Japan

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Town's Residents Warned About 'Abnormal' Cat

The cat is thought to have fallen in a chemical tank in Fukuyama, Japan

(Newser) - "Chemical kitty" might sound like the name of a punk band, but it's apparently a very real thing in one Japanese city. Fukuyama has warned its residents that it appears a cat fell into a tank of toxic chemicals at a metal plating factory and emerged covered in...

Japanese Rocket Explodes Seconds After Launch
Japanese
Rocket Launch
Does Not Go Well
VIDEO

Japanese Rocket Launch Does Not Go Well

Space One stumbles in its quest to become first private Japanese company to launch a satellite

(Newser) - Space One hoped to become the first private company in Japan to put a satellite into orbit. While the dream is still alive, the company's first attempt went horribly wrong as the rocket exploded seconds after takeoff around 11am local time Wednesday, or 10pm ET Tuesday. Livestream footage showed...

He Was a 'Big Tree' to Manga Artists Worldwide
He Was a 'Big Tree' to
Manga Artists Worldwide
OBITUARY

He Was a 'Big Tree' to Manga Artists Worldwide

Akira Toriyama, creator of 'Dragon Ball' comic series, other popular manga and anime, dies at 68

(Newser) - Akira Toriyama, the creator of the bestselling Dragon Ball and other popular manga and anime that influenced Japanese comics, has died, his studio said Friday. He was 68. Toriyama died March 1 of a blood clot in his brain, Bird Studio said in a statement. "He was working enthusiastically...

K-Pop Singer Tells Fans She's Sorry About Boyfriend Shock

Karina faced scolding and threats to withdraw support from her following

(Newser) - "Is the love given to you by your fans not enough?" read an electronic billboard placed outside a K Pop star's agency's headquarters. "Why did you choose to betray the fans?" Karina's offense was having a boyfriend, for which she has now offered a deep...

24 Fishermen Rescued From Half-Submerged Ship

Ship was rocking in rough seas off Japanese island

(Newser) - A Japanese coast guard helicopter rescued 24 fishermen as they desperately clung to the deck of a tilting, half-submerged ship being pounded by high waves Monday morning off an island chain southwest of Tokyo. One crewmember thrown from the rocking ship into the rough seas before the arrival of the...

Japan's Stock Market Surges Back to Where It Was in 1989

The country's financial bubble burst 34 years ago

(Newser) - Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index has surged past the record it set in 1989 before the country's financial bubble burst, ushering in an era of faltering growth. The index closed Thursday at 39,098.68, up 2.2%. Its previous record was 38,915.87, set on Dec....

Joining the Retro Revival: Cassette Tapes

Sales are on the rise in Japan as well as in the US

(Newser) - Cassette tapes are starting to catch some of the retro, nostalgic shine of vinyl records, spurring one manufacturer in Japan to bring back personal Walkman-type players. Younger Japanese music lovers are driving this trend, Nikkei Asia writes, despite many being born well after tapes were eclipsed by CDs, and later...

Space Success Leaves Japan's Agency 'So Relieved'
Space Success
Is a Relief in Japan

Space Success Is a Relief in Japan

Rocket makes orbit and releases observation satellites

(Newser) - Japan's flagship H3 rocket reached orbit and released two small observation satellites in a key second test following a failed debut launch last year, buoying hope for the country in the global space race. The H3 rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on time Saturday morning, two...

Japan Is No Longer World's 3rd-Largest Economy

It's been overtaken by Germany and will likely slip behind India in 2026

(Newser) - Japan's economy is now the world's fourth-largest after it contracted in the last quarter of 2023 and fell behind Germany. The government reported the economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.4% in October to December, according to Cabinet Office data on real GDP released Thursday, though...

Killer Whales Trapped Under Sea Ice Make a Break for It

Orcas off coast of Japan, spotted huddled together and bobbing in the waters, appear to have escaped

(Newser) - As a nation held its breath, so, too, did a pod of killer whales trapped beneath the ice off of the northern shores of Japan, bobbing their heads up and down from a small gap in the ice to breathe. Now, officials say the dozen or so orcas appear to...

Ukrainian-Born Miss Japan Resigns Over Affair
Miss Japan Resigns Over Affair

Miss Japan Resigns Over Affair

Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino largely blamed for relationship with a married man

(Newser) - The first woman of European descent to be crowned Miss Japan has given up her title following a report that she had an affair with a married man. Shukan Bunshun reported last week on Ukrainian-born model Karolina Shiino's relationship with Takuma Maeda, a married doctor and influencer. The Miss...

This Nation Just Weighed In on Swift at the Super Bowl

DC's Japanese Embassy says star could technically get to Vegas 'comfortably' after her Tokyo concert

(Newser) - There's still no official word on whether Taylor Swift will be swooping into Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11 to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce play in the Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl—but Japanese officials are stepping in to assuage fears that the "Karma" singer won't be able...

Go for the Latte, Stay for This Guy
Go for the Latte,
Stay for This Guy

Go for the Latte, Stay for This Guy

Japan brings us the hottest new trend, the pig cafe

(Newser) - First there were cafes that allowed pets. Then came cat cafes, where lattes took second place to feline interaction. The latest craze in Japan: The pig cafe. "It was wonderful. Very relaxing and enjoyable," said Brad Loomis, a software engineer from Pullman, Washington, after visiting Tokyo's Mipig...

'After Several Tense Days,' Moon Lander Is Alive Again

Following a rough landing, Japan's SLIM finally draws enough solar power to function once more

(Newser) - A Japanese moon explorer is up and running Monday after several tense days without the sunlight it needs to generate power. Japan's first lunar mission hit its target in a precision touchdown on Jan. 20, but it landed the wrong way up , leaving its solar panels unable to see...

New Miss Japan Was Born in Ukraine



New Miss Japan
Is a Bit Different
Than Past Winners
in case you missed it

New Miss Japan Is a Bit Different Than Past Winners

Carolina Shiino was born in Ukraine to Ukrainian parents, moved to Japan at age 5

(Newser) - Carolina Shiino was crowned Miss Japan on Monday, but the headlines on her win are focused on the debate surrounding it. The 26-year-old model from Nagoya, who was born in Ukraine to Ukrainian parents and moved to Japan when she was 5, is the country's first naturalized citizen to...

Photo Explains Why Japan's Moon Lander Isn't Talking

It landed upside down, and its solar panels aren't getting juice from the sun

(Newser) - The good news is that Japan landed a spacecraft on the moon , making it only the fifth nation to accomplish the feat. The bad news is that the SLIM craft landed upside down, on its nose, reports Space.com . The glitch explains why mission controllers in Japan have been unable...

Man Behind Horrific Anime Studio Arson Sentenced to Death

Shinji Aoba's attack left 36 dead

(Newser) - A Japanese court sentenced a man to death after finding him guilty of murder and other crimes Thursday for carrying out a shocking arson attack on an anime studio in Kyoto, Japan, