Japan

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Japan May Ditch Old Symbol Over Swastika Confusion

The 'manji' identifies Buddhist temples on maps

(Newser) - As Japan gears up to host the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and caters to a surging influx of foreign visitors, the country faces a cultural dilemma: Should it stop identifying Buddhist temples on maps with the traditional "manji" symbol that is often confused with a Nazi swastika? The symbol, from...

Spooky Tale in Japan: 'Ghost' Taxi Passengers Near Tsunami

Taxi drivers swear they had eerie encounters

(Newser) - When a Japanese college student started corresponding with taxi drivers in Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture for her senior sociology thesis, some became irritated, while others pretended they didn't hear her, Asahi Shimbun reports. But seven out of 100 drivers actually answered Yuka Kudo's odd question—"Did you...

Japan to Spend $107M on Tiny, Remote Island

The move could spark territory dispute with China

(Newser) - A tiny island in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 miles south of Tokyo is about to get a pricey makeover courtesy of Japan. It's all about allowing Japan to stake its claim to oil, rare metals, and lucrative fishing in the area around Okinotorishima, reports the Guardian . Japan...

Robot Farm to Churn Out 30K Heads of Lettuce a Day

Our automated overlords will be up and running by next year

(Newser) - "Robot-obsessed Japan" is how Phys.org describes a country bent on automation, and its latest agricultural efforts seem to back that claim up. The world's first robot-run farm will be up and running by mid-2017, Kyoto-based Spread has announced, and it plans to churn out 30,000 heads...

Oldest Man Dies After 112 Years of 'Not Overdoing It'

Yasutaro Koide said the secret was not smoking, drinking

(Newser) - The world's oldest man has died in Tokyo at the age of 112, two months short of his 113th birthday. Yasutaro Koide was born on March 13, 1903, and said his secret to a long life was not to overdo it, or drink or smoke. A native of Nagoya,...

Japanese Politician Hammered Over Decision to Take Paternity Leave

'Paternity leave is for workers. Lawmakers are not workers'

(Newser) - When his child is born sometime in the coming weeks, Kensuke Miyazaki will become the first Japanese politician to take paternity leave, the BBC reports. It's been an unpopular decision, to say the least. "Does he realize that if a lawmaker goes on paternity leave, his voters' voice...

New Year's Tuna Sells for $118K

80-year-old Tokyo tradition is about to change

(Newser) - It's among the biggest of Japan's many New Year holiday rituals: Early on Tuesday, a huge, glistening tuna was auctioned for 14 million yen, around $118,000, at Tokyo's 80-year-old Tsukiji market. Sushi restaurateur Kiyoshi Kimura has prevailed in most of the recent new year auctions, and...

Giant 'Sea Monster' Finally Surfaces

12-foot squid gets ogled in Japan's Toyama Bay

(Newser) - Huge sea creatures steeped in ancient lore don't often hang out by the shore with spectators—but one did in Japan this Christmas Eve. People on a pier in Toyama Bay saw a giant squid swim up near the surface, slip under boats, and tangle harmlessly with a local...

Issue of WWII Sex Slaves May Be 'Finally Resolved'

But the wording of Japan, S. Korea's deal is a little vague

(Newser) - South Korea and Japan say they've reached a deal to resolve a disturbing legacy of World War II—the issue of sex slaves, or "comfort women," forced to work in Japanese brothels for soldiers. An estimated 200,000 women, many of them Korean, were forced to take...

Japan Supreme Court: Couple Must Use Same Surname

Women's rights activists say the rule is antiquated, discriminatory

(Newser) - Japan's Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday that maintains a longtime civil rule some say is unconstitutional and discriminatory: forcing married couples to officially choose one surname, the BBC reports. Presiding Justice Itsuro Terada said that the surname mandate wasn't discriminatory, since a couple could choose to use...

