Children from one of the Philippines’ worst slums have appeared on a Japanese catwalk at special fashion shows in their country to inspire themselves to strive for a better life. Junior student Ayumi Nishigawa of Kobe College leads a group effort to stage the shows with the aim of empowering the underprivileged children, enabling them […]
An armed man dressed as a woman robbed a pedestrian on a street in the city of Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, but returned some of her cash before fleeing the scene, police said. According to police, the incident occurred shortly after 12 a.m. on Sunday. A man dressed as a woman approached a 31-year-old woman walking […]
All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co. will scrap fuel surcharges for their international flights from April to reflect the plummeting cost of jet fuel. The last time the two airlines removed surcharges was in September 2009. Travel agencies welcome the move as the number of Japanese traveling overseas has been shrinking. “It will […]
Police in Toda, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a 71-year-old woman on suspicion of setting her son’s room on fire. Eiko Sasaki is suspected of setting fire to her son’s room at around 9 a.m. Sunday, Sankei Shimbun reported. The fire spread and destroyed the 50-square-meter apartment. According to police, Sasaki has admitted to the charge […]
Takashi Shimazu allegedly choked a woman he met via a deai-kei service and robbed her of 200,000 yen. Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 39-year-old man for assaulting and robbing a female prostitute inside a hotel in Shibuya Ward last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 9). At approximately 5:30 p.m. on November 29, Takashi Shimazu is alleged […]
The Japanese government has decided to withdraw its request that UNESCO register a group of churches and other Christian places as a World Cultural Heritage site. The Cabinet approved the decision on Tuesday after UNESCO’s advisory body asked Japan to review the content of the nomination for the sites. The International Council on Monuments and […]
Japanese government data show that the average monthly salary in 2015 grew from a year earlier, but real wages adjusted for inflation actually fell for a 4th straight year. Labor ministry officials say the average worker earned about 2,700 dollars a month last year. That was the 2nd year it increased. And it was up […]
The Lower House of Japan’s Diet has unanimously adopted a resolution protesting North Korea’s recent rocket launch. The resolution adopted on Tuesday says the North launched what it calls a satellite-carrying rocket on Sunday, despite international calls for restraint. It calls the act a grave challenge that badly damages peace and safety in the region […]
Third-year students at state-run and other public middle schools fall short of the levels in all four English-language skills. Third-year students at state-run and other public middle schools fall short of the levels in all four English-language skills cited by the education ministry as targets, based on the yardsticks used in the practical English proficiency […]
More foreign travelers are passing through Narita Airport near Tokyo, a major gateway to Japan. Their numbers reached about 1.25 million for the first time last year. The airport’s operator says that’s up 23 percent from the previous year and a record high for the second consecutive year. The operator attributes the growth to the […]
