Japan News

Japan’s most beloved flowers are often associated with April, but they’ll be at their most beautiful in Tokyo before that, says forecast. (soranews24.com)

Grand champion Kisenosato, the only Japanese wrestler at sumo's highest rank, decided to retire Wednesday after three straight losses at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. (Japan Today)

Being an idol singer in Japan is at least as much about the personality you radiate as the vocals you produce. Sure, idol songs may be almost invariably sweet and sugary, but the performers themselves are expected to be even more cheerful, cultivating the sort of earnest, plucky persona that attracts loyal fanbases. (Japan Today)

A car driven by a 79-year-old man ran onto the sidewalk near Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku Station on Wednesday afternoon, hitting and injuring five passers-by, police said. (Kyodo)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government appears to be considering redeveloping the former site of the Tsukiji food market as a venue for international conferences and expos. (NHK)

A Japanese court has ruled that a subway firm's severe evaluation of personnel with beards or mustaches was unfair, and ordered that damages be paid. (NHK)

Executives at major Japanese food maker Ajinomoto say they are raising prices of instant soup stocks and salt for home use, citing higher costs. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police are planning to send 10 men to prosecutors over an incident in which a mob damaged a truck during Halloween festivities in Shibuya Ward last year, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

An American man accused of manslaughter in the death of a 27-year-old woman and dumping it last year admitted to the allegations at the opening of his trial on Tuesday, reports the Asahi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo tax authorities have found that Google Japan failed to declare about ¥3.5 billion in income for 2015, a source close to the matter said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

The workforce in 2040 is projected to be 20 percent smaller than in 2017 due to overall population decline if the economy sees no growth and women and the elderly continue to have difficulty landing jobs, according to government study released Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Japan's oldest chimpanzee, Johnny, has died at the estimated age of 69, a zoo in western Japan said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

Haruhiko Kuroda may rue the day he visited Nagoya. In a Nov. 5 speech to business leaders in the city, the Bank of Japan governor came close to declaring the end of deflation and the dawn of a new era. (Japan Times)

The head of Japan's Olympic Committee is denying any wrongdoing related to allegations he used bribes to help secure the 2020 Tokyo Games. (NHK)

A Tokyo court has denied bail to Nissan Motor's former Chairman. Carlos Ghosn has been in detention for nearly two months since November. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 23-year-old man who splashed sauce on the clothing of women participating in Coming-of-Age Day ceremonies in Suginami Ward on Monday, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

Kabuki star Ichikawa Ebizo says he will assume his family's prestigious stage name of Danjuro next year. (NHK)

Japan Airlines has been excluded from a list of the world's 20 safest airlines. The carrier had been on the list for 3 years in a row from 2016. (NHK)

A 59-year-old man believed to be one of the main suspects in a bogus land deal in Tokyo has been arrested, a key development in the investigation into a mass-scale fraud that swindled billions of yen from the country’s leading house builder. (Japan Times)

A winter phenomenon known as "diamond dust" has been observed in the town of Biei in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido. (NHK)