Kansai Electric Power Company plans to restart on Friday one reactor at the Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture along the Sea of Japan coast. The plant will be the 2nd one to resume operation since all nuclear stations in Japan went offline following the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in 2011. The utility informed Japan’s […]
The Japanese government has approved a new plan to strengthen its cybersecurity. Members of the government’s Cybersecurity Strategic Headquarters met at the prime minister’s office on Monday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who chairs the headquarters, stressed the need to strengthen Japan’s measures against cyber-attacks ahead of the Ise-Shima G-7 summit in May and the […]
A cold snap has brought snow and record-low temperatures to several locations across western Japan. The meteorological agency says about 1.8 meters of snow has accumulated in Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, and nearly 1.5 meters in Kitahiroshima Town, Hiroshima Prefecture. The southwestern regions of Kyushu and Shikoku also experienced rare accumulations of snow. Nagasaki City […]
Japan’s Emperor Akihito travels to the Philippines this week to visit World War II memorials, his latest pacifist pilgrimage which appears increasingly at odds with the government’s rightward drift. Akihito, 82, has made honoring Japanese and non-Japanese who died in the conflict a touchstone of his near three-decade reign—known as Heisei, or “achieving peace”—and now […]
A recent survey by National Institute of Infectious Diseases shows that a total of 66 people suffered from an unidentified paralysis between Aug. 1 and Dec. 3 last year, Asahi Shimbun daily said on Wednesday. The survey, released on Tuesday, was conducted after a series of reports last summer that children showed symptoms of paralyses […]
Filipino protesters plan a second trip to disputed islands in the South China Sea, this time staying a month, a spokeswoman said on Thursday, after China flew a planeload of tourists to an artificial island it has built in the area. China claims almost the entire energy-rich South China Sea, where about $5 trillion worth […]
Would you like chocolate fries with that? McDonald’s Japan said Tuesday that it will offer French fries with chocolate sauces as a topping, dubbed the McChoco Potato, beginning Jan. 26. The company has offered a variety of toppings for fries, including cheese sauce and bacon, but this is the first time that they provide a […]
The Liberal Democratic Party has decided not to seek passage of a bill to legalize casino operations during this Diet session because coalition partner Komeito remains cautious on gambling. The LDP appears to be eager to avoid a conflict with Komeito, backed by the Buddhist lay group Soka Gakkai, ahead of the Upper House election […]
A man in his 30s attempting to evade a groping accusation suffered severe injuries after he leaped from a train platform and was hit by a train at JR Shimbashi Station, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 20). Prior to 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the man allegedly fondled the body of a woman in her 20s inside a car of the JR Tokaido Line. […]
The news that the Japanese pop group SMAP will stay together has been widely reported outside Japan. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency noted that the group’s possible breakup was far more than celebrity news, and it rocked Japanese society for a week. Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that SMAP has avoided splitting up, and noted […]
