Kerry on NKorea: US Would Not Rule Out Talks, but only if Denuclearization Steps Taken
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Tokyo Sunday for the last leg of his Asia trip, reiterating the Obama Administration’s pledge to seek a “peaceful resolution” on the Korean peninsula, amid increasing unease a…
New Technique Could Detect Pancreatic Cancer Early
Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Pancreatic cancer is a brutal and deadly disease. Fewer than five percent of patients who are diagnosed with it survive more than five years.Doctors believe that early detection could increase survival rates. However, t…
Puerto Rico Eliminates Team USA
Tom DiPace/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images(MIAMI) — Nelson Figueroa got the best of the USA on Friday night. The 38-year-old led his team to the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic on Friday with big six inning performance in Puerto Rico’s…
Japan Marks Second Anniversary of Deadly Earthquake and Tsunami
Sankei via Getty Images(TOKYO) — Services were held in Japan on Monday to mark the second anniversary of a devastating earthquake and tsunami that took nearly 19,000 lives and triggered the worst nuclear power plant accident since the Chernobyl disast…
On Eve of Quake Anniversary, Thousands Demand End to Nuclear Power
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Thousands rallied against a government plan to restart idle nuclear reactors in Japan on Sunday.The protests come as the country marks the second anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Two years later, 160,000 peo…
Japan Rattled by 6.2 Magnitude Quake, No Tsunami Warning Issued
Zoonar/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook Japan on Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The quake hit at 4:23 p.m. local time in northern Tochigi Prefecture and was 10 kilometers deep. It registered 5 on the Japan…
Japan’s Sweet Twist on Valentine’s Day
Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Nobody does Valentine’s Day quite like the Japanese — more specifically, Japanese women.While Feb. 14 has been set aside as the day of romance in the U.S., Japanese tradition calls for women to give chocolates …
Japan Scrambles Jets in Island Dispute with Russia
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — The Japanese government lodged a protest with Moscow on Thursday after two Russian fighter jets briefly violated Japanese air space above disputed islands off the northern coast of Hokkaido island, the defense ministry …
Did China Aim Radar at Japanese Ship?
George Doyle/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Tokyo has lodged a formal protest against Beijing after a Chinese warship aimed a radar used to direct missiles at a Japanese naval ship, reports The New York Times.On Tuesday, Itsunori Onodera, Japan’s defense ministe…
Japanese Pop Star Shaves Head for Dating Remorse
AKB48/YouTube(TOKYO) — In a long list of publicity stunts thought up by Japan’s most popular pop group AKB48, this may be the most bizarre.Minami Minegishi is one of the most popular idols in the 90-plus member super unit. The 20-year-old …
Investigation into Boeing’s Dreamliner Shifts to Monitoring System
Duncan Chard/Bloomberg via Getty Images(TOKYO) — The investigation into Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is now shifting from the battery maker to the company that manufactures its monitoring system.On Monday, Japan’s Transport Ministry said its inspectors and…
Top Japanese Official Urges Elderly to ‘Hurry Up and Die’
Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images(TOKYO) — Taro Aso has never been one to hold his tongue. But Japan’s deputy prime minister may have outdone himself with his latest gaffe.At a government panel to discuss social security reforms, the …
Japan Makes Bold Move to Help Boost Economy
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Japan’s prime minister is making a bold move — and staking the country’s financial future on it.Shinzo Abe has proposed the unlimited printing of money and a 2 percent inflation target to lift Japan out of decades of eco…
FAA, Boeing and NTSB Reps in Japan for 787 Dreamliner Investigation
Duncan Chard/Bloomberg via Getty Images(TOKYO) — Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing arrived in Japan on Friday to join the investigation into the 787 Dreamliner that made an emerge…
Two Japanese Airlines Ground 787 Dreamliners After Latest Mishap
Matt Hosford/ABC News(TOKYO) — Two Japanese airliners have grounded their Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes after a jet was forced to make an emergency landing on Wednesday, prompting more concerns as a recent string of mishaps continues to plague the new …
Cat’s Collar Yields Clues in Search for Hacker in Japan
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — The ongoing search for an anonymous hacker who has threatened Japanese schools and cities online took an unexpected twist on Wednesday after police found a digital memory card containing email riddles from the person atta…
Legendary Giant Squid Captured on Video
NHK/NEP/Discovery Channel(NEW YORK) — The elusive giant squid has never been captured on film — until now.Discovery and Japanese partner NHK captured the images of the squid deep beneath the Pacific Ocean during a mission that included more than 400 …
Japanese ‘War Tourist’ Gets Flak Back Home
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Boredom led Toshifumi Fujimoto to one of the world’s most dangerous countries. Now, the Japanese truck driver’s daring adventure across Syria as a “war tourist” is garnering headlines all aro…
Japanese Trash Site Yields $120,000 in Cash
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — An employee of a waste disposal site in Japan’s Hiroshima Prefecture on Tuesday found and reported $120,000 in cash mixed in with a pile of trash.The stash was discovered in the evening as the worker in Asaminami was mo…
Parents of Slain Japanese Student Push for Gun Control from Afar
Courtesy of Masaichi Hattori(TOKYO) — Mieko Hattori continues to fight for her son, 20 years later.In 1992, her teenage son Yoshihiro, an exchange student, was gunned down in Baton Rouge, La., after he accidentally approached the wrong house, dressed …