Japan

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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...

A Real-Life Ninja? One Guy Is Close


A Real-Life
Ninja?
One Guy
Is Close
Jun 29, 2020 12:00 PM CDT

A Real-Life Ninja? One Guy Is Close

A Japanese university has its first graduate in a ninja program

(Newser) - Ninjas are the stuff of lore in Japan, not to mention Hollywood. But now a 45-year-old Japanese man can lay claim to being the closest thing to an actual ninja in the modern world. Genichi Mitsuhashi is the first person to complete a rigorous master's program in the ninja...

Teen Pushes Back on Government's Gaming Rules

Japan's Wataru, 17, says limits on video games, smartphone use are unconstitutional

(Newser) - In 2018, the World Health Organization added "gaming disorder" to its official list of addictive diseases. This past April, the Kagawa prefecture government on Japan's Shikoku island decided to address the issue head-on, putting in place regulations that asked parents to limit the playing of video games by...

Japan Theme Parks Can Reopen, But Screaming Is Banned

Haunted house ghosts should maintain social distancing, according to new guidelines

(Newser) - Riders may soon be able to enjoy the terrifying Takabashi ride at Japan's Fuji-Q Highland amusement park again—but they will be urged to wear masks and refrain from screaming during its 121-degree drop. The country's theme park operators have released new guidelines for reopening as Japan eases...

2 Americans Arrested Over Ghosn Escape

Ex-Green Beret, son face extradition to Japan

(Newser) - A former Green Beret and his son have been arrested in Massachusetts in connection with former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan —and prosecutors say it would be a very bad idea to release Michael and Peter Taylor on bail during extradition proceedings. "Michael Taylor is...

In This Nation, 'Murder Hornets' Used in Snacks, Drinks, Decor

But don't try what they do in Japan here in the US, scientists warn

(Newser) - Asian giant hornets (aka "murder hornets") may now be scaring people in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, but while they're just as aggressive and dangerous in Japan, people there don't simply fear them: They eat them. The New York Times notes that Japanese gourmands appreciate the...

US Air Force: Yep, We Bombed Japan by Mistake

And here's how it happened

(Newser) - Nothing like having a 500-pound bomb land on your property—but that's what someone experienced in Japan last year. A US Air Force F-16 fighter was flying a training mission in November when the pilot dropped a GBU-12 Paveway II bomb near Daughon Bombing Range in Aomori Prefecture, Popular ...

Aquarium's Problem: Its Eels Are Forgetting People Exist

An 'unprecedented situation' in Tokyo

(Newser) - A Japanese aquarium has an "urgent request" for locals who can't stop by for a visit due to the coronavirus shutdown: It wants them to partake in a "face-showing festival" instead and call in for a video chat with its spotted garden eels, for whom the presence...

Japan Makes Desperate Move to Maintain Social Distancing

Officials in Sakura canceled flower fest, cut at least 100K tulips so people wouldn't congregate

(Newser) - Who can resist an aromatic flower on a sunny spring day? Not many, is what Japanese officials are betting, which is why a popular flower festival has been nixed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Sakiho Kusano, a tourism official with the city of Sakura, tells Reuters that visitors flocked to the...

Expert Doubts Olympics Will Happen Next Year

Professor says he is 'very pessimistic'

(Newser) - A Japanese professor of infectious disease says he is "very pessimistic" the postponed Tokyo Olympics can open in 15 months. "To be honest with you, I don't think the Olympics is likely to be held next year,” Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious disease at Kobe...

Japan Thought Virus Was Under Control. Now, 'Cries of Desperation'

COVID-19 infections are surging, country's emergency medical system is collapsing

(Newser) - Hospitals in Japan are increasingly turning away sick people as the country struggles with surging coronavirus infections and its emergency medical system collapses. In one recent case, an ambulance carrying a man with a fever and difficulty breathing was rejected by 80 hospitals and forced to search for hours for...

After 4 Days of Declining Numbers, Spain Sees a Jump

While China reports zero new deaths

(Newser) - Declining or at least flattening coronavirus numbers in world hot spots ( including New York ) have buoyed hope in recent days, but Spain just recorded at least a temporary reversal of that. The nation registered 743 new deaths from Monday to Tuesday, up about 100 from the previous 24-hour...

At the End of 'Dark Tunnel,' an Olympic Light

Official dates set for next year's Games in Tokyo: July 23 to Aug. 8

(Newser) - There's now an official date for the 2020 Olympics in Japan, postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Olympics officials and Japanese organizers announced Monday that the Tokyo Games will be held next summer from July 23 to Aug. 8, TMZ reports. Officials say this schedule was chosen to help...

For First Time, Olympics Will Be Held in an Odd Year

Japan Prime Minister Abe, IOC head in '100% agreement' games must be postponed till 2021

(Newser) - Serious rumblings of a postponement of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo began over the weekend , and are now official. Per the Wall Street Journal , Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach by phone on Tuesday, and the two agreed that putting off the Games...

Japan Official Says It's a 'Fact' Olympics Are 'Cursed'

Deputy prime minister points to what happened in 1940, 1980

(Newser) - The Olympic flame is currently en route from Greece to Japan, where it will arrive on Friday ahead of a relay that's scheduled to begin next Thursday, reports Reuters . Japan and the International Olympic Committee are continuing to insist that the Tokyo Games will take place as scheduled in...

Man Behind Attack That Sickened Japan Gets Death

Satoshi Uematsu murdered 19 people in a 2016 stabbing attack outside of Tokyo

(Newser) - It was an attack that left Japan stunned and sickened in 2016, and the man behind it on Monday was sentenced to death by hanging. In what was at the time the country's biggest mass killing since World War II, then 26-year-old Satoshi Uematsu murdered 19 people at a...

If the Olympics Happen, This 11-Year-Old Will Be There

Organizers continue debate what to do amidst the coronavirus epidemic

(Newser) - An 11-year-old girl from Syria is set to become the fifth-youngest Olympian in history. The Guardian reports Hend Zaza qualified for the Tokyo Games in table tennis, a sport that has no minimum age, upon winning a qualifying tournament in Jordan last week. Hend, who is ranked 155th in the...

Twitter to Its Workers: Stay Home
Silicon Valley Hits
Back at Coronavirus
UPDATED
Mar 3, 2020 6:10 PM CST

Silicon Valley Hits Back at Coronavirus

Twitter, Google, other tech firms pushing remote work, other measures to stop COVID-19 spread

(Newser) - With coronavirus seeping into more corners of the world— Gizmodo puts its presence in nearly 70 countries, with more than 91,000 sickened and at least 3,100 dead—Twitter just made a major move to stop the spread. The BBC reports the social media giant has told its workers...

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