Japan hotel operators turn historical buildings into trendy stays

OSAKA — Japanese hotel operators are rushing to develop new types of accommodations from historical buildings in the Kansai region in anticipation of more foreign tourists.

The Kansai region in western Japan, which includes Osaka, Kyoto and several other prefectures, is rich in…[Read more]

Japan Plans to Subtract ‘Blue Carbon’ from CO2 Emissions; Seaweed Said to Lock Up Carbon for Longer than Land Plants

The government plans to subtract “blue carbon” when calculating Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions for annual reporting to the United Nations from next fiscal year. Blue carbon is carbon dioxide absorbed and stored by seaweed a…[Read more]

‘Unexpected’ South Korea Court Decision in Favor of ‘Comfort Women’ Puts Damper on Improving Ties with Japan

In contrast to a recent pattern of reasonable judgments by the South Korean judiciary, the Seoul High Court on Thursday overturned a lower court ruling and ordered the Japanese government to pay compensation to former wartime comfort…[Read more]

Japan, Southeast Asian Countries to Hold 1st Online Talks to Combat Disinformation

Japan plans to hold its first online talks with Southeast Asian countries to discuss measures against disinformation on Monday, government sources said.

The talks are to strengthen cooperation with other countries as tackling disinformation has become an urgent…[Read more]

Japan space agency hit with cyberattack; rocket and satellite info not accessed

Japan’s space agency was hit with a cyberattack but the information the hackers accessed did not include anything important for rocket and satellite operations, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

“There was a possibility of unauthorized access by exploiting the…[Read more]

Daisaku Ikeda: Influential leader of Japan’s Soka Gakkai Buddhist group dies

Daisaku Ikeda, a former leader of Japan’s influential Buddhist group Soka Gakkai, has died at the age of 95.

Over decades Ikeda expanded the organisation’s international following and forged links with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

He died from natural…[Read more]

Japan begins trial sales of prescription-free morning-after pills

Japan has begun trial sales of morning-after pills without a prescription.

Under the pilot, the pill is set to be available at 145 pharmacies. Until now these had only been available at a clinic or pharmacy with a doctor’s prescription.

A public consultation by Japan’s health…[Read more]

US military aircraft with six aboard crashes off Japan island

apan’s NHK broadcaster said the CV-22 Osprey hybrid plane had been trying to land at Yakushima Airport with one engine on fire. There is no US comment.

Ospreys – which can function as a helicopter and a turboprop aircraft – have been involved in a string of fatal crashes over the…[Read more]

Foreign ministers of S Korea, China, Japan to meet on Sunday

The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan will meet for talks in South Korea on Sunday, South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Friday, as the three countries seek to hold their first leaders’ summit in four years.

The neighbors had agreed to hold a summit every year…[Read more]

Japan’s Sojitz buys Vietnam food wholesaler amid modernization push

HANOI — Japanese trading company Sojitz will purchase Dai Tan Viet, Vietnam’s largest wholesale distributor of food to businesses, Nikkei has learned, joining the rush of multinationals investing in a market primed for modernization and growth.

Sojitz intends to convert Dai Tan…[Read more]

Japan Gets New Island After Undersea Volcano Erupts

A new island has been discovered near the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Composed mostly of rock masses, it could continue to grow if volcanic activity persists.

A new island has formed after a volcanic eruption occurred approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 mi) offshore near Iwo Jima in the Ogasawara…[Read more]

Japan to ban cannabinoid HHCH from Dec 2 after gummies make many ill

A Japanese health ministry panel on Tuesday decided to ban HHCH, a synthetic cannabinoid, from Dec 2 after many people who consumed gummies containing the compound had to go to the hospital.

The panel will add hexahydrocannabihexol to the list of illicit drugs in Japan,…[Read more]

Toshiba shareholders OK stock consolidation; set for December delisting

Toshiba Corp’s shareholders approved a consolidation of the company’s shares at an extraordinary meeting Wednesday, paving the way for its delisting from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Dec 20 and marking the end of its 74-year history as a public company.

The move will allow a…[Read more]

Fast-Rising Number of Japanese Detained in China is an International Issue

A Japanese man in his fifties who was detained in China in the summer of 2019 on espionage charges was recently sentenced to twelve years in prison by a court in Hunan Province. Furthermore, earlier in 2023, a Japanese executive with Astellas Pharma, a major pharmaceutical…[Read more]

Security in the Pacific Islands Region Gets New Priority in the US and G7

Global geopolitics surrounding the Pacific Islands is heating up once again. United States President Joe Biden hosted the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders at the White House in September 2023. It was the second US-PIF Summit in Washington DC.

There, the leaders jointly…[Read more]

Israel kills 7 more Palestinians as West Bank death toll hits 255

At least seven Palestinians were killed Wednesday by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, taking the death toll there since Oct. 7 to 225, according to the Health Ministry

A ministry statement said the bodies of six slain Palestinians were taken to Tulkarm Hospital in the…[Read more]

Tokyo’s busiest train line to be partially shut down this weekend as part of Shibuya renovations

here’s no more convenient way to get around downtown Tokyo than the Yamanote Line. Operated by East Japan Railway, the Yamanote is a loop line the encircles the center of the city, with trains leaving once every few minutes to carry passengers to the…[Read more]

Kishida invited by Biden for state visit in early 2024

apanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday he has been invited by U.S. President Joe Biden to make a state visit early next year, an announcement made as the two countries step up cooperation bilaterally and trilaterally with South Korea in the face of increasing security challenges…[Read more]

China, Japan reaffirm strategic relationship in rare leader talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida committed to pursuing mutually-beneficial relations in their first face-to-face talks in a year, a sign that Asia’s two largest economies are looking to patch up strained ties.

The two leaders also discussed…[Read more]

Japan panel proposes child care plan covering 100% of income

In the hope of encouraging more fathers to take paternity leave, a health ministry panel on Monday proposed a plan to increase child care leave allowance so that it covers 100% of income — up from around 80% — if both parents each take 14 days of leave or more.
When working parents tak…[Read more]