Japan

Japan investigates subway death of Olympic official

Tokyo police said they are investigating a deadly incident on the city's subway, which media reports said involved a senior official at the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC). Private broadcaster Nippon…

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Number of babies born in Japan falls to record low

The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low last year, the health ministry said, as more couples put off marriage and starting a family amid a…

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Photo Story – Protest against Japan’s radioactive water discharge, in Seoul

A member of the Green Korea united group takes part in a protest against the release of radioactive water into the ocean from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, outside the…

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Adviser frets about Japan Olympics, volunteers reported quitting

Japan's most senior medical adviser said on Wednesday that hosting the Olympics during a pandemic was "not normal" while media reported thousands of volunteers quitting in advance. Most Japanese oppose…

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UPDATED: UK gets green light to start talks on joining Pacific trade deal

Member nations of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on Wednesday agreed to allow Britain to start the process of joining the pact, Japan's economy minister said.…

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Japanese cargo ship collides with foreign vessel, three missing

A Japanese cargo ship collided with a foreign-registered vessel in the Seto Inland Sea off the island of Shikoku in western Japan late on Thursday, national broadcaster NHK reported on…

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Japan’s service prices creep up as freight costs pinch firms

Japan's corporate service prices rose for the second straight month in April due to a rebound in advertising and freight fees, data showed on Wednesday, a sign the economy was…

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Olympics-Japan sees no impact on Games from US travel advisory

Japan's ruling party heavyweight said today that there are "realistic issues" over Tokyo Games which must be considered before a final decision, while Olympics minister sees no impact from the U.S. advisory…

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Tokyo doctors call for cancellation of Olympic Games due to COVID-19

A top medical organisation has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympics saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections less…

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Fujifilm unit launches COVID-19 detection kit for Indian, Californian variants

Fujifilm Holdings Corp said on Monday a subsidiary had launched a detection kit that can identify COVID-19 variants that were first identified in India and California. The kit developed by…

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Quake of magnitude 5.8 strikes off Japan’s southeast coast -EMSC

An earthquake of preliminary magnitude 5.8 struck on Sunday off the southeast coast of Asahikawa in Japan, the European earthquake monitoring service EMSC said. The quake hit at a depth…

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Unused COVID shots piling up in Japan amid slow rollout

Unused COVID-19 vaccines in Japan are set to reach tens of millions of doses, as the country is poised to approve two more shots in coming weeks and the pace…

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Northeast Japan jolted by 6.6 magnitude quake, no tsunami warning issued

TOKYO, May 1 (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 jolted northeast Japan on Saturday, shaking buildings in the capital of Tokyo and raising the possibility of landsides, although no tsunami…

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Japan to open large vaccination centers in Tokyo, Osaka -media

TOKYO, April 25 (Reuters) - The Japanese government is planning to open large vaccination centres in Tokyo and Osaka in the coming weeks in a bid to speed up its…

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Biden and Japan’s Suga project unity against China’s assertiveness

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Friday sought to present a united front with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to counter an increasingly assertive China as the…

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UAE partners with Japan’s ispace to send rover to the moon in 2022

Lunar exploration company ispace will transport a United Arab Emirates rover to the moon in 2022, the company said on Wednesday, as the UAE pushes for rapid expansion in the…

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Japan has world’s most powerful passport in post-pandemic world

Japan has the world’s most powerful passport, the latest rankings have revealed. As vaccine rollouts increase the likelihood of international travel resuming, the Henley Passport Index specifically looked at travel…

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Japan to release contaminated Fukushima water into sea after treatment

Japan will release more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear station into the sea, the government said on Tuesday, a move opposed by neighbours including China,…

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Japan denies considering vaccine priority for Olympic athletes

Japan said on Thursday it was not currently looking to prioritise COVID-19 vaccines for Olympic athletes, dismissing a media report that sparked a social media outcry since the country's inoculations are trailing…

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Japan fears COVID-19 variants are behind possible fourth wave

Japanese health authorities are concerned that variants of the coronavirus are driving a nascent fourth wave in the pandemic with just 109 days remaining until the Tokyo Olympics. The variants…

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Subaru to temporarily shut its plant due to chip shortage