&#39;Ghost Ships&#39; With Corpses Keep Turning Up Near Japan
'Ghost Ships' With Corpses Keep Turning Up Near Japan
in case you missed it
Dec 5, 2015 8:10 AM CST

'Ghost Ships' With Corpses Keep Turning Up Near Japan

Authorities think they're from North Korea

(Newser) - Over the past two months, the Japanese coast guard has been towing in gruesome finds off its western shores: fishing boats filled with nets, hooks, and, in some of the boats, decomposing corpses, NBC News reports. A total of between 20 to 25 bodies on 11 vessels (the latest boat...

Hunted Whales Could Net Japan $33 Million

Whale meat fetches a hefty price in certain countries

(Newser) - Tuesday marked the beginning of Japan's controversial fishing expedition to hunt and kill 333 Antarctic minke whales in defiance of the UN . So why does Japan think killing these whales is worth earning the ire of the international community and environmentalists? Discovery reports the estimated value of $33 million...

Japan to Begin 3-Month Antarctic Whale Hunt

Critics say whales don't need to be killed for conservation research

(Newser) - Japan is wasting little time in resuming its "scientific" whale hunte : Its whaling fleet will leave Tuesday for the Antarctic for a three-month, scaled-down hunt, the government says, despite protests. Monday's announcement comes days after Japan submitted its final plan to the International Whaling Commission after the...

Japan Is Going to Start 'Scientific' Whaling Again

Country plans to defy UN court ruling

(Newser) - Japan's whale meat restaurants are set to get fresh supplies with the resumption of what the country's government insists is scientific whaling. The country has decided to buck last year's International Court of Justice ruling and send its whalers back to sea under a revised plan. Under...

Study Suggests These Are the Least Honest Countries

Here's how the US did

(Newser) - China ranks as one of the least honest countries and the UK as one of the most, if a new study out of the University of East Anglia in the UK holds any weight. Presenting their findings at the London Experimental Workshop this week, researchers say they analyzed more than...

Tsunami Warning After 7.0 Earthquake Hits Japan

Tsunamis of up to 3 feet could hit

(Newser) - A tsunami advisory was issued for parts of southern Japan on Saturday after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of the island of Kyushu. The Japan Meteorological Agency said tsunamis of up to 3 feet could hit the coast of Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu and small islands...

Japan Paying 1st Fukushima Worker With Cancer

Country concedes possible radiation link, awards compensation

(Newser) - A Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant worker is the first diagnosed with cancer from possible radiation exposure and will receive compensation under the country's labor laws, the Japanese health and labor ministry said Tuesday, per the Wall Street Journal . The unnamed man, said by various sources to be in his...

Mom, Dad to 20-Year-Old Kid: Happy Birthday, Now Grow Up
Mom, Dad to 20-Year-Old:
Happy Birthday, We're Done
in case you missed it
Oct 11, 2015 6:38 AM CDT

Mom, Dad to 20-Year-Old: Happy Birthday, We're Done

He's given 'Notice of Expiration of Child-Rearing Services'

(Newser) - When young adults in the US reach the age of majority, they take on full legal responsibility for themselves and can do fun things like vote, sign contracts, and open bank accounts. In Japan, the same milestone means they get hit with rent charges and manifestos from their parents on...

Ultrasounds on Fukushima Kids Alarm Researchers
Ultrasounds on Fukushima Kids Alarm Researchers
NEW STUDY
Oct 9, 2015 8:05 AM CDT

Ultrasounds on Fukushima Kids Alarm Researchers

Study: Kids near the nuclear plant have thyroid cancer rates 20 to 50 times higher

(Newser) - For four years, nearly all kids living in Japan's Fukushima prefecture have received ultrasounds to gauge the effects of the nuclear disaster there in March 2011. Now a research team says the alarming results are in: Children living near the nuclear plant have thyroid cancer rates that are 20...

Entire Buildings Are Underwater in Japan

Rescue workers are overwhelmed in Joso, home to 60K

(Newser) - Raging floodwaters broke through a flood berm in Japan today and swamped a city north of Tokyo, washing away houses, forcing dozens of people to rooftops to await helicopter rescues, and leaving one man clinging for his life to a utility pole. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but...

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