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A year of Lear: Four new stagings hone in on the tragedy’s timeless lessons
Four separate productions of "King Lear" in one year in Japan signal renewed interest in the Shakespeare play that hasn't always been the first choice....
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government
Uber, city near Mt. Fuji join hands in measures against overtourism
KOFU, Japan (Kyodo) -- The Japanese unit of U.S. ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. and a municipality at the foot of Mt. Fuji signed an acco
schools
News in Easy English: Japan plans more AI study at school
TOKYO -- Japan's education ministry made a draft plan for the next school curriculum guidelines. It released a short version of the draft on Aug. 31.
Local
Japan's Foreign Minister Motegi likely to be retained in Cabinet reshuffle
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is likely to retain Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in an upcoming reshuffle of her Cabinet
business
Japanese motor-maker Nidec says it found hundreds of cases of quality control misconduct
TOKYO (AP) -- Scandal-ridden Japanese motor maker Nidec Corp. released Friday the findings of a company investigation that found 844 cases of miscondu
Local
Japan aims to bolster defense capabilities from Iran war analysis
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Defense Ministry said Friday it will aim to strengthen its defense capabilities after examining the U.S.-Iran conflict.In its
News
Japan says progress made on $550 billion investment pact with U.S.
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa declined to comment in detail, but said discussions on AI and chips will carry "very significant weight."
News
Red-hot Japan sets 3-point records in win over Mali to open FIBA Women’s World Cup
Akatsuki Japan shot 57.1% from the 3-point line and set a World Cup record by making 20 from deep.
Local
Japan weather agency warns of landslides amid heavy rain on Yakushima
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's weather agency on Saturday continued to urge maximum vigilance for landslides caused by heavy rain on Yakushima Island in the
News
Pagodas in Japan's Shikoku preserve memories of Burma front veterans
MATSUYAMA -- Mount Bizan in the western Japan city of Tokushima, which appears in the ancient poetry anthology "Manyoshu," rises about 290 meters abov
schools
Students from across Japan drawn to a Hokkaido high school's 'space education' program
TAIKI, Hokkaido -- A public high school in this northern Japan town of about 5,000 people on Hokkaido's Tokachi Plain is offering a "space education"
News
Toilets a Top Concern When Disaster Strikes in Japan
From earthquakes and tsunami to typhoons and torrential rains, Japan is no stranger to natural disaster. Food, water, and shelter are key concerns when disaster strikes, but surveys show that access to toilet facilities is a central worry for residents in Japan....
Local
Japan’s Female Festival Dancers Are Facing a Growing Voyeurism Problem
At the Tokyo Koenji Awa Odori, held August 29–30, thousands of dancers performed for crowds lining the streets, many with phones and cameras pointed toward them. For one female dancer, being photographed is part of the appeal — she wants people to see the dancing, and social medi...
safety
World’s First Undertale Museum Opens Tokyo Ticket Lottery | News Roundup
In this week’s news roundup, we report on the world’s first Undertale Museum as tickets go on sale. An American is rearrested in Okinawa for attempted murder and arson after allegedly setting fire to a hotel. Shukan Bunshun accuses Kimi Onoda of illegally operating a second campa...
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Dollar posts weekly loss as yen jumps amid shifting rate bets
The Japanese currency posted its best week since July, gaining about 2.4% against the dollar.
News
Takaichi lauds ‘transparency’ of Japan’s record budget requests
Her government has promised to review and cut back on unnecessary spending programs and is trying to incorporate more forward-looking investment into the budget....
Local
Sumo: Promotion-seeking Kirishima, Onosato go head-to-head in practice
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Ozeki Kirishima put in a confident performance in practice Friday ahead of his second straight bid for yokozuna promotion at the Autu
News
272 lost pet reports filed after M7.1 Kumamoto quake, less than half found
KUMAMOTO (Kyodo) -- Animal shelters in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto had received 272 reports of missing pets as of Aug. 25, after the
Local
Dollar rebounds to 156 yen after fall on hopes for narrower rate gap
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The U.S. dollar rebounded to the 156 yen range Friday in Tokyo, briefly dropping to the lower 155 yen level, following a plunge on sp
Local
Japan's finance chief denies US pressure on monetary policy
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Friday that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made no specific demands regarding
Local
Japan not considering letting foreign nationals serve in Self-Defense Forces: minister
TOKYO -- Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a news conference on Sept. 4 that the government is not considering recruiting foreign nat
News
Editorial: Japan PM Takaichi's social media posts should be preserved as public records
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is stepping up her use of the social media platform X. Her posts should be managed as public records so that po
government
391 books by well-known authors missing from libraries in southwestern Japan city
KITAKYUSHU -- The Kitakyushu Municipal Board of Education reported 391 paperback books missing from two local public libraries on Sept. 3, and both fa
News
Panel may consider restricting evidence use in civil trials in Japan
The Code of Civil Procedure does not currently ban the use of evidence and confidential information for purposes unrelated to trials or the provision of copies to third parties....
News
Corporate venture capital develops in Japan
What was once seen as a bad fit for Japanese companies is seen now as more of a necessity.
News
Late Japanese researcher wins Ig Nobel Prize for study on blowing one’s nose
Unno was awarded the prize for his 1977 paper, "How to Blow the Nose – An Aerodynamic Study of the Nose Blowing."
News
Easy Japanese news in translation: Children call for traffic safety in Oita Prefecture
To coincide with the lowering of the speed limit on residential roads to 30 kilometers per hour, children from Kirari Kodomoen, a certified child care
Local
Japan passport applications rise across all 47 prefectures after fee cut
TOKYO -- Passport applications increased in all 47 Japanese prefectures in July after a sharp reduction in issuance fees, surging to between 1.5 and 2
News
Football: Ueda scores winner on Lille debut against Toulouse
TOULOUSE, France (Kyodo) -- Japan forward Ayase Ueda scored on his debut for Lille on Thursday, hitting a winner in their 1-0 victory away to Toulouse
News
Japan, US commerce chiefs meet, possibly to discuss investment projects
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- Japan's trade and industry minister Ryosei Akazawa met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday, with investment
News
Japan quake-hit community holds traditional festival in hope of lifting spirits
HIKAWA, Kumamoto -- A festival dedicated to praying for children's health and well-being was recently held in this town, which was hit by an earthquak
News
Japanese scientist posthumously wins Ig Nobel prize for nose-blowing study
ZURICH (Kyodo) -- The late Japanese researcher Tokuji Unno won this year's Ig Nobel Prize in medicine on Thursday for his study on how to blow one's n
News
Soccer giant FC Barcelona looks to open academy in Japan's Nara Pref., 1st in Asia
NARA -- Nara Gov. Makoto Yamashita said Sept. 2 that the western Japan prefecture is likely to host FC Barcelona's Barca Residency Academy in the town
News
Japan defense chief dismisses idea of recruiting foreign nationals for SDF
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said his ministry's top priority "must be the people who are currently serving."