JAPAN TODAY
TOKYO — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he aims to strengthen his political base by winning an upper house election this summer, while underscoring the importance of the recently agreed free trade area among Pacific nations.
“In order to achieve results, we need a stable basis. ...

More

JAPAN TRENDS
Christmas and New Year are over, so it’s already time to look towards the next big public (and commercial) holiday: Valentine’s Day.
Regular readers will know that February 14th in Japan is a bit different, since traditionally on that day it is the women who give chocolate to the men...

More

JAPAN TRENDS
In Japan, even the police have their own moe cute mascot characters.
The Japanese metropolitan police has a “crime deterrence measures” department. While that sounds very serious, in Japan that needn’t preclude being kawaii.
This can be seen in Tewatasanaiinu (roughly, “don’t leave i...

More

JAPAN TRENDS
Artist Asami Kiyokawa, known for her extravagant combination of embroidery and photography, and collaborations with top models and actresses, has got together with Starbucks Japan to create a special Starbucks Card that uses augmented reality.
Kiyokawa’s design is an unsurprisingly f...

More

JAPAN TODAY
 TOKYO —Japan said Thursday it has detected no changes in radiation levels within its territory, following North Korea’s claimed test of a hydrogen bomb the day before.
Concern in Japan over potential radiation drifting across the sea from North Korea skyrockets whenever it conducts u...

More

ROCKET NEWS
Say hello to the world’s first sakura-flavoured energy drink from Red Bull.
If you ever wanted a pick-me-up to get you through the hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party season, Red Bull’s got you covered this year with an appropriately themed beverage. Simply called “The Spring Editio...

More

JAPAN TRENDS
 Nissan has created a fun film of an eight-year-old giving his mom a very nice surprise.
Hinata and his mom take a drive in a Nissan Dayz HIghway.
Mrs. Masuda thinks she is going to be appearing in a marketing video but instead gets directed to a special car park where her family pro...

More

JAPAN TODAY
 TOKYO —Japan will send a huge cache of plutonium—enough to produce 50 nuclear bombs—to the United States as part of a deal to return the material that was used for research, reports and officials said Tuesday.
The plutonium stockpile, provided by the U.S., Britain and France decades ...

More

ROCKET NEWS
Looking for some cute kicks to get yourself ready for spring? Then it’s time to check out this collaboration between IROnna and Sanrio!
Sanrio hardly needs any introduction at this point—we assume that if you read RocketNews24, you probably know who owns the world’s cutest character, ...

More

JAPAN TIMES
Makoto Yamauchi is taking comfort in a dizzying array of hangover cures, from clam elixirs to turmeric tonics, as Japan’s new year party season gets into full swing.
The bottled drinks are a multimillion-dollar business in Japan and ’tis the season for recovery tonics as millions turn...

More