The United States on Tuesday expressed concern over the spate of extrajudicial killings and detentions in the Philippines, which under President Rodrigo Duterte has undertaken a crackdown on drugs and criminality. Elizabeth Trudeau, director of the United States Department of State’s press office, said Washington urges the Philippines to follow legal and human rights principles in its efforts […]
The western Japanese city of Nagasaki commemorates the 71st anniversary of the atomic bombing on Tuesday.The city was hit August 9th, 1945 by an American bomber, 3 days after a similar attack on Hiroshima.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and representatives from 53 countries and territories are scheduled to attend a memorial ceremony that starts at 10:35AM.Participants […]
Emperor Akihito is likely to express his thoughts on his role in a video message Monday amid growing speculation that he is considering abdicating, sources said Thursday. The Imperial Household Agency is arranging for the 82-year-old emperor’s message to be made public Monday afternoon, the agency sources said, adding he is expected to read out […]
The transport ministry has launched a trial in Tokyo offering a lower starting taxi fare to confirm demand for short-distance rides.Forty taxis are taking part in the test through September 15th.The cabs are offering a lower starting fare of just 410 yen, or about four dollars, which covers a little more than one kilometer. An […]
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will begin a visit to the Philippines on August 10th. He wants to discuss with the country’s new president, Rodrigo Duterte, ways to cope with China’s claims in the South China Sea.Officials in both countries are arranging the first meeting between Kishida and Duterte. It has been decided that Kishida […]
The Philippines warned its citizens Wednesday (Aug 3) against illegally travelling to Japan in search of work, saying they risked being trafficked for sex or forced labour. Following offers of work, a number of Filipinos have travelled there on tourist visas but later found themselves in fake or forced marriages with Japanese citizens, Manila’s foreign […]
An 18-year-old schoolgirl was stabbed by a man as she was waiting for a train on a crowded platform at JR Sendai Station in Miyagi Prefecture on Thursday morning. According to police, the girl was stabbed in the back at around 7:30 a.m., Sankei Shimbun reported. She told police she didn’t feel anything at first […]
Two Japanese students left graffiti on a wall of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The cathedral is registered as a World Heritage site.Kanagawa University says 2 students did the misbehavior on June 30th during extracurricular activity. University staff later found a photo of the graffiti on Twitter. The university says the institution’s vice president and […]
A summer festival featuring enormous illuminated lantern floats is drawing many tourists in the northern Japanese city of Aomori.The annual Aomori Nebuta Festival began on Tuesday. It’s one of Japan’s most popular summer festivals.“Nebuta” refers to the giant floats that are decorated with the images of samurai warriors and mythical characters.Fifteen floats started parading along […]
The US military says North Korea launched two ballistic missiles on Wednesday morning. It says one of them exploded soon after launch and the other fell in Sea of Japan. It says the missiles were fired from the west of North Korea.Japan’s defense minister Gen Nakatani says one appears to have fallen into waters of […]
