US Sailor Allegedly Confesses to Rape in Japan
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — One of the two U.S. sailors arrested in connection to the rape of a woman in Okinawa has confessed to the alleged crime, according to police on Japan’s southernmost island.Seaman Christopher Browning and Petty Officer 3rd…
Two Sailors Arrested for Alleged Rape in Okinawa
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(OKINAWA, Japan) — Two U.S. Navy sailors have been arrested in Okinawa for the alleged rape of a local woman. The arrests come at a rocky time for the U.S. military presence on Okinawa, which is home to half of the 50,0…
Protein Linked to Alzheimer’s Found in Wild Cats in Japan
HANS-ULRICH OSTERWALDER/Getty Images(TOKYO) — Could cats hold the latest clue in figuring out the cause behind Alzheimer’s?Japanese researchers say they’ve discovered a possible link to the disease in cats. Scientists who studied the carcasses o…
Diaper Shortage Possible After Japanese Plant Explosion
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — An explosion at a Japanese chemical plant this weekend has the spectre of a global diaper shortage.The plant in the coastal city of Himeji, operated by Nippon Shokubai Co., is one of the world’s largest producers …
One Killed, Dozens Hurt in Japanese Chemical Plant Explosion
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — A large explosion rocked a chemical plant in the coastal Japanese city of Himeji, killing one firefighter, and injuring more than 30 workers.Police said the blasts occurred as firefighters were trying to control a blaze…
Former Prime Minister Running Again in Japan’s Election
Jason Reed/Ryan McVay/Photodisc(TOKYO) — His first tenure lasted less than a year, but now Japan’s former Prime Minister is poised to return to power. The opposition Liberal Democratic Party elected Shinzo Abe as its new leader Wednesday. With p…
Panetta Steps into China-Japan Dispute over Islands
Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey, U.S. Air Force(WASHINGTON) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has found himself caught in the middle of a simmering dispute between China and Japan over Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea that has boiled over i…
Panetta Steps into China-Japan Dispute over Islands
Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey, U.S. Air Force(WASHINGTON) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has found himself caught in the middle of a simmering dispute between China and Japan over Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea that has boiled over i…
US, Japan Settle on Second Missile Defense Deal
Department of Defense Photo by Glenn Fawcett(TOKYO) — U.S. and Japanese officials have agreed to put a second advanced missile defense system in Japan aimed at protecting the country from the threat of a missile attack from North Korea, Defense Secret…
Tensions Rise in China-Japan Standoff
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Six Chinese patrol boats entered territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku or Diaoyu islands on Friday, escalating tensions in an ongoing standoff between China and Japan.China’s Foreign Ministry said the ships…
Japan to Phase Out Nuclear Power
DigitalGlobe via Getty Images(TOKYO) — The Japanese government unveiled a plan Friday to phase out nuclear power over the next three decades, signaling a dramatic shift in energy policy 18 months after the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.The pr…
‘Miracle Pine Tree’ Removed from Tsunami-Ravaged City in Japan
Sankei via Getty Images(TOKYO) — The tsunami-ravaged city of Rikuzentakata, Japan, has cut down the lone pine tree that survived the disaster 18 months ago and came to symbolize hope. But there are plans to keep the preserved tree on display.Cre…
Cops Say Japanese Man Stole More Than 1,100 Library Books
Photos.com/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Japanese police have arrested a 61-year-old man accused of stealing more than 1,100 library books.Officials say Mitsuka Suizu was initially arrested in July for taking a few books from the public library in Nagato, in we…
Cops Say Japanese Man Stole More Than 1,100 Library Books
Photos.com/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Japanese police have arrested a 61-year-old man accused of stealing more than 1,100 library books.Officials say Mitsuka Suizu was initially arrested in July for taking a few books from the public library in Nagato, in we…
Cops Say Japanese Man Stole More Than 1,100 Library Books
Photos.com/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Japanese police have arrested a 61-year-old man accused of stealing more than 1,100 library books.Officials say Mitsuka Suizu was initially arrested in July for taking a few books from the public library in Nagato, in we…
Japanese Judge Rules Samsung Didn’t Infringe Apple’s Patent
SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images(TOKYO) — A week after Samsung was ordered to pay over $1 billion to Apple for copyright infringement in the U.S., a decision on Friday in a similar, but much smaller, case in Japan didn’t end in Apple’s favor.A…
In Japan, Rogue Penguins Break Out of Zoo Yet Again
ABC News(TOKYO) -– Some pesky penguins in the Japanese city of Suzaka are acting like characters in a Madagascar movie and are giving zookeepers quite the headache with their repeated attempts to break free.A pair of 3-month-old chicks from Suzak…
Shunned Japanese Fukushima Plant Workers Face Emotional Toll
STR/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The March 2011 earthquake that triggered plant explosions and a meltdown in a Japanese nuclear power plant caused a chain reaction in the psyche of the workers at the plant, making them more vulnerable to emotional str…
Did Japanese Disaster Cause ‘Abnormalities’ in Butterflies?
DigitalGlobe via Getty Images(TOKYO) — Japanese scientists say “abnormalities” detected in the country’s butterflies may be a result of radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year.
In a study published in Scient…
US Women’s Soccer Wins Gold in Rematch Final Against Japan
KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/GettyImages(LONDON) — In front of a crowd of nearly 85,000 at London’s Wembley Stadium, midfielder Carli Lloyd led the U.S. women’s soccer team to a gold medal in Thursday’s final against Japan.The 2-1 victory was sweet revenge for …