National
Trains, flights canceled as typhoon makes landfall over western Japan
Slow-moving Typhoon Lan made landfall on the Kii Peninsula in western Japan on Tuesday, bringing heavy rainfall, disrupting air, road and train services and causing havoc for domestic and international travelers during the summer holidays. Around 650 people were forced to stay overnight at Kansai airport, located on an artificial… Read
Baby goods in Japan facing steeper price hikes
Diapers, formula and other baby items have seen greater price surges than other consumer goods since the beginning of this year, causing a heavy burden on child-rearing households as Japan battles a declining birthrate, a recent think tank analysis showed. The prices of baby-related goods were up 9.3 percent in… Read
U.S. scattered Japan war criminals' ashes at sea to prevent worship
The cremated remains of Japan's wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and other executed Class-A war criminals were secretly scattered in the ocean to prevent them from being deified by the Japanese people, recently discovered declassified U.S. documents showed. The documents provide the first official confirmation of the reason behind the… Read
Light plane makes belly landing at Oita airport; nobody injured
A small trainer aircraft made a belly landing at Oita airport in southwestern Japan on Monday, causing no injuries to the three people aboard but leading to a brief closure of the runway, according to the airport operator. The twin-propeller Beechcraft Baron G58 touched down at around 10:30 a.m. and… Read
Typhoon set to crash Japan holiday week
Japanese authorities on Sunday warned residents in much of the country to prepare for a strong, slow-moving typhoon set to hit during the peak summer travel week. Typhoon Lan is on course to make landfall Tuesday on Japan's main island of Honshu, bringing heavy rain and violent gusts, the Japan… Read
Renewed interest in sumo proves big pull for tourists
Their interest piqued during COVID lockdowns and by a new Netflix drama, a fresh rush of foreign tourists are flocking to Japan for a look inside the insular world of sumo. Japan's national sport -- hundreds of years old and steeped in tradition -- has long been a source of… Read
U.S. author of WWII-related book urges youth to learn war history
The Japanese-American author of a book about the hardships her mother experienced in the United States during World War II calls on young people to learn more about the era's immense suffering and work toward ridding the world of such conflicts. "One of my major goals is to recruit high… Read
Western, central Japan brace as typhoon expected to make landfall Tuesday
A strong typhoon is expected to make landfall Tuesday in western and central Japan, with the weather agency warning of heavy rain and related mudslides and flooding during the country's annual Bon summer holidays. Typhoon Lan is currently traveling south of the Izu island chain and approaching eastern and western… Read
Victims of fatal 1985 JAL jet crash mourned on 38th anniversary
Families and friends commemorated on Saturday the 38th anniversary of the Japan Airlines jet crash that killed 520 passengers and crew in the world's deadliest single-aircraft accident. Braving the heat, mourners climbed the mountain trail to the Boeing 747 crash site on Osutaka Ridge in Gunma Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo,… Read
Osaka Expo ¥1,000 coins go on sale for low price of ¥13,800
On August 7 the Osaka City Mint kicked off the production of commemorative 1,000-yen coins for the upcoming Osaka-Kansai World Expo in 2025. One side of the coin has a full-color image of the man-made island Yumeshima, where the event will take place. On the flip side is the somewhat intestinal logo for Expo… Read
