Nagasaki mayor addresses international criticism over ceremony invitations

SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - The city of Nagasaki in southwestern Japan has been inundated with roughly 1,500 messages of disapproval in English after choosing not to extend an invitation to Israel's ambassador for a recent event marking the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing, the city mayor said Tuesday. Mayor Shiro Suzuki revealed during a media briefing that the vast majority of these communications - around 1,400 - were duplicate emails expressing opposition to the city'

August 28, 2024

Japan reports first Chinese military aircraft airspace violation

SEOUL, August 27 (AJU PRESS) - Japan's Defense Ministry has confirmed the first airspace violation by a Chinese military aircraft, escalating tensions between the two nations amid ongoing maritime disputes. A Chinese Y-9 intelligence plane entered Japanese airspace over waters off the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture for about two minutes at 11:29 a.m. local time, prompting the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets, the ministry said Monday. The incident l

August 27, 2024

Japan to support hiking trail development in quake-hit Ishikawa

SEOUL, August 27 (AJU PRESS) - Japan's Environment Ministry plans to assist the Ishikawa Prefectural Government in establishing a long-distance hiking trail as part of reconstruction efforts following the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake, ministry officials said. The ministry aims to secure 900 million yen ($6.22 million) in its fiscal 2025 budget request to support the project, which is intended to revitalize the Noto Peninsula quasi-national park and boost tourism in the regio

August 27, 2024

Japanese startup Space One plans December rocket launch

SEOUL, August 26 (AJU PRESS) - Japanese private space company Space One Co. announced on Sunday its intention to launch a rocket in December, following a failed initial attempt earlier this year when the satellite-carrying projectile exploded shortly after lift-off, according to Kyodo News. The company said the Kairos rocket will be launched from its spaceport in western Japan. The first Kairos rocket exploded in midair in March after an onboard computer executed a self-destruction

August 26, 2024

Dolphin attacks injure 18 at Japanese beaches this summer

SEOUL, August 26 (AJU PRESS) - A series of dolphin attacks at beaches in Japan's central Fukui Prefecture has resulted in 18 injuries this summer, marking a significant increase from previous years, Kyodo News reported on Sunday. The Tsuruga Coast Guard Office said that the incidents, which began in 2022, have escalated rapidly. Among the injured was an elementary school student whose finger required extensive stitching and a month to heal. Experts suggest that a single Indo-

August 26, 2024

Japan to launch project identifying frequent medical visitors among welfare recipients

SEOUL, August 23 (AJU PRESS) - Japan's health ministry plans to implement a model project to swiftly identify welfare recipients who frequently visit the same medical institutions, using an online system linked to personal identification numbers, the Japan Times reported on Thursday. The initiative aims to provide necessary support and guidance to individuals before their medical visits become excessive. The project will utilize an online system containing information such as

August 23, 2024

Italian aircraft carrier makes maiden visit to Japan

SEOUL, August 23 (AJU PRESS) - Italy's flagship aircraft carrier Cavour docked at a Japanese naval base on Thursday, marking its first-ever visit to Japan as the European nation aims to expand its presence in the Indo-Pacific region, Kyodo News reported. The Cavour, accompanied by the frigate Alpino, arrived at the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo. The vessels are set to engage in joint exercises with Japanese forces during their five-day stay.

August 23, 2024

Japanese cartoonist of atomic bomb manga inducted into U.S. comics hall of fame

SEOUL, August 22 (AJU PRESS) - Keiji Nakazawa, the creator of "Hadashi no Gen" (Barefoot Gen), a seminal manga depicting the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, has been posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame on Thursday, Kyodo News reported. Nakazawa, who survived the bombing at age six, lost several family members in the attack. His autobiographical work, first published in 1973, has been widely translated and used as an educational tool to te

August 22, 2024

Japan businessman indicted in China on espionage charges

SEOUL, August 22 (AJU PRESS) - A Japanese businessman detained in Beijing since March 2023 on suspicion of espionage has been indicted by Chinese prosecutors, potentially prolonging his time in custody, Kyodo News reported. The man, an executive at Astellas Pharma Inc's local subsidiary and former senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, was detained on March 20, 2023, just before his scheduled return to Japan. He was formally arrested in Octobe

August 22, 2024

Japanese students call for nuclear disarmament at U.N. conference

SEOUL, August 21 (AJU PRESS) - A delegation of 22 Japanese high school students attended the United Nations disarmament conference in Geneva on Tuesday, submitting signatures advocating for the abolition of nuclear weapons, Kyodo News reported. The students, aged 15 to 18, were selected as peace ambassadors by a Nagasaki-based civic organization. They met with Carolyne-Melanie Regimbal, chief of service at the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs' Geneva branch, to present their

August 21, 2024