Japan

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Births Hit a Record Low in Japan, Deaths a Record High

Population falls for a 15th year in a row

(Newser) - Japan's total population marked the 15th straight year of decline, according to government data released Wednesday, dropping by more than a half-million people as the population ages and births remain low. Births in Japan hit a record low of 730,000 last year. The 1.58 million deaths last...

Japan's Top Olympic Gymnast Ousted for Smoking

Women's team captain Shoko Miyata violated strict rules on drinking, too

(Newser) - With the Paris Olympics only a week away, Japan is suddenly without a team captain in women's artistic gymnastics. Shoko Miyata has been sent home from France by the Japan Gymnastics Association because—prepare to gasp—the 19-year-old admitting to smoking and drinking, reports the Japan Times . The offenses...

Woman Swept to Sea Rescued 37 Hours Later, 50 Miles Away

Chinese national was swimming on Japanese beach Monday when she got pulled out

(Newser) - A Chinese woman who was swept out to sea while swimming at a Japanese beach was rescued 37 hours later after drifting in a swimming ring more than 50 miles in the Pacific Ocean, officials said Thursday. Japan's coast guard launched a search for the woman, identified only as...

Campaigning for Governor in Tokyo Has Gone a Bit Wild

Publicity stunts have incorporated AI, pets, even scantily clad women

(Newser) - Tokyo elects a new governor this weekend, but residents say personal publicity stunts have overtaken serious campaigning to a degree never seen before, with nearly nude women in suggestive poses, pets, an AI character, and a man practicing his golf swing. It's impossible to ignore. With internet campaigning still...

Internet Speed Record Smashed, Without Any 'Weird Tech'

Japanese team sees a speed of 402 terabits per second

(Newser) - How fast the average consumer actually needs their internet to be is debatable, but if you're constantly on the lookout for the swiftest connection, news out of Japan may pique your interest. PC Gamer reports that an international team from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology has...

This Could Be the World's Next Fast-Food Phenom

'Onigiri,' a type of Japanese rice ball, has earned its place in the Oxford dictionary

(Newser) - The word "onigiri" became part of the Oxford English Dictionary this year, proof that the humble sticky-rice ball and mainstay of Japanese food has entered the global lexicon. The rice balls are stuffed with a variety of fillings and typically wrapped in seaweed. It's an everyday dish that...

Tokyo Is Giving a 'Gentle Push' to People Looking for Love

Japanese city to launch a dating app to help with the 'marriage hunting' process

(Newser) - In Japan, where birth rates are low , it's not unusual to see local governments hosting matchmaking events to encourage people to hook up and start a family. Now, the country's capital is taking things a step further and launching a dating app, expected to be released this summer,...

Japan Emperor Makes Unusual Stop on UK Visit

A highlight for Emperor Naruhito: the Thames Barrier

(Newser) - The Japanese emperor and empress kicked off a three-day state visit in the UK on Tuesday, and while the politics of it are unsurprising, some quirky details have emerged. The basics, and the fascinating bits:
  • Behind the visit: The AP explains the UK is looking to shore up its position
...

After Kim-Putin Deal, US Dispatches Carrier Strike Group

Theodore Roosevelt will take part in exercises with South Korea, Japan

(Newser) - A nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier arrived Saturday in South Korea for a three-way exercise involving Japan for stepped-up military training to cope with North Korean threats, which have escalated following the announcement of a security pact with Russia. The arrival of the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group in Busan came...

Mount Fuji Is Really Having a Problem With Tourists

Crowd-control gate is installed on famous mountain

(Newser) - A crowd-control gate was installed halfway up Japan's Mount Fuji on Monday ahead of the July 1 start of this year's climbing season, but the governor of Yamanashi, one of the two prefectures that are home to the mountain, said additional measures are needed to control overcrowding on...

