Tag Archives: Japan

Japan has hanged a Chinese man for the high-profile and brutal murder of a family of four, the first execution of a foreigner in 10 years. The man, Wei Wei, carried out the murders in 2003 with two accomplices. They fled to China, where one was executed in 2005 and …

Japan’s broadcaster NHK reported a missile launch from North Korea, stating the projectile was estimated to have fallen some 2,000 km off Hokkaido’s coast. The news, however, was retracted shortly afterward. The erroneous report of the missile launch was issued by Japan’s national broadcaster late on Thursday. A few minutes …

A lawmaker from Japan’s governing party has been arrested on suspicion of receiving 3.7m yen ($34,000) in bribes from a gambling operator. As a member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet until October, Tsukasa Akimoto oversaw the government’s plan to introduce casinos. The 48-year-old denies wrongdoing and says he never …

China, Japan, and South Korea have agreed to work together to promote dialogue between the United States and North Korea, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday following a summit between the three countries in China. North Korea has set a year-end deadline for the United States to change …

The number of babies born in Japan fell an estimated 5.9% this year to fewer than 900,000 for the first time since the government started compiling data in 1899, the welfare ministry said on Tuesday. The dwindling number of births will put more strain welfare finances to support snowballing costs …

Japan seized the last event of its G20 presidency on Friday to reject a South Korean warning about radiation from the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant as a dispute between the neighbors threatened to overshadow the meetings. Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) nations gathered in the central Japanese …

The death toll from torrential rains that caused flooding and mudslides in Japan climbed to 10 on Saturday, with three others missing, public broadcaster NHK reported, just two weeks after the region was hit by a powerful typhoon. Landslides ripped through waterlogged areas in Chiba and Fukushima prefectures, in eastern …

Japan has deployed tens of thousands of troops and rescue workers after one of the strongest storms in years hit, killing at least 23 people. Typhoon Hagibis made landfall south of Tokyo on Saturday, moving north and bringing severe flooding. Seventeen people are missing from the storm, public broadcaster NHK …

A powerful typhoon in the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on Saturday caused power outages for more than 15,000 homes and delayed hundreds of flights. Typhoon Tabah, with strong winds of up to 180 kph, is heading north and is expected to continue its advance across the sea separating South …

Hundreds of thousands of students, office workers, and other protesters took to the streets around the world on Friday to demand global leaders gathering for a U.N. climate summit take urgent action to avert an environmental catastrophe. The global climate strike kicked off in the Pacific islands – some of …

Call it a shocking discovery: DNA research has revealed two entirely new species of electric eel in the Amazon basin, including one capable of delivering a record-breaking jolt. The findings are evidence, researchers say, of the incredible diversity in the Amazon rainforest — much of it still unknown to science …

Japan’s environment minister says contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant may have to be released into the ocean because storage space will run out in 2022. More than a million tonnes of water that has been used to cool melted reactors is kept in giant tanks. Fisherman’s groups are …

A powerful typhoon that battered Tokyo overnight with record winds has killed two people, police say, as canceled trains caused commuter chaos and more than 100 flights were scrapped, leaving thousands stranded at the airport. Typhoon Faxai, packing winds of up to 207 kilometers (129 miles) per hour, made landfall …

Air and ground transport in Tokyo has come to a standstill as Japan braces for Typhoon Faxai, with heavy rain expected to drench the capital in the coming hours. Japan Airlines canceled 20 flights to and from Tokyo’s two airports on Sunday and warned of more cancellations and delays. Inbound …

The Japanese military has sought a hike in its annual budget for the eighth consecutive year in a bid to fund the purchase of US-built stealth jet fighters, interceptor missiles and other military hardware to face perceived threats from China and North Korea. Tokyo’s defense ministry budget proposal — unveiled …

Torrential rain-triggered floods and landslides in Japan on Wednesday, killing at least two people and prompting authorities to order more than 900,000 people to leave their homes while another million were advised to move to safety. More than twice the usual rainfall for the whole of August has fallen over …

Mount Asama is sending a column of smoke and fire up to the sky as the Japan Meteorological Agency has issued warnings to the public to maintain a safe distance from the volcano. Smoke spewed from the crater of the volcano, reaching an altitude of about 1,800 meters. A level …

Fifty-seven people have died and more than 18,000 have sought hospital treatment since July 29, when Japan was blanketed by an extreme and unrelenting heatwave. The government announced the startling figures on Tuesday, revealing that the number of people hospitalized has tripled from the previous week. Those aged 65 and …

South Korea says its jets fired warning shots at a Russian surveillance plane that entered its airspace on Tuesday. Officials said the plane twice violated the airspace over the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islands, which are occupied by South Korea but also claimed by Japan. South Korea’s Ministry of Defence said it …

Instagram started hiding “likes” on its platform in Australia, Brazil, and several other major markets Thursday, saying it wanted to ease pressure on users, following criticism about its impacts on mental health. The Facebook-owned social media giant’s trial changes mean users in the six countries will no longer be able …