A new neutrino detector in China aims to spot mysterious ghost particles lurking around us

KAIPING, China (AP) — Underneath a granite hill in southern China, a massive detector is nearly complete that will sniff out the mysterious ghost particles lurking around us. The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory will soon begin the difficult task of spotting neutrinos:...

Japanese space startup aborts 2nd satellite launch attempt minutes after liftoff

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese space startup said its second attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after liftoff Wednesday and destroyed itself again, nine months after the company's first launch attempt ended in an explosion. Space One's...

Emotional reunion awaits anti-whaling activist Paul Watson after his sudden release in Greenland

LONDON (AP) — Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson was freed from prison in Greenland on Tuesday after five months in custody, and will not be extradited to Japan where he is wanted on charges of obstructing a whaling ship. Watson is planning to return home to be reunited with his...

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson freed from prison in Denmark and won't be extradited to Japan, his lawyer says

Orioles sign veteran RHP Tomoyuki Sugano to a $13M, 1-year contract after his MVP season in Japan

BALTIMORE (AP) — Tomoyuki Sugano is headed to the major leagues at last. The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $13 million, one-year contract with the star Japanese right-hander Monday night. Sugano is coming off an MVP season — his third — in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central...

Japan's SoftBank plans to invest $100 billion in US projects over the next four years.

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump joined SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son to announce plans by the Japanese company to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years. Trump announced the planned investments, which are expected to focus on...

US Marines start partial transfer from Okinawa in Japan to Guam under plan agreed 12 years ago

TOKYO (AP) — The partial transfer of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam began on Saturday, 12 years after Japan and the United States agreed on their realignment to reduce the heavy burden of American troop presence on the southern Japanese island, officials said. The relocation...

Once taboo, more Japanese women are brewing sake

OKAYA, Japan (AP) — Not long after dawn, Japanese sake brewer Mie Takahashi checks the temperature of the mixture fermenting at her family’s 150-year-old sake brewery, Koten, nestled in the foothills of the Japanese Alps. She stands on an uneven narrow wooden platform over a...

Japan business survey shows slight improvement in outlook for manufacturers

BANGKOK (AP) — A quarterly survey by Japan’s central bank shows business sentiment has improved slightly, especially in major heavy industries such as automaking, fossil fuels and machinery, while services industries were less upbeat. The survey released Friday by the Bank of...

Fresh fin whale meat is auctioned for the first time in decades in Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Meat from fin whales caught for the first time in nearly 50 years off Japan’s northern coast fetched up to more than $1,300 per kilogram (2.2 lbs) at auction Thursday, as officials try to keep the struggling industry alive. Japan’s Fisheries Agency this year added...