Good Luck Gazing at Mount Fuji Through This Big Black Screen
People Really, Really
Want to See Mount Fuji
UPDATED
May 28, 2024 9:40 AM CDT

People Really, Really Want to See Mount Fuji

Holes have been poked in screen meant to prevent gawkers in Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko

(Newser) - If Japanese authorities thought a huge barrier erected outside a Lawson convenience store would stop gawkers from gawking at Mount Fuji, that other thing coming has just arrived. Officials in the town of Fujikawaguchiko said Tuesday that holes have been poked in the 8-foot-plus-high black mesh meant to discourage tourists,...

Parents Splitting Up in Japan Will Soon See Big Custody Shift

They'll be able to file for joint custody starting in 2026; previously, one parent was granted custody

(Newser) - Parents splitting up in Japan will soon be able to do what parents in many other developed nations already can: File for joint custody of the kids. On Friday, the country's parliament voted to make it so via an alteration to Japan's civil code, the first change to...

US, Japan Team Up for New Kind of Missile Defense

'Glide Sphere Interceptor' will counter growing threat from hypersonic weapons

(Newser) - Japan and the US on Wednesday signed an agreement to jointly develop a new type of missile defense system as the allies seek to defend against the growing threat of hypersonic weapons, which are possessed by China and Russia and are being tested by North Korea. The project was initially...

Japan Shops a New, Vulnerable Species for Its Whale Hunt

(Newser) - Commercial whaling in Japan could soon expand to include a fourth species—one already considered vulnerable. Japan currently allows hunting of the Bryde's whale, minke whale, and endangered sei whale in the North Pacific. It's now considering adding a fourth eligible species: fin whales. The fin whale, up...

Biden Refers to Japan, an Ally, as 'Xenophobic'
Japan, India Take Issue
With Biden Comments
updated
May 4, 2024 4:30 PM CDT

Japan, India Take Issue With Biden Comments

Aide says president was trying to endorse US history of accepting immigrants

(Newser) - Japan and India on Saturday rebutted President Biden's assessment of them as "xenophobic" countries unwelcoming to immigrants. A Japanese official who declined to be named said Biden misunderstands the US ally's policies, the AP reports, while adding that the government understands the president was trying to stress...

It's an 'Astonishing Feat' for Japan's Moon Lander
Japan's Moon Lander
Defies All Odds
May 3, 2024 10:40 AM CDT

Japan's Moon Lander Defies All Odds

SLIM, thought to die in darkness, has survived 3 cold lunar nights so far

(Newser) - Nearly four months after touching down on the moon , Japan's lunar lander is still going strong—something its creators did not at all expect. The lander wasn't designed to endure the frigid temperatures, as low as -208 degrees Fahrenheit, that come with a lunar night, a period of...

Town Makes 'Regrettable' Move on Mount Fuji

Japan's Fujikawaguchiko is erecting a giant mesh barrier to discourage picture-taking

(Newser) - "Let's go see Mt. Fuji." That's the excited declaration that flashes briefly across the screen on the tourism website for the Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko, nestled in the foothills of the famous landmark. That call to action may prove harder for visitors to fulfill soon, as...

Searchers Find Blades From Crashed Japanese Helicopters

2 Japanese navy helicopters crashed in Pacific Ocean during training

(Newser) - Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed into the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during nighttime training in a possible collision, leaving one dead while rescuers on Sunday searched for seven others missing, the defense minister said. The two SH-60K choppers from the Maritime Self-Defense Force were carrying...

Biden: Support for Japan, Philippines Is 'Ironclad'

China's actions at sea have caused growing concern

(Newser) - President Biden reinforced the US defense commitment to Pacific allies on Thursday as he gathered Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House. The meeting took place against a backdrop of growing concern about provocative Chinese military action in the Indo-Pacific, the AP...

In 500 Years, Everyone in Japan May Have the Same Name

Japan's residents may all have surname Sato if an antiquated civil code isn't updated, researcher says

(Newser) - An antiquated law in Japan could lead to an unusual happening in about five centuries: everyone with the same surname. That surname would be Sato, which is the conclusion on the universally shared surname by the year 2531 arising from the research of Tohoku University economics professor Hiroshi Yoshida. More...

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