Japan

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Japan&#39;s Economy Shrinks at a Record Rate
Japan's Economy Just Imploded
Aug 17, 2020 12:52 AM CDT

Japan's Economy Just Imploded

Country suffers worst contraction on record—27.8%

(Newser) - Japan’s economy shrank at an annual rate of 27.8% in April-June, the worst contraction on record, as the coronavirus pandemic slammed consumption and trade, according to government data released Monday. The Cabinet Office reported that Japan’s preliminary seasonally adjusted real gross domestic product, or GDP, the sum...

Leaking Oil Ship Splits Apart
Leaking Oil Ship Splits Apart
Aug 16, 2020 11:50 AM CDT

Leaking Oil Ship Splits Apart

And remaining fuel is spilling off the coast of Mauritius

(Newser) - The grounded Japanese ship that leaked tons of oil near protected areas off the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius has split apart, officials said Saturday, with remaining fuel spreading into the turquoise waters, the AP reports. Photos posted on social media by the official cleanup effort with support of...

Some Carried 'Own Eyeballs in Their Hands' in Hiroshima

The world, media reflect on the 75th anniversary of the dropping of the bomb

(Newser) - Its code name was "Little Boy," but its impact was anything but small. Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945. By the end of that year, 140,000 deaths—mostly of civilians—were tied to the...

World Has a New No. 3 in Virus Deaths
Things Are Getting
Worse for Mexico
Aug 1, 2020 10:30 AM CDT

Things Are Getting Worse for Mexico

The nation edges into third place with coronavirus deaths

(Newser) - Mexico now has the third most COVID-19 deaths in the world, behind Brazil and the US, the AP reports. Mexican health officials on Friday reported 688 new deaths, pushing the country's confirmed total to over 46,600. That put Mexico just ahead of the UK, which has more than...

Court Rules 84 People Are Atomic Bomb Victims

They were exposed to radioactive 'black rain' after the attack on Hiroshima

(Newser) - A Japanese court on Wednesday for the first time recognized people exposed to radioactive “black rain" that fell after the 1945 US atomic attack on Hiroshima as atomic bomb survivors, ordering the city and the prefecture to provide the same government medical benefits as given to other survivors. The...

Japan Has Big Issue With Statue of a Kneeling Man

Tokyo questions whether bronze figure in South Korean garden represents Shinzo Abe

(Newser) - A pair of new statues in South Korea of a man kneeling in front of a girl symbolizing a victim of sexual slavery by Japan's wartime military is the latest subject of diplomatic sensitivity between the countries, with Tokyo's government spokesperson questioning whether the male figure represents the...

Ambassador's Mustache That Irked a Nation Is No More

Harry Harris' facial hair was too harsh a reminder of Japanese colonialism for some

(Newser) - To most Americans, Harry Harris' mustache likely wouldn't cause a second glance. But to South Koreans, the US ambassador's facial hair became a lightning rod —and over the weekend, he finally shaved it off. The envoy headed to a barbershop in Seoul on Saturday to go under...

'Dark Fishing Fleets' Blamed for Rise in Ghost Ships

Chinese vessels are forcing North Koreans to fish elsewhere, researchers say

(Newser) - "Ghost ships" carrying the bodies—or skeletons—of North Korean fishermen have been washing up in Japan for years, but there was a massive increase after 2017. A new study links the rise to "dark fishing fleets" of Chinese vessels in North Korean waters in violation of United...

66 Dead, 2K Stranded in Japan Flooding

Country is braced for more heavy rain

(Newser) - Parts of Japan still searching for missing people and evacuating those stranded by deadly floods and mudslides are bracing for more pounding rains through the weekend. The death toll stood at 66 as of Friday morning, with 16 others still missing, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency says. Most of...

