Japan

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Fugitive Eluded Thousands of Cops for Weeks—Until Now

Tatsuma Hirao escaped from minimum-security prison on Japanese island, swam to mainland

(Newser) - Over the past few weeks, Japanese cops kept finding socks and cellphones they thought may have been stolen by the No. 1 fugitive on their list—but they couldn't find the fugitive himself. That changed Monday with the recapture of Tatsuma Hirao, who'd escaped an "open" prison...

World&#39;s Oldest Person Dies
World's Oldest Person Dies 
Apr 22, 2018 5:28 AM CDT

World's Oldest Person Dies

Nabi Tajima was 117 years old, held the crown for 7 months

(Newser) - The world's oldest person, a 117-year-old Japanese woman, has died. Nabi Tajima died of old age in a hospital Saturday evening in the town of Kikai in southern Japan, town official Susumu Yoshiyuki confirmed. She had been hospitalized since January, reports the AP . Tajima, born on Aug. 4, 1900,...

They Experimented on Live POWs. Now, Names Released

Members of Japan's Unit 731 conducted germ warfare experiments during WWII

(Newser) - It had the boring and bureaucratic name of the Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department. But this secretive unit of the Japanese army during World War II—better known as Unit 731—conducted germ warfare and other lethal experiments on live prisoners of war, explains the Guardian . Now, at the...

Japan's Abe on Shaky Ground as He Returns to Meet Trump

Japanese leader is plagued by scandals amid calls for his resignation

(Newser) - Japan's Shinzo Abe became the first foreign leader to meet President Trump after the US election, and he returns for another face-to-face on Tuesday. As CNN notes, Abe sorely needs to score some points with voters back home. Trump may be facing strong political headwinds of his own, but...

Studio Ghibli Co-Founder Dies
Anime Legend 
Isao Takahata Dies
OBITUARY
Apr 6, 2018 12:11 AM CDT

Anime Legend Isao Takahata Dies

Producer co-founded Studio Ghibli

(Newser) - Isao Takahata, co-founder of the prestigious Japanese animator Studio Ghibli, which stuck to a hand-drawn "manga" look in the face of digital filmmaking, has died. He was 82. Takahata, who directed Grave of the Fireflies, a tragic tale about wartime childhood, died Thursday of lung cancer at a Tokyo...

Women Trying to Save Man's Life Ordered Out of Sumo Ring

Sports official apologizes in Japan after incident

(Newser) - A jarring incident in a sumo ring has triggered a national conversation in Japan about how women are treated. On Wednesday, women who rushed to save a man who collapsed were ordered to leave the ring because of the sport's tradition that women are "impure" and cannot enter...

'Selfish' Woman Faces Backlash From Boss for Getting Pregnant

Story out of Japan highlights 'matahara,' aka 'maternity harassment'

(Newser) - In Japan, some employers are strict on the perks of seniority—including the issue of which workers should be allowed to marry and get pregnant first. That's why, in a Feb. 28 letter to the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun , one man says his wife became "glum and anxious"...

In Japan, Signs Suggest Mass Execution Might Occur
In Japan, Signs Suggest
Mass Execution Might Occur
the rundown
Mar 20, 2018 8:44 AM CDT

In Japan, Signs Suggest Mass Execution Might Occur

Japan sentenced 13 Aum Shinrikyo members to die for sarin, other attacks

(Newser) - Japan may be readying itself for a mass hanging. The Guardian reports that signs suggest the long-awaited executions of the doomsday cult members behind the infamous 1995 sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway may soon come to pass. The two big indications: It reports the country typically holds...

Mixup in Denver Sends Dog on Global Adventure

Irgo was supposed to fly to Kansas with his human family, but he ended up in Japan

(Newser) - A dog who was mistakenly flown to Japan is back with his family in Kansas. The 10-year-old German shepherd, named Irgo, arrived at a Wichita airport Thursday night after a flight on a private plane from Japan, the AP reports. Kara Swindle and her two children were flying on United...

Trump's 'Bowling Ball Test' Causes a Lot of Confusion

White House insists he was joking about Japan practice on American autos

(Newser) - President Trump regaled political donors this week with a strange story about a "bowling ball test" that he says Japan uses to unfairly block imports of American cars. "That’s where they take a bowling ball from 20 feet up in the air and they drop it on...

Fukushima's Water Issue Is Growing. The Ice Wall Isn't Enough

Experts: It's working, but other methods are also needed to keep groundwater around plant clean

(Newser) - A government-commissioned group of experts concluded Wednesday that a costly underground ice wall is only partially effective in reducing the ever-growing amount of contaminated water at Japan's destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., says the ice wall has helped reduce the radioactive water...

Coke's Newest Offering Has Booze in It

But you'll have to go to Japan to sample Chu-Hi

(Newser) - Coke: the pause that intoxicates. At least in Japan, where the Coca-Cola Co. will now offer a boozy carbonated beverage called Chu-Hi. The Telegraph reports this "alcopop" will be made up of fizzy water, flavoring, and a distilled Japanese alcohol called shochu, which Forbes has described as "the...

Japan Arrested US Tourist, Then Found a Severed Head

27-year-old woman was captured on video entering a building, but not exiting

(Newser) - A New Yorker who arrived in Japan in January to see the country has been in custody since Thursday, originally accused of confining a 27-year-old Japanese woman in an apartment. Now, a gruesome twist: That woman's head was on Saturday found in another apartment tied to Yevgeniy Vasilievich Bayraktar....

After the Race Came the Real Sportsmanship

Japanese speedskater consoles South Korean rival after beating her in 500-meter race

(Newser) - To the victor goes the gold, but to the heartbroken second-place finisher in Pyeongchang's women's speedskating race went the grand gesture. Japan's Nao Kodaira clocked in at 36.94 seconds in the 500-meter race on Sunday—good enough for her first gold medal, her country's second...

NBC Backpedals Over Analyst's Japan Controversy

Analyst praised former occupier Japan as an example for Koreans

(Newser) - NBC continues to suffer fallout from its coverage of the opening ceremony in the Pyeongchang Olympics, with the network issuing an apology on behalf of an analyst who sparked controversy by praising Japan. Joshua Cooper Ramo on Friday called Japan "a country which occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945,...

Grade School's Armani Uniforms Are a Mere $730

Japan grade school causes a ruckus with ritzy new duds

(Newser) - A Tokyo public school has adopted Giorgio Armani uniforms for students, triggering criticism in a country where hefty school fees are already burdening young parents. Taimei Elementary School in Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district has announced plans to introduce the new uniform option, which costs more than $730 for...

Japanese Princess Delays Wedding, Cites 'Immaturity'

Mako's much anticipated wedding to a commoner gets pushed back to at least 2020

(Newser) - Japan's Princess Mako will remain a princess a little longer: The emperor's granddaughter, who announced last year that she planned to marry a commoner, is delaying that union, reports Reuters . Unlike certain other royals planning to marry commoners , Mako must rescind her royal status when she marries Kei...

In This Cafe, Your Barista Is a Robot

Japan's Henna Cafe debuts Sawyer the robot to brew your coffee

(Newser) - Japan has a new cafe where customers can enjoy coffee brewed and served by a robot barista. The robot named Sawyer debuted this week at Henna Cafe in Tokyo's downtown business and shopping district of Shibuya. The shop's name in Japanese means "strange cafe," reports the...

Craving a Banana Peel? Japan Has the Perfect Fruit

Peel from Japan's Monchee banana has texture like 'lettuce' and a slightly bitter taste

(Newser) - About the only thing banana peels were good for up to this point were comedy pratfalls and composting. A farm in Japan appears to have changed that, producing a banana with a tasty edible peel thanks to what Quartz labels a "bizarre method of production." The technique used...

1 Killed, 16 Hurt in Eruption, Avalanche at Ski Resort

Flying rocks from Japan volcano hit gondola

(Newser) - At least 16 people skiing on the slopes of a volcano in central Japan were injured by flying rocks during a surprise eruption and a subsequent avalanche Tuesday, and one person later died. Six skiers, including the man who died, were among 30 Japanese soldiers who were participating in ski...

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