Japan and the Philippines have agreed that Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force will lease up to 5 training aircraft to the Philippine military.The agreement came during telephone talks on Monday between Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.Regarding China’s increasing maritime activities in the South China Sea, Nakatani stressed the need to […]
People in the Philippines have one week to go before choosing the successor to outgoing President Benigno Aquino on May 9th.Four major contenders are seeking the office. Former interior secretary Manuel Roxas is backed by Aquino.Vice President Jejomar Binay once belonged to an opposition party. Grace Poe is an independent senator.And Mayor of Davao Rodrigo […]
Ayumi Ueda left 50 grams of kakuseizai and a syringe inside the toilet of a McDonald’s. The Osaka District Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges of drug trafficking against a 40-year-old woman who left a large quantity of illegal drugs inside a fast-food outlet, reports the Asahi Shimbun (April 30). On April 5, Ayumi Ueda left behind […]
The information center at the 5th station of Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji has opened, kicking off the 2016 tourist season. The center offers information in 7 languages.The Yamanashi prefectural government started operations at the center on Sunday. The 5th station on the Yoshidaguchi climbing route is now accessible by bus. More than 10 nature park […]
Villagers in the southern Philippines found a headless body on Wednesday, an army spokesman said, two days after the execution of a Canadian captive by Islamist militants, condemned as a “cold-blooded murder” by Canada’s prime minister. Security is precarious in the southern Philippines, despite a 2014 peace pact between the government and the largest Muslim […]
The Kyushu Shinkansen is now operating along its entire route after a 13-day suspension triggered by the earthquakes in southwestern Japan.A bullet train for Kagoshima Chuo station left Hakata station shortly past 2:30 PM on Wednesday. Officials with Kyushu Railway Company said service on Wednesday will be slower, with fewer trains, which will stop at […]
Japan’s Snoopy craze is about to hit fever-pitch with the opening of Snoopy Museum Tokyo in Roppongi on April 23rd. As announced last year, the venue features exclusive exhibits of Charles M. Schulz’s original drawings as well as a themed cafe and merchandise galore. Following on from successful pop-up cafes in Tokyo and down south in […]
The land ministry says seismic activity in Kyushu has triggered nearly 100 landslides in the quake-hit region.Ministry officials have assessed the situation through on-site inspections and by analyzing aerial photos. They say as of Monday Kumamoto Prefecture had the most landslides, with 69, and that Oita had suffered 14.The village of Minamiaso in Kumamoto has […]
Islamist militants in the Philippines have killed a Canadian man they had been holding hostage for months.The man has been identified by the Canadian government as John Ridsdel. Ridsdel was seized from a resort island off the city of Davao on Mindanao along with 2 other foreigners and a Filipino woman by the Abu Sayyaf […]
A pair of logos for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games has officially been chosen.Organizers for the Tokyo Games on Monday officially endorsed an indigo-and-white checkered circle logo for the Olympics and a basket-shaped logo for the Paralympics. The endorsement came after members of the logo selection panel met to choose the final designs […]
