JAPAN TODAY
 
Japanese prosecutors have questioned former economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on a voluntary basis over a political funds scandal involving the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
The faction, formerly led by slain Prime M...

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JAPAN NEWS
 
The government plans to allow ocean disposal of volcanic ash if the Tokyo metropolitan area is hit by a massive ashfall following an eruption of Mt. Fuji, according to government sources.
In the event Mt. Fuji erupts on a scale similar to the 1707 Hoei eruption, volcanic ash that wou...

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SPACE.COM
 
JAXA's 2nd H3 flight is set for no earlier than mid-February, after the debut launch failed in March 2023.
The Japanese space agency's H3 rocket system will return to the launchpad in early 2024 after an explosive failure this year.
The H3 will launch from the Japan Aerospace Explorat...

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NIPPON.COM
 
Travelers flooded airports and major train stations in Japan on Friday to head to their hometowns in the first New Year holiday season since the government downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal flu.
To ease overcrowding, Central Japan Railway Co. an...

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DVIDS HUB
 
 
American and Japanese personnel participated in a large-scale training drill onboard Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), simulating an earthquake and an emergency response.
The drill, conducted on Dec. 15, included a focus on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald R...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
The Japanese government on Thursday gave the green light for a modified landfill plan that will see a key U.S. military base transferred within Okinawa Prefecture, taking the unprecedented step of overriding the local government's objection to the plan.
The Defense Ministry will com...

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NIKKEI ASIA
 
Ex-LDP member suspected of having paid ward assembly members in April election
Former Japanese senior vice justice minister Mito Kakizawa, a lawmaker who belonged to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was arrested Thursday over allegations of vote-buying in a Tokyo ward mayoral el...

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DIGITIMES
 
In response to the establishment of semiconductor facilities by major manufacturers in Japan, including TSMC's wafer plant in Kumamoto and Rapidus's new facility in Hokkaido, the demand for semiconductor engineers in Japan has reached critical levels.
Reports from Kyodo and Nikkei hig...

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BBC
 
A Japanese luxury department store has apologised for delivering hundreds of collapsed strawberry Christmas cakes.
Some 807 out of around 2,900 strawberry cakes delivered in the run up to Christmas were damaged on arrival, sparking a social media backlash.
Takashimaya said Wednesday it had ...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
Japan's nuclear power regulator on Wednesday lifted an operational ban imposed on Tokyo Electric Power Co's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant two years ago, allowing it to work toward gaining local permission to restart.
TEPCO has been eager to bring the world's largest nuclear...

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