Japan

After many setbacks, on December 11 a new space firm in Japan successfully launched a spacecraft toward the moon. This is an important step toward achieving a first for both the country as a whole and for a private enterprise. After two delays brought on by inspections of its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the HAKUTO-R mission that was being carried …

Three female teachers formerly employed at a nursery school in Susono, a city in central Japan near Mount Fuji, were detained on suspicion of routinely abusing toddlers in their care on Sunday. The teachers were detained hours after police searched the private school in response to the city’s Wednesday statement that they were engaged in 15 incidences of abuse between …

Japanese football supporters in Singapore were elated by their national team’s World Cup performance on Thursday, when they recovered from behind to defeat former champion Spain (Dec 1). Hajime Moriyasu’s squad defeated Spain 2-1 in their final group stage encounter, clinching first place and a spot in the round of 16. The outcome also resulted in the elimination of former …

Japan defeated 2010 World Cup champions Spain 2-1 on Thursday, December 1 (Friday, December 2, Manila time) to advance to the round of 16 along with their defeated opponents and eliminate Germany in one of the finest nights for the Samurai Blue. At halftime, facing the danger of an early World Cup elimination, Japan set up a round of 16 …

A Japanese filmmaker who was imprisoned for over four months in Myanmar described parts of his captivity there as “hell” and urged Tokyo to take a harder stance against human rights violations in the military-controlled country. Since the military ousted an elected government in Southeast Asia a year ago, the nation has been in disarray. In an effort to stifle …

Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has reached a new low, according to a poll released on Sunday, November 27. A string of cabinet resignations has exacerbated outrage over the ruling party’s ties to a controversial religious group. In a Kyodo news poll conducted one month ago, support for Kishida’s cabinet dropped from 37.6% to 33.1%, his lowest …

Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano scored late goals to give Japan a 2-1 victory over Germany in the World Cup on Wednesday, November 23. The four-time champions appeared to be cruising to victory thanks to an Ilkay Guendogan penalty, but they paid the price for missing opportunities. It was a replay of their 2018 World Cup nightmare when, as defending …

The office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in western Hiroshima prefecture discovered mistakes in receipts linked to a campaign expenditure report on Thursday, November 24, after a magazine highlighted suspected violations of election funding laws. The claims are a further setback for the prime minister, who has seen three cabinet ministers resign in the past month and whose public …

SHEIN, a Chinese fashion eCommerce company, intends to create a permanent facility to complement its internet brand with a physical presence. A representative for SHEIN told Reuters that this location is the company’s first actual event space worldwide. This follows the opening of the brand’s first pop-up store in Japan earlier this year, as well as a temporary location in …

On Thursday, November 3, North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles, including a probable failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that prompted an alarm for inhabitants in regions of central and northern Japan to seek shelter. In spite of an earlier government warning that a missile had flown over Japan, Tokyo later stated that this was false. The missile may have been …