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Iconic Japanese steam locomotive finishes major repairs after 6-year hiatus
The steam locomotive connecting Yamaguchi and Shimane prefectures will return to commercial operations Oct. 3.
The Tokyo
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Asian Games: Japan misses 1st men's basketball gold with S. Korea loss
NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- Japan missed out on its first men's basketball gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, going down 67-57 to South Korea
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Asian Games: Debuting sport teqball wins fans after late inclusion
NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- Japan's mixed doubles pair Akinori Wase and Yuina Sakamoto fell short of gold in teqball, but the newly added sport, combining eleme
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Japan braces for heavy rain, strong winds as typhoon nears eastern coast
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A large typhoon was moving toward eastern Japan's Pacific coast Monday, with the weather agency issuing a top-level warning for lands
Local
Tokyo condo prices and soaring mackerel costs: Our 5 most-read stories from last week
We've listed our five most read stories on The Mainichi news site, from top to bottom, that were published between September 12 and 20. The first stor
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News that broke 2 years ago spurs 83-year-old to tell 'reality' of Hiroshima A-bombing
TAKAMATSU -- An 83-year-old man in west Japan has begun speaking publicly about his memory of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima after decades of silence
library
Japan booksellers create reading list to keep peace discussions alive
OSAKA -- Booksellers across Japan have put together a "Book list for building lasting peace," recommending titles for thinking about peace. The projec
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Sumo: Onosato grabs outright lead after Kotozakura takes 2nd loss
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Yokozuna Onosato seized the outright lead Sunday at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament after ozeki Kotozakura suffered his second loss
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From <i>katsu</i> to <i>numa</i>: The language of Japan’s capsule-toy obsession
A casual hobby can quickly become a costly rabbit hole, introducing new rituals and a variety of vocabulary along the way.
safety
SDF recovers part of crashed Global Hawk drone along western Japan coast
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force said Sunday it has recovered part of the crashed Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft tha
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Ukraine requests Zelenskyy-Takaichi meeting on UN sidelines
KYIV (Kyodo) -- The Ukrainian government has requested a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on t
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‘Rustout’: Japan’s other workplace problem
Japan must address both burnout and rustout to ensure workplaces use employees' abilities meaningfully rather than merely keeping them busy.
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Philippine-born woman plans first visit to father’s native Okinawa
The 90-year-old second-generation Japanese woman was separated from her father after World War II.
government
Tokyo’s Subway Floors May Soon Tell You Where To Stand
During Tokyo’s peak hours, there’s always room for one more — right when you’re certain no further human could fit on board, someone squeezes in, the doors reluctantly close and there you are with your face pressed against the glass. Tokyo Metro thinks technology can help. On Sep...
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Takaichi faces balancing act in meeting with Trump
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will need to thread the needle amid concerns over Taiwan and U.S. sanctions against the Japanese head of the ICC.
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Japan raises the bar on residency. Cue the outrage.
Critics, and some residents, are up in arms at the suggested changes.
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Japan’s elderly population grows to its largest share yet
About 36.24 million people — 29.6% of the country's population — are 65 and older, up 20,000 from a year earlier, government data shows.
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Crab-themed complex aims to be new central Japan landmark, tourist hub
FUKUI (Kyodo) -- An interactive, crab-themed complex in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, hopes to become a new landmark and attraction for visitors ea
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Japan disaster experts warn people not to travel unnecessarily during heavy rain
CHIBA -- One month has passed since torrential rain in Chiba Prefecture killed 13 people. Since then, intense downpours have continued to strike Japan
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Daily food spending below ¥500 among low-income people in Japan
About 85.5% of those surveyed reported that they had been unable to buy the groceries their families needed during the past year.
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Member of Japan idol group timelesz sent to prosecutors for alleged assault
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A member of Japan's pop idol group timelesz was sent to prosecutors on Sunday for alleged assault of a woman in Tokyo.Shuto Inomata,
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Asian Games: Hojo wins Japan's 1st gold at Aichi-Nagoya in men's triathlon
GAMAGORI, Aichi (Kyodo) -- Takumi Hojo won Japan's first gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in men's triathlon on Sunday, the first medal comp
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Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games begin as Japan plays host for 1st time since 1994
NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games began Saturday, with Japan hosting the continental summer games for the first time since 1994 and welco
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Japan and ASEAN to consider expanding trade pact
At a meeting in Manila, participants expressed interest in strengthening cooperation in energy security, AI and supply chains, among other fields.
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Expectations rise in Japan for Niigata's new 'Natsuhime' heat-tolerant rice
NIIGATA -- Niigata Prefecture's new rice variety "Natsuhime" (summer princess) made its debut this summer. An extremely early maturing variety that ca
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Retro Japan: 'Tourism hall' in Shizuoka Pref. remains beloved seaside community hub
ITO, Shizuoka -- Standing in front of the Ito-shi Kanko Kaikan, literally the Ito city tourism hall, in Shizuoka Prefecture, one can feel the sea bree
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Japan’s Centenarian Population Tops 100,000 for First Time
Longevity leader Japan reports that its population of people aged 100 or over has now risen above 100,000.
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Kang Han-na: A South Korean Poet Finds Her Voice in Japan’s Tanka
The South Korean poet Kang Han-na is the only foreign winner of an award for tanka, a Japanese poetic form with a history of over 1,500 years. She says that breaking down complex, tangled feelings into a short tanka can reveal surprisingly simple answers....
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In superaged Japan, athletes are making waves well into their 90s
Regardless of age, engaging in sports brings multiple health benefits — the greater one's physical fitness, the longer one tends to live.
schools
A child's lesson on 'Susen Bee' prompts a Japanese parent to study US history
WASHINGTON (Mainichi) -- One day in mid-May after arriving home from school, my eldest son, 8, informed me, "Today we learned about 'Susen Bee.'"Our f