World news
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Japanese singer and actor Miho Nakayama dies aged 54
After making her name with J-pop hits, the performer went on to win acclaim for film roles including Love Lett…
- Japan, Food & drink industry, Heritage, Business, Unesco, United Nations, World news, Asia Pacific, Culture
Sake: Japan’s ‘divine gift’ given special status by Unesco
Rice wine enshrined as part of ‘cultural heritage of humanity’ Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-fa…
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London to host only second professional Sumo wrestling contest outside of Japan
Royal Albert Hall will host five-day event in October, after bringing in specialist soil and a strengthened st…
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Japan’s Nomura bank boss takes 30% voluntary pay cut after worker tries to kill customer
Wealth management employee charged with robbery, attempted murder and arson after home visit to elderly client…
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Replica Harry Potter swords recalled in Japan for breaking weapons law
Police said 86cm stainless steel blade – mounted on a wooden plaque and sold in the hundreds – contravened Jap…
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Anti-whaling activist to learn if he will be extradited to Japan within 14 days
Paul Watson, an early Greenpeace member, says his imprisonment in Greenland is a ‘political case’The anti-whal…
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Remembering Every Night review – drifting drama follows three Tokyo women living their lives
Yui Kiyohara’s film of long shots and silences could be deeply boring or oddly fascinating depending on your p…
- Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Environmental activism, Canada, Greenland, Japan, Environment, Marine life, Greenpeace, Cetaceans, Wildlife, US news, Protest, World news, Whales
‘If I’m sent to Japan, I’m not coming home’: jailed anti-whaler defiant in face of extradition threat
Sea Shepherd’s Paul Watson talks about his arrest on behalf of the Japanese government, his ‘interesting’ Gree…
- Press freedom, Japan, Newspapers & magazines, Espionage, World news, Media, Asia Pacific, China, Newspapers
China sentences journalist to seven years on spy charges, family says
Dong Yuyu was detained in 2022 after meeting Japanese diplomats named agents of ‘espionage organisation’A vete…
- Japan, Reality TV, World news, Documentary films, Asia Pacific, Television & radio, Television, Culture, Film
The Contestant review – the cruelty of reality TV on show in one of its earliest manifestations
Tomoaki Hamatsu was a sensation over the year he stayed alone in a single room amusing the camera, but this do…
- Music, Pop and rock, Japan, Technology, Artificial intelligence (AI), Computing, World news, Asia Pacific, Culture
‘Hatsune Miku has a special part in my heart’: the 16-year-old pop sensation who does not exist
Miku is a ‘Vocaloid’ – a holographic avatar that represents a digital bank of vocal samples – and performs sel…
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Tokyo Metro wins contract to operate London’s Elizabeth line
Consortium including company that runs Tokyo’s renowned metro system to take over from China’s MTR in MayBusin…
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Shuntaro Tanikawa, giant of Japanese poetry, dies aged 92
The poet also wrote the lyrics for the Astro Boy theme song and translated Peanuts into JapaneseShuntaro Tanik…
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Japan, Ukraine, Europe, Vladimir Putin, North Korea, World news, Russia, Donald Trump
Japan’s minister visits Ukraine to stress ‘grave concern’ over North Korean troops
Tokyo to also discuss growing military links between North Korea and Russia, Japan’s foreign ministry saidJapa…
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Japan’s parliament re-elects PM Shigeru Ishiba despite bruising election result
Ishiba’s governing coalition lost majority and needs to find new partner or get consent from opposition to ena…
- Kenya, Hospitals, Japan, Brazil, Sweden, Europe, Australia news, Africa, Nutrition, Society, NHS, Health, World news, Asia Pacific, Spain, UK news, Italy, Americas, Taiwan, Food
Bland, soggy slop or scratch-cooked chilli and pancakes? The best and worst hospital food around the world – in pictures
From Kenya to Brazil, patients need tasty, nutritious food more than most – so which countries do it best?• ‘W…
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Coffee, sandwiches, underwear, beer: a day in the life of Japan’s beloved konbini stores
Convenience stores are a neat and functional retail institution in Japan, where customers can access the daily…
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Justin McCurry’s day of eating only Japanese convenience store food – video
Unlike their western counterparts, convenience stores – or konbini – are a neat and functional retail institut…
- Sunderland, Job losses, Japan, Electric, hybrid and low-emission cars, Automotive industry, Business, Nissan, World news, Asia Pacific, UK news, Manufacturing sector
Nissan to cut 9,000 jobs globally after sinking to a loss
Production capacity at Japanese carmaker will be reduced by 20% and sales budgets cut Nissan has announced it …
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World’s first wooden satellite launched into space
LignoSat, developed in Japan and launched from Florida, expected to reduce space junk as it burns up on re-ent…