Japan

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Surviving WWII Sex Slave 'Dumbfounded' by Ruling

S. Korean judge rejects earlier ruling on compensation for 'comfort women'

(Newser) - In January, Amnesty International praised a South Korean court ruling as the first time Japan had been held accountable by a court for forcing hundreds of thousands of women and girls into sexual slavery during World War II. There was shock and dismay Wednesday as another judge in the same...

Clock Stopped by Earthquake a Decade Ago Restarts

After another earthquake in Japan

(Newser) - A clock that stopped working after the catastrophic 2011 earthquake in Japan has resumed ticking a decade later—after another strong earthquake. The BBC reports that the century-old, spring-driven clock in a Buddhist temple stopped keeping time when the temple was damaged by the quake and ensuing tsunami. The temple'...

Japan Ready to Dump Wall of Fukushima Water

China says move 'will pose serious harm' to people outside Japan

(Newser) - Japan has confirmed that more than 1.25 million tons of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant will be dumped in the Pacific Ocean . The radioactive water pumped through three damaged reactor cores to keep them from melting will be gradually released beginning in two years, according...

Transplant From Husband, Son Saves Life of COVID Patient

Infection destroyed Japanese woman's lung function

(Newser) - Surgeons in Japan say they have carried out a first-of-its-kind operation that will give hope to coronavirus patients with severe lung damage. In the world's first transplant of lung tissue from living donors to a COVID patient, a woman who had spent months on a life support machine received...

Online Bully's Fine in Netflix Star's Suicide: $80

'When will you die?' he asked Hana Kimura

(Newser) - A Japanese man has been fined $80 over online abuse directed at a reality star who later took her own life. Pro-wrestler Hana Kimura committed suicide last May after suffering social media abuse related to her appearance on Netflix's Terrace House, a reality show following six young people who...

Earliest Ever Cherry Blossoms Come With a Warning

Trends in Japan, Washington, DC, show impact from climate change

(Newser) - Japan's cherry blossoms have hit their earliest peak in more than 1,200 years, in a rather gorgeous sign of a devastating problem: ongoing climate change. Emperors, monks, and governors have kept records on cherry blooms since the 8th century, making it "incredibly valuable for climate change research,...

After Long Delay, More Bad News for Olympics Fans

Spectators from overseas have been banned from the summer event in Tokyo

(Newser) - Spectators from abroad will be barred from the Tokyo Olympics this summer. The decision was announced after a meeting of the International Olympic Committee, the Japanese government, the Tokyo government, the International Paralympic Committee, and local organizers, reports the AP . Officials say the risk was too great to admit fans...

Tokyo Olympics Official Resigns Over Cringey 'Olympig' Idea

Creative director Hiroshi Sasaki quits after idea involving plus-sized comedian Naomi Watanabe

(Newser) - Japan just may have an Olympic-sized problem with its "old men's club." One month after the 83-year-old head of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee stepped down for sexist comments, another top Olympics official is quitting in the wake of his own eyebrow-raising remarks. This time, per the...

IOC Makes Surprise Vaccination Deal With China

But Japan says its athletes won't take China's vaccine

(Newser) - Japan will not take part in China's offer—accepted by the International Olympic Committee—to provide vaccines for participants in the postponed Tokyo Games and next year's Beijing Winter Games. Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said Friday that Japan had not been consulted by the IOC about the Chinese...

Japan Marks 10th Anniversary of Triple Disaster

More than 18K died in earthquake, tsunami

(Newser) - Japan on Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that hit its northeastern region, where many survivors' lives are still on hold. Carrying bouquets, many walked to the coast or visited graves to pray for relatives and friends washed away by the tsunami, the AP...

Harvard Academic Claims 'Comfort Women' Chose to Be Sex Workers

J. Mark Ramseyer's article condemned by governments, historians

(Newser) - Historians agree that Japan forced many thousands of women into sexual slavery in World War II, euphemistically calling them "comfort women." Harvard law professor J. Mark Ramseyer, however, has caused an uproar by claiming that the women were actually sex workers who had chosen to work in military...

Want to Go on SpaceX Flight to the Moon? He's Paying

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa launches contest for 8 to ride with him to lunar orbit in 2023

(Newser) - It's a Frank Sinatra song come to life, courtesy of a billionaire. In 2018, tycoon and art collector Yusaku Maezawa, founder of Japanese online fashion mall Zozotown, was announced as the first signed passenger aboard SpaceX's Starship rocket, set to fly to the moon sometime in 2023. At...

US Turns Over 2 Americans in Smuggling of Nissan Boss

Father and son tried to avoid extradition in Carlos Ghosn case

(Newser) - An American father and son wanted by Japan for helping former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn escape from the country in a box were handed over to Japanese custody Monday, ending their monthslong battle to stay in the US. Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, failed to persuade US officials...

Suicide Spiraling, Japan Gets a 'Minister of Loneliness'

Development follows uptick in deaths, social isolation

(Newser) - Japan has appointed a minister of loneliness amidst a global pandemic and a rise in suicide. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga tapped minister Tetsushi Sakamoto, who is also in charge of combating a declining birth rate and reviving regional economies, for the new post at a Feb. 12 press conference, reports...

She Was Only 13 When North Korean Agents Took Her

They didn't realize Megumi Yokota was just a kid in 1977 abduction from a beach in Japan

(Newser) - The BBC recounts a harrowing chapter in relations between North Korea and Japan, a stretch from 1977 through the early 1980s when North Korean agents abducted Japanese citizens to help train their spies. North Korea has since admitted to this and apologized, though critics say the North has not acknowledged...

Japan's Ruling Party: Women Can Look, But Not Talk, at Meetings

Attempt to address sexism backfires

(Newser) - Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has proposed allowing more women to attend its male-dominated meetings—but it doesn't want them to say anything. Toshihiro Nikai, the party's 82-year-old secretary general, said this week that five female lawmakers should be invited to observe the meetings in order to...

Japanese Stock Market Hits 30-Year High
Japanese Stock Market
Hits 30-Year High
MARKETS
Feb 15, 2021 4:09 PM CST

Japanese Stock Market Hits 30-Year High

US markets were closed for Presidents Day

(Newser) - World shares started the week off with a rally, as Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed above 30,000 for the first time since 1990. European markets closed sharply higher on Monday, following the advance in Asia. Shanghai and Hong Kong were closed for the Lunar New Year. US markets...

Another Blow to Troubled Tokyo Olympics

Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori expected to resign over sexist remarks

(Newser) - The chief of the postponed Tokyo Olympics is apparently feeling the pressure, because after refusing to resign for sexist comments he made on Feb. 3, he's now expected to call it quits. Former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori, 83, is expected to resign during a Friday meeting of the...

Tokyo Olympics Chief Won't Step Down After Sexist Remarks

Yoshiro Mori apologized for saying meetings with too many women 'drag on,' but he won't resign

(Newser) - Anyone upset by sexist remarks made earlier this week by the head of the organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics might be glad to know he's now apologizing—but don't expect much more than that. "I will not be stepping down," former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro...

Disturbing Concern Raised About Land for US Base

Critics fear remains of unaccounted war dead are in soil being used for Okinawa construction

(Newser) - The project is controversial enough: Japan is building a new military base for the US in Okinawa to replace another that's being shut down, and the vast majority of Okinawans oppose the coastal construction, reports Stars and Stripes . In fact, local groups have asked President Biden to reconsider plans...

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