Latest Japan News
Climbing limits are being set on Mount Fuji to fight crowds and littering
TOKYO (AP) — Those who want to climb one of the most popular trails on Japan's iconic Mount Fuji will have to book a slot and pay a fee as crowds, littering and climbers who try to rush too fast to the summit cause safety and conservation concerns at the picturesque stratovolcano. ...
No more cute snaps of Mt Fuji. A screen is up in a Japanese town to prevent tourist crowds
TOKYO (AP) — Sorry, the screen is now up — no more snapping cute photos of Mount Fuji from a popular sidewalk spot in the Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko. Known as a place that offers some of the best views of the iconic Japanese mountain, the town last month started erecting a...
UN Security Council rejects Russia-backed resolution on banning weapons in space
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States said Monday that Russia last week launched a satellite that could be part of weaponizing space, a possible future global trend that members of the United Nations Security Council condemned even as they failed to pass a measure against it. The...
Studio Ghibli takes a bow at Cannes with an honorary Palme d'Or
CANNES, France (AP) — Studio Ghibli, the Japanese anime factory of surreal ecological wonders that has for 39 years spirited away moviegoers with tales of Totoros, magical jellyfish and floating castles, was celebrated Monday by the Cannes Film Festival with an honorary Palme d'Or. ...
US ambassador to Japan visits southern islands at the forefront of China tension
TOKYO (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Japan stressed Friday the importance of increased deterrence and his country’s commitment to its key ally as he visited two southwestern Japanese islands at the forefront of Tokyo's tension with Beijing. Rahm Emanuel visited Yonaguni, Japan’s...
As Japan's yakuza weakens, police focus shifts to unorganized crime hired via social media
TOKYO (AP) — A senior member of yakuza was arrested for allegedly stealing Pokemon cards near Tokyo in April, a case seen as an example of Japanese organized crime groups struggling with declining membership. Police agents who were busy dealing with thousands of yakuza members just...
Japan passes a revised law allowing joint child custody for divorced parents for the first time
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s parliament on Friday passed a revision to the country’s civil code that will allow divorced parents the option of joint child custody, a change that brings the nation in line with many other countries. The revision, the first to custody rights in nearly 80...
USS Ronald Reagan leaves its Japan home port after nearly 9 years
YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — A U.S. Navy strike group's flagship aircraft carrier left its Japanese home port on Thursday, wrapping up nearly nine years of deployment in the Indo-Pacific, where it served a key role in the U.S. effort to bolster defense ties with Japan and other partners in the region. ...
Japan, US move ahead in co-developing hypersonic weapons interceptor as regional threats grow
TOKYO (AP) — Japan and the United States on Wednesday signed an arrangement 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 being tested by North Korea. ...
Japanese automaker Honda revs up on EVs, aiming for lucrative US, China markets
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automaker Honda reaffirmed its commitment to electric vehicles Thursday, saying it will invest 10 trillion yen ($65 billion) through fiscal 2031 to deliver EV models around the world, including the U.S. and China. “Honda has not changed its belief that EVs...
