Japan warned of more rain to come, especially in the southwest island of Kyushu, as rescue teams searched for people missing in landslides and residents grew weary of the continuing rain. Heavy rains lashed much of Japan over the weekend, submerging streets and triggering landslides that killed four people in …
Read More »Torrential rains lash wide areas of Japan, three feared dead after landslide
Torrential rain lashed much of Japan on Sunday, flooding roads and buildings in the western part of the country, while three people were feared dead after a landslide in central Nagano prefecture. Large parts of Japan, particularly the southernmost main island of Kyushu, have seen record levels of rainfall, causing …
Read More »One dead, two missing as torrential rains slam Japan, risk alerts broadened
One woman was dead and two people were missing on Saturday after torrential rains touched off a landslide and engulfed at least two houses in western Japan, with rivers overflowing their banks as the rain continued to pound the area. A wide swath of western Japan, particularly the southernmost main …
Read More »Ship sailing under Panama flag runs aground in northern Japan, splits in two
A Panamanian-registered ship ran aground in a northern Japan harbour, then split in two and was leaking oil, but there were no injuries among the 21 crew and the oil leak was being controlled with no signs it had reached shore, the Japan Coast Guard said. The 39,910-tonne vessel, the …
Read More »Japan’s FM to visit Iran for high-level talks on bilateral ties, regional issues
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is scheduled to visit Tehran as part of a tour of West Asian meant to discuss regional security and the response to the coronavirus pandemic with officials of the new Iranian administration. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the top Japanese diplomat said he …
Read More »Nagasaki marks 76th anniversary of US atomic bombing with somber memorial
Survivors and other residents in Nagasaki have taken part in a somber ceremony to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the Japanese city. On August 9, 1945, in the final year of World War II, Nagasaki was reduced to rubble by an atomic bomb dropped by …
Read More »Russia to build more military infrastructure on Kuril islands: Report
Russia plans to build 51 more pieces of military infrastructure on the Kuril islands, the state TASS news agency quoted Russia’s defense ministry as saying on Monday. Part of the chain is claimed by Japan and the territorial dispute over some of the islands dates back to the time when …
Read More »Four passengers stabbed on underground train in Tokyo, man arrested
A man with a knife stabbed four passengers on an underground train in Tokyo on Friday, and was arrested by police after fleeing, the train company and news reports said. NHK public television said two of the four passengers were seriously injured. It said the suspect left his knife behind …
Read More »Hiroshima marks 76th anniversary of US atomic bombing
The Japanese city of Hiroshima has marked the 76th anniversary of the first atomic bombing by the US that killed over 140,000 people, as its mayor called world leaders to join efforts for the total elimination of nuclear weapons. “Nuclear weapons, developed to win wars, are a threat of total …
Read More »Japan starts to ‘name and shame’ COVID-19 quarantine rule-breakers
Japan has carried out a threat to publicly shame people not complying with coronavirus border control measures, releasing the names of three people who broke quarantine rules after returning from overseas. The health ministry said late on Monday the three Japanese nationals named had clearly acted to avoid contact with …
Read More »Belarus athlete ‘safe and secure’ in Tokyo as Poland, Czech offer visas
A Belarusian athlete who refused to board a flight after she said she was taken to the airport by her team against her wishes was “safe and secure” in Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee said on Monday. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, 24, spent the night in an airport hotel after she went …
Read More »Belarusian sprinter refuses to leave Tokyo (Pictures)
A Belarusian sprinter refused to get on a flight from Tokyo on Sunday after being taken to the airport against her wishes by her team following her complaints about national coaches at the Olympic Games. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, 24, was still at Tokyo’s Haneda airport in the early hours of Monday. …
Read More »Olympics: Two Games-related COVID-19 cases hospitalized, say organizers
Two Games-related people from overseas with COVID-19 have been hospitalized but neither case is serious, Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya said on Thursday. The cases are the first known COVID-19 hospitalizations at the pandemic-hit Games, which is in its sixth day of competition and runs till August 8. Athletes and …
Read More »Japanese flu drug ‘clearly effective’ in treating coronavirus
Medical authorities in China have said a drug used in Japan to treat new strains of influenza appeared to be effective in coronavirus patients, Japanese media said on Wednesday. Zhang Xinmin, an official at China’s science and technology ministry, said favipiravir, developed by a subsidiary of Fujifilm, had produced encouraging …
Read More »Russia rejects ‘hostile’ Japanese protest over island visit
Russia rejected what it called a hostile Japanese diplomatic protest following a visit by the Russian prime minister to a disputed island chain on Monday, saying he could go wherever on Russian territory he wanted. A top Japanese government spokesman said earlier on Monday that Tokyo was lodging an official …
Read More »Russian PM Mishustin visits Kuril islands in Pacific claimed by Japan
The Russian prime minister on Monday visited the Pacific islands claimed by Japan and said the government is considering setting up a special economic zone there. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is touring Russia’s Far East and Siberia this week, and the Kuril Islands were his first stop on Monday. Mishustin …
Read More »Athletes parade in empty stadium as Tokyo Games open in shadow of pandemic (Video, Pictures)
Olympic organisers on Friday thanked medical workers at a Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony overshadowed by the coronavirus, as athletes from across the world paraded into an almost empty stadium, for the first time their smiles hidden behind masks. Normally a star-studded display teeming with celebrities, the ceremony was shorn of …
Read More »Algerian judoka quits Tokyo Olympics in order to not face Israeli opponent
Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine has withdrawn from the 2020 Summer Olympics in the Japanese capital city of Tokyo after the draw set him on course for a possible showdown against an Israeli opponent. The 30-years-old athlete made the decision to pull out of the international multi-sport event on Thursday, a …
Read More »Japanese PM confident of successful Tokyo 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has expressed his confidence in successfully delivering the Tokyo Olympic Games despite the specter of COVID-19. “Because of the COVID-19 pandemic since last year, the (pandemic) situation is making progress and sometimes backward, but vaccinations have come. After a long tunnel, an exit is now …
Read More »Britain to permanently deploy two warships in Asian waters
Britain said on Tuesday it would permanently deploy two warships in Asian waters after its Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and escort ships sail to Japan in September through seas where China is vying for influence with the United States and Japan. Plans for the high-profile visit by the carrier strike …
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