Japan

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Japan's 'Twitter Killer' on Charges: 'All Correct'

Takahiro Shiraishi, who pleaded guilty, could face death penalty

(Newser) - He allegedly killed and dismembered nine victims, mostly young women, and in court on Wednesday, Takahiro Shiraishi put all doubts about the accusations to rest. "All correct," the 29-year-old defendant known as the "Twitter Killer" said, confirming the murder counts against him during his guilty plea in...

Major Airline Is Retiring 'Ladies and Gentlemen'

Passengers will now be greeted as 'passengers'

(Newser) - Japan Airlines is bringing in a small but significant change to passenger announcements. The airline says it is going to replace the phrase "ladies and gentlemen" with "passengers" or similar gender-neutral language. The move only affects English-language announcements, since the equivalent Japanese phrase is already gender-neutral, but the...

Japanese Celeb Found Dead by Her Husband

Yuko Takeuchi died by suspected suicide

(Newser) - A Japanese actress known as the female Sherlock Holmes has apparently killed herself—which, if confirmed, continues a spate of suicides among Japanese entertainers. Yuko Takeuchi was found at home Sunday by her husband without a note, but Variety reports that it looks like suicide. "It came all of...

There's a New World Leader's Name to Memorize

Former cardboard factory employee Yoshihide Suga is Japan's new prime minister

(Newser) - Yoshihide Suga, a self-made politician and the right-hand man to his predecessor, was officially elected by Parliament on Wednesday as Japan's new prime minister and leader of the world's third largest economy. The 71-year-old head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party replaces Shinzo Abe, who resigned due to...

Japan's Next Leader: Just Like Abe, Except for One Thing

Yoshihide Suga says he lacks diplomacy skills of outgoing PM, who had good relations with Trump

(Newser) - Yoshihide Suga was elected as the new head of Japan’s ruling party on Monday, all but assuring that he will become the country's new prime minister when a parliamentary election is held later in the week, per the AP . Despite his low-key image, Suga, 71, has been a...

After Cow-Laden Cargo Ship Capsizes, a 2nd Rescue

Crew member from Gulf Livestock I found alive in raft in East China Sea off Japan; 40 still missing

(Newser) - Dozens of crew members and thousands of cows are missing after a cargo ship in the East China Sea was hit by a wave and capsized Wednesday near Japan, but a bit of good news emerged Friday. One crew member of the 43 aboard the doomed Gulf Livestock I had...

A Tearful Shinzo Abe Announces Resignation

Japanese PM says he's stepping down for health reasons

(Newser) - An emotional Shinzo Abe held a press conference Friday to make a big announcement, for a second time: He's resigning. The BBC reports that the 65-year-old prime minister of Japan has long suffered from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, but after his issues started recently worsening, he made...

This Nation May Soon Run Out of Credit Card Numbers

So many people are shopping at home during pandemic that it's facing a dearth of digits

(Newser) - In one sense, the extra credit cards that nearly 300 companies in Japan are issuing during the pandemic due to more people doing their shopping at home is a boon. In another sense, it's causing quite the headache. The Mainichi reports that, because so many people are requesting new...

Stealthy Thieves Hit Ninja Museum
Stealthy Thieves
Hit Ninja Museum
Aug 21, 2020 8:20 AM CDT

Stealthy Thieves Hit Ninja Museum

They made off with heavy safe in under 3 minutes

(Newser) - The Iga-ryu Ninja Museum in central Japan has a display that shows how "ninjas infiltrated undetected by anyone, and escaped as well." Stealthy thieves managed to do the same thing at the museum earlier this week, the Guardian reports. Authorities say the thieves broke in with a crowbar...

It's a Zombie Attack, but With Social Distance

Company in Tokyo gets creative during pandemic with drive-thru scares

(Newser) - It’s a living nightmare—but a socially distanced one, per the AP . "Zombies" attack vehicles, smearing them with artificial blood. But the customers inside the cars are safely separated from their stalkers by the windows. Production company Kowagarasetai, roughly translated as "Scare Squad," has launched a...

