Japan, India agree to deepen cooperation on space, cybersecurity

SEOUL, August 21 (AJU PRESS) - Japan and India have agreed to enhance their cooperation in the areas of outer space and cybersecurity, according to a joint statement issued after the two countries' "two-plus-two" talks on Tuesday, Kyodo News reported. The statement said the foreign and defense ministers of the two nations had decided to update a 2008 declaration on security cooperation, which is expected to be signed when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Japa

August 21, 2024

Nintendo to open its first museum in Kyoto in October

SEOUL, August 20 (AJU PRESS) - Nintendo Co. announced on Tuesday that it will inaugurate its first-ever museum on Oct. 2 in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. The facility, housed in a renovated factory dating back to 1969, will showcase vintage video games and feature interactive exhibits, the Japan Times reported. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario Bros, said in a video release that the museum aims to highlight "Nintendo's commitment to manufacturing that places importance

August 20, 2024

Japan's ruling party to elect Kishida successor on Sept. 27

SEOUL, August 20 (AJU PRESS) - Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) announced on Tuesday that it will hold its presidential election on Sept. 27 to choose a successor to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who unexpectedly declared last week he would not seek reelection, Kyodo News reported. The LDP, which controls both houses of parliament, has set a 15-day campaigning period beginning Sept. 12, extending it from the 12 days allotted in the 2021 contest. This extension is se

August 20, 2024

Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo targeted by graffiti again

SEOUL, August 19 (AJU PRESS) - Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine was hit by another graffiti attack early Monday, prompting a police investigation, Kyodo News reported. A shrine employee discovered Chinese characters and Latin alphabet letters, including the word 'toilet' in Chinese, written in black on a stone pillar at the entrance around 3:50 a.m. local time. The incident follows a similar defacement in June, when the word 'toilet' was spray-painted in red

August 19, 2024

Mother of Japanese abductee appeals for reunion via Tokyo station ads

SEOUL, August 19 (AJU PRESS) - The mother of Megumi Yokota, a symbol of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago, has launched a public appeal for reunion through digital advertisements at major train stations in and around Tokyo, Kyodo News reported on Sunday. The 15-second video, featuring a family photo and a message from 88-year-old Sakie Yokota, is being displayed at Tokyo, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Yokohama stations from Aug. 5 to Sept. 1. The campaign was organized

August 19, 2024

Japanese executive returns home after Myanmar conviction

SEOUL, August 14 (AJU PRESS) - A Japanese business executive has returned to Japan following his release from detention in Myanmar, where he was convicted of violating rice pricing regulations imposed by the military government, Kyodo News reported on Wednesday. Hiroshi Kasamatsu, 53, merchandise division chief of Aeon Orange Co., departed Yangon on Tuesday and transited through Bangkok before reaching Japan. He had been held in custody for approximately six weeks, with the reasons

August 14, 2024

Hydraulic failure forces cargo jet's emergency landing at Tokyo's Narita

SEOUL, August 13 (AJU PRESS) - An Atlas Air Boeing 747 cargo aircraft executed an emergency landing at Tokyo's Narita International Airport early Tuesday, prompting the closure of one of the airport's two runways for several hours, the Japan Times reported. The incident occurred when the Los Angeles-bound freighter encountered hydraulic system complications shortly after takeoff. "The aircraft returned safely to Narita at 1:10 a.m. local time, with all seven crew member

August 13, 2024

Powerful Typhoon Maria hits eastern Japan, prompting widespread flood warnings

SEOUL, August 12 (AJU PRESS) - A powerful typhoon made landfall in Iwate Prefecture on Monday, marking the first such occurrence in Japan this year. The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued warnings of potential record-breaking rainfall as the storm traverses the country's northeastern region during the annual Bon summer holiday period, the Kyoto News reported. Some areas in Iwate have already received nearly twice the average monthly rainfall for August due to this slow-movin

August 12, 2024

Japan's Kishida scraps Asia tour amid earthquake concerns

SEOUL, August 9 (AJU PRESS) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has canceled his scheduled four-day visit to Central Asia and Mongolia following heightened seismic activity warnings in Japan, the Kyoto News reported on Friday. The decision came after the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an unprecedented advisory regarding an increased risk of a significant earthquake along the Nankai Trough, a seismically active zone stretching from southwestern to central Japan. The alert

August 9, 2024

Japanese wrestler Kusaka credits Udon noodles for Olympic gold

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - Japan's Nao Kusaka, who clinched the Olympic gold medal in the 77-kg Greco-Roman wrestling category on Wednesday, attributes part of his success to an unexpected source: udon noodles, a local Japanese food, Kyoto News reported. The 23-year-old athlete from Kagawa Prefecture, known for its udon speciality, defeated Kazakhstan's Demeu Zhadrayev in the final match at the Champ-de-Mars Arena. "I genuinely believe udon is a superfood," Kusa

August 8, 2024