Japan's Subaru Corp said on Monday that the automaker will shut its Yajima plant between April 10 and 27 due to a chip shortage, affecting 10,000 vehicles. Subaru will restart…

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Japan PM says to expand emergency measures as needed amid fears of new strains

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Sunday that he would expand emergency measures as needed to contain a new wave of coronavirus infections, amid fears over the spread of…

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Troubling “Eek” variant found in most Tokyo hospital COVID cases

Around 70% of coronavirus patients tested at a Tokyo hospital last month carried a mutation known for reducing vaccine protection, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said on Sunday. The E484K mutation,…

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U.S., Japan, South Korea begin talks on North Korea

The United States, South Korea and Japan began a day of talks on Friday to discuss President Joe Biden's long-awaited review of North Korea policy and other pressing concerns, including…

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Osaka wants its torch relay cancelled as COVID cases jump

Authorities in Japan's Osaka will discuss plans on Friday with organisers of the 2020 Tokyo Games to cancel the western region's leg of the Olympic torch relay, its governor said,…

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Olympic Torch Relay Gets Going Under Pandemic Shadow

With waves, smiles and high fives, but no cheers, the Olympic torch relay set off on Thursday, beginning a four-month countdown to the postponed 2020 summer Games in Tokyo, the…

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Toyota, Isuzu revive capital tie-up with focus on connected trucks

Toyota Motor Corp and Isuzu Motors Ltd announced a capital alliance on Wednesday, reviving a partnership to bolster their competitive edge in connected, commercial vehicles. Toyota truck unit Hino Motors…

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Japan’s KM Biologics begins clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Japan’s KM Biologics Co said on Monday it had started a human trial for its COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the country’s third candidate to advance to clinical trials. The first volunteer…

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Japan car makers scramble to assess impact of Renesas auto chip-plant fire

Toyota, Nissan , Honda and other Japanese automakers scrambled on Monday to assess the production impact of a fire at a Renesas Electronics automotive chip plant that could aggravate a…

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Updated – Magnitude 7.2 earthquake hits Japan area devastated a decade ago, tsunami alerts lifted

TOKYO, March 20 (Reuters) - An earthquake struck northeastern Japan on Saturday, hitting areas devastated by the 2011 disaster, generating a tsunami of 1 metre and shaking buildings. The quake,…

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Tokyo 2020 organisers say to refund around 600,000 Olympic tickets

TOKYO, March 20 (Reuters) - Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics will refund around 600,000 tickets for the Games and another 300,000 for the Paralympics, the chief executive of the organising…

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Tokyo 2020 likely won’t allow foreign Olympic volunteers -Kyodo

TOKYO, March 20 (Reuters) - The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Organising Committee is leaning towards barring foreign volunteers from helping at the delayed Games this summer, amid public concerns over the…

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In landmark ruling, Japan court says it is ‘unconstitutional’ to bar same-sex marriage

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese court ruled on Wednesday that not allowing same-sex couples to get married is "unconstitutional," setting a precedent in the only G7 nation not to fully…

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Karaoke spreading coronavirus in Japan

A rash of Japanese coronavirus clusters linked to daytime karaoke sessions by the elderly, including several linked to 93 cases in one prefecture, prompted a stern warning on Tuesday and calls for caution…

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Magnitude 4.8 earthquake shakes buildings in Tokyo, no tsunami warning – NHK

An earthquake of preliminary magnitude of 4.8 struck in central Japan's Ibaraki prefecture north of Tokyo at 4:56 a.m. local time (1956 GMT), according to public broadcaster NHK, briefly shaking buildings in…

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Japan asks for small VIP delegations to Olympics amid pandemic

Kyodo / Reuters - Japan has asked nations sending their heads of state or government to this summer's Olympics and Paralympics to limit the number of each of their accompanying…

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Japan mulls 50% cap on Olympics spectators

TOKYO, March 14 (Reuters) - Japan is considering limiting spectators for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics to 50% of venue capacity due to risks posed by the spread of…

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Myanmar’s first satellite held by Japan on space station after coup

Myanmar’s first satellite is being held on board the International Space Station following the Myanmar coup, while Japan’s space agency and a Japanese university decide what to do with it,…

