Latest Tokyo News
Japan plans automated cargo transport system to relieve shortage of drivers and cut emissions
TOKYO (AP) — Japan is planning to build an automated cargo transport corridor between Tokyo and Osaka, dubbed a “conveyor belt road” by the government, to make up for a shortage of truck drivers. The amount of funding for the project is not yet set. But it's seen as one key...
Olympic medalist race walker Koki Ikeda of Japan suspended in doping investigation
MONACO (AP) — Olympic silver medalist race walker Koki Ikeda of Japan has been provisionally banned for suspected blood doping, track and field’s Athletics Integrity Unit said on Friday. Ikeda was second in the 20-kilometer event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and placed seventh...
TEPCO ex-chair at time of Fukushima nuclear disaster dies at 84 while on trial over responsibility
TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' former chairperson, who led the emergency response after a meltdown at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and was accused of being responsible for failing to prevent the disaster as top management, has died, with his trials still pending. He...
A second high court rules that Japan's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional
TOKYO (AP) — A second Japanese high court ruled Wednesday that the government's policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, the latest in a series of decisions upholding plaintiffs' demands for marriage equality. The Tokyo High Court called the ongoing ban “a...
Shohei Ohtani's rural hometown honors its superstar son -- from city hall to the hair salons
OSHU CITY, Japan (AP) — Shohei Ohtani's hometown in northern Japan is a rural place, famous for its high-quality Maesawa beef, its history of making traditional ironware and the intense green hills and mountains that surround it. Japanese call such places “inaka” — roughly...
What does a shocking parliamentary loss for Japan's long-ruling party mean?
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling party and its junior partner lost their majority in Sunday’s parliamentary election. The loss, much bigger than expected, is bad news for a leader who's only been in power for a month. It's largely a reflection of...
Developers begin cutting trees in a Tokyo park that environmentalists want to protect
TOKYO (AP) — Workers began cutting trees Monday in central Tokyo's Jingu Gaien park district to make way for a development project, a flashpoint for more than a year between environmentalists and real estate interests. Developers led by real-estate company Mitsui Fudosan have a...
Japan's ruling coalition loses a majority in the lower house, creating political uncertainty
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’ s ruling coalition lost a majority in the 465-seat lower house in a key parliamentary election Sunday, a punishment by voters' outrage over the governing party’s extensive financial scandals. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party...
Japan's ruling party may struggle in Sunday's vote, but its decades of dominance won't end
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ’s ruling party, dogged by corruption scandals and plunging support, faces its toughest challenge in more than a decade in Sunday’s parliamentary election. This could set up a very short-lived time in office for Ishiba, who...
Canon: Q3 Earnings Snapshot
TOKYO (AP) — TOKYO (AP) — Canon Inc. (CAJPY) on Thursday reported third-quarter profit of $480.9 million. On a per-share basis, the Tokyo-based company said it had net income of 50 cents. The office machine company posted revenue of $7.55 billion in the period. ...
