed “King Kazu” by Japanese media and fans ... ( read original story ...)
Japan's Abe Starts 4-Nation Trip With Visit to Philippines
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived Thursday for a two-day visit to Manila as the Philippines has boosted ties with China while taking a hostile stance toward Tokyo's main ally the United States. The Philippines is Abe's first stop in a four-nation ... ( read original story ...)
Japanese PM touring Asia’s youngest, growing economies
SINGAPORE - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe begins a six-day tour of Asia-Pacific nations on Thursday that includes the region’s youngest and fastest-growing economies, seeking to strengthen ties as growth at home lags. The three Southeast Asian ... ( read original story ...)
Blizzard pounds northern Japan
A blizzard is battering wide areas of northern Japan, with weather authorities warning of avalanches, heavy snow, high waves and transport disruption. The winter storm has piled up 30 to 60 centimetres of snow on the northern island of Hokkaido and on the ... ( read original story ...)