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Ten years on, Japan mourns victims of earthquake and Fukushima disaster

With a moment of silence, prayers and anti-nuclear protests, Japan on Thursday mourned about 20,000 victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan 10 years ago, destroying towns…

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Japan to keep foreign spectators away from Tokyo Olympics, Kyodo says

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has decided to stage this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without overseas spectators due to public concern about COVID-19, Kyodo news agency said on Tuesday, citing…

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Japan COVID-19 inoculations hit by vaccine, syringe shortages

Japan's COVID-19 inoculation campaign is moving at a glacial pace, hampered by a lack of supply and a shortage of specialty syringes that underscore the enormous challenge it faces in…

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Fukushima operator completes removal of second set of spent fuel rods

Tepco, the operator of Japan’s wrecked Fukushima atomic plant, said it had successfully removed spent uranium fuel from a damaged reactor building in a key step in its clean up…

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Toyota develops fuel cell system to cut carbon footprint

Toyota Motor Corp said on Friday it has developed a packaged fuel cell system module, as it hopes to expand its usage and accessibility of the zero-emission technology amid the…

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Fujifilm to restart clinical trial of Avigan to treat COVID-19

Fujifilm Holdings Corp will restart a clinical trial in Japan of its antiviral drug Avigan for the treatment of COVID-19, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Sunday. Domestic approval of the…

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Japan finds new COVID-19 strain

Japan confirmed a new variant of COVID-19 presenting new challenges as the country tries to overcome a third wave of the pandemic. The new variant has been found in 91…

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Japan Health Ministry says it has approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine

TOKYO, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Japan's Health Ministry said on Sunday it has officially approved Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, the first such approval in the country as it steps up…

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Japan quake brings back memories of deadly 2011 tsunami

The stench of alcohol filled the small bar on Sunday as Aoi Hoshino swept up glass from whiskey bottles smashed in a strong earthquake the night before, one appearing to…

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Strong earthquake hits off coast of Japan’s Fukushima

TOKYO, Feb 13 (Reuters) - A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 hit off the coast of eastern Japan on Saturday, shaking buildings in Tokyo, but there appeared…

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Tokyo Olympics chief resigns, apologises again over sexist remarks

TOKYO, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned on Friday and apologised again for sexist remarks that sparked a global outcry, leaving the troubled Olympics searching for a chief five…

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Tokyo governor says Olympics facing ‘major issue’ after Mori’s sexist remarks

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Friday the Olympic Games were facing a "major issue" after the head of the organising committee made sexist remarks, with criticism of his comments…

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COVID-19 infections in Tokyo may have jumped nine-fold, antibody survey shows

The number of COVID-19 infections in Tokyo may have jumped by nine-fold since last summer, coronavirus antibody tests showed, as Japan tries to rein in the country's third and most lethal wave of the…

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Tokyo Olympics face another looming headache – no medical staff

Japanese doctors and nurses fighting the novel coronavirus will not have the time to volunteer to help at the Olympics, a medical association has said, raising another headache for organisers…

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EU vaccine curbs may delay Japan’s inoculation drive

European Union curbs on exports of novel coronavirus vaccines could delay Japan's inoculation drive, the minister in charge of the campaign said on Tuesday, while the government is expected to extend…

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The EU and Japan trade deal celebrates second anniversary by further strengthening ties

The 1st of February marks the second anniversary of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The Joint Committee established under the Agreement, co-chaired by Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Japanese Minister of…

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Panasonic to end solar panel production

TOKYO, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Japan's Panasonic Corp will cease production of its own solar panels, national broadcaster NHK and the Nikkei newspaper said on Sunday, citing increasing price competition…

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No Plan B: Japan’s sponsors shelve ads as mood sours over Olympics

OKYO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Japan's Olympic sponsors are scaling back advertising campaigns and delaying marketing events for this year's Summer Games, concerned that public sentiment toward the event is…

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Photo Story: Snowless Mount Fuji

The top of Mount Fuji is seen almost free of snow, from Kyonan, Chiba prefecture, Japan, 10 January 2021 (issued 20 January 2021). Mount Fuji's top is famous for its…

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