In Japan, People Do a Weird Thing After a Night of Drinking

Officials worry 'road sleeping' is going to lead to more people getting hurt in Okinawa

(Newser) - There's a strange phenomenon that has overtaken the Okinawa prefecture in Japan, and police can't figure out a way to stop it. "Road sleeping," or rojo-ne in Japanese, seems to be what people like to do there after a night of drinking, and it means that...

Japan&#39;s Economy Shrinks at a Record Rate
Japan's Economy Just Imploded
Aug 17, 2020 12:52 AM CDT

Japan's Economy Just Imploded

Country suffers worst contraction on record—27.8%

(Newser) - Japan’s economy shrank at an annual rate of 27.8% in April-June, the worst contraction on record, as the coronavirus pandemic slammed consumption and trade, according to government data released Monday. The Cabinet Office reported that Japan’s preliminary seasonally adjusted real gross domestic product, or GDP, the sum...

Leaking Oil Ship Splits Apart
Leaking Oil Ship Splits Apart
Aug 16, 2020 11:50 AM CDT

Leaking Oil Ship Splits Apart

And remaining fuel is spilling off the coast of Mauritius

(Newser) - The grounded Japanese ship that leaked tons of oil near protected areas off the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius has split apart, officials said Saturday, with remaining fuel spreading into the turquoise waters, the AP reports. Photos posted on social media by the official cleanup effort with support of...

Some Carried 'Own Eyeballs in Their Hands' in Hiroshima

The world, media reflect on the 75th anniversary of the dropping of the bomb

(Newser) - Its code name was "Little Boy," but its impact was anything but small. Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945. By the end of that year, 140,000 deaths—mostly of civilians—were tied to the...

World Has a New No. 3 in Virus Deaths
Things Are Getting
Worse for Mexico
Aug 1, 2020 10:30 AM CDT

Things Are Getting Worse for Mexico

The nation edges into third place with coronavirus deaths

(Newser) - Mexico now has the third most COVID-19 deaths in the world, behind Brazil and the US, the AP reports. Mexican health officials on Friday reported 688 new deaths, pushing the country's confirmed total to over 46,600. That put Mexico just ahead of the UK, which has more than...

Court Rules 84 People Are Atomic Bomb Victims

They were exposed to radioactive 'black rain' after the attack on Hiroshima

(Newser) - A Japanese court on Wednesday for the first time recognized people exposed to radioactive “black rain" that fell after the 1945 US atomic attack on Hiroshima as atomic bomb survivors, ordering the city and the prefecture to provide the same government medical benefits as given to other survivors. The...

Japan Has Big Issue With Statue of a Kneeling Man

Tokyo questions whether bronze figure in South Korean garden represents Shinzo Abe

(Newser) - A pair of new statues in South Korea of a man kneeling in front of a girl symbolizing a victim of sexual slavery by Japan's wartime military is the latest subject of diplomatic sensitivity between the countries, with Tokyo's government spokesperson questioning whether the male figure represents the...

Ambassador's Mustache That Irked a Nation Is No More

Harry Harris' facial hair was too harsh a reminder of Japanese colonialism for some

(Newser) - To most Americans, Harry Harris' mustache likely wouldn't cause a second glance. But to South Koreans, the US ambassador's facial hair became a lightning rod —and over the weekend, he finally shaved it off. The envoy headed to a barbershop in Seoul on Saturday to go under...

'Dark Fishing Fleets' Blamed for Rise in Ghost Ships

Chinese vessels are forcing North Koreans to fish elsewhere, researchers say

(Newser) - "Ghost ships" carrying the bodies—or skeletons—of North Korean fishermen have been washing up in Japan for years, but there was a massive increase after 2017. A new study links the rise to "dark fishing fleets" of Chinese vessels in North Korean waters in violation of United...

66 Dead, 2K Stranded in Japan Flooding

Country is braced for more heavy rain

(Newser) - Parts of Japan still searching for missing people and evacuating those stranded by deadly floods and mudslides are bracing for more pounding rains through the weekend. The death toll stood at 66 as of Friday morning, with 16 others still missing, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency says. Most of...

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