A Real-Life Ninja? One Guy Is Close


A Real-Life
Ninja?
One Guy
Is Close
Jun 29, 2020 12:00 PM CDT

A Real-Life Ninja? One Guy Is Close

A Japanese university has its first graduate in a ninja program

(Newser) - Ninjas are the stuff of lore in Japan, not to mention Hollywood. But now a 45-year-old Japanese man can lay claim to being the closest thing to an actual ninja in the modern world. Genichi Mitsuhashi is the first person to complete a rigorous master's program in the ninja...

Teen Pushes Back on Government's Gaming Rules

Japan's Wataru, 17, says limits on video games, smartphone use are unconstitutional

(Newser) - In 2018, the World Health Organization added "gaming disorder" to its official list of addictive diseases. This past April, the Kagawa prefecture government on Japan's Shikoku island decided to address the issue head-on, putting in place regulations that asked parents to limit the playing of video games by...

Japan Theme Parks Can Reopen, But Screaming Is Banned

Haunted house ghosts should maintain social distancing, according to new guidelines

(Newser) - Riders may soon be able to enjoy the terrifying Takabashi ride at Japan's Fuji-Q Highland amusement park again—but they will be urged to wear masks and refrain from screaming during its 121-degree drop. The country's theme park operators have released new guidelines for reopening as Japan eases...

2 Americans Arrested Over Ghosn Escape

Ex-Green Beret, son face extradition to Japan

(Newser) - A former Green Beret and his son have been arrested in Massachusetts in connection with former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan —and prosecutors say it would be a very bad idea to release Michael and Peter Taylor on bail during extradition proceedings. "Michael Taylor is...

In This Nation, 'Murder Hornets' Used in Snacks, Drinks, Decor

But don't try what they do in Japan here in the US, scientists warn

(Newser) - Asian giant hornets (aka "murder hornets") may now be scaring people in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, but while they're just as aggressive and dangerous in Japan, people there don't simply fear them: They eat them. The New York Times notes that Japanese gourmands appreciate the...

US Air Force: Yep, We Bombed Japan by Mistake

And here's how it happened

(Newser) - Nothing like having a 500-pound bomb land on your property—but that's what someone experienced in Japan last year. A US Air Force F-16 fighter was flying a training mission in November when the pilot dropped a GBU-12 Paveway II bomb near Daughon Bombing Range in Aomori Prefecture, Popular ...

Aquarium's Problem: Its Eels Are Forgetting People Exist

An 'unprecedented situation' in Tokyo

(Newser) - A Japanese aquarium has an "urgent request" for locals who can't stop by for a visit due to the coronavirus shutdown: It wants them to partake in a "face-showing festival" instead and call in for a video chat with its spotted garden eels, for whom the presence...

Japan Makes Desperate Move to Maintain Social Distancing

Officials in Sakura canceled flower fest, cut at least 100K tulips so people wouldn't congregate

(Newser) - Who can resist an aromatic flower on a sunny spring day? Not many, is what Japanese officials are betting, which is why a popular flower festival has been nixed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Sakiho Kusano, a tourism official with the city of Sakura, tells Reuters that visitors flocked to the...

Expert Doubts Olympics Will Happen Next Year

Professor says he is 'very pessimistic'

(Newser) - A Japanese professor of infectious disease says he is "very pessimistic" the postponed Tokyo Olympics can open in 15 months. "To be honest with you, I don't think the Olympics is likely to be held next year,” Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious disease at Kobe...

Japan Thought Virus Was Under Control. Now, 'Cries of Desperation'

COVID-19 infections are surging, country's emergency medical system is collapsing

(Newser) - Hospitals in Japan are increasingly turning away sick people as the country struggles with surging coronavirus infections and its emergency medical system collapses. In one recent case, an ambulance carrying a man with a fever and difficulty breathing was rejected by 80 hospitals and forced to search for hours for...

After 4 Days of Declining Numbers, Spain Sees a Jump

While China reports zero new deaths

(Newser) - Declining or at least flattening coronavirus numbers in world hot spots ( including New York ) have buoyed hope in recent days, but Spain just recorded at least a temporary reversal of that. The nation registered 743 new deaths from Monday to Tuesday, up about 100 from the previous 24-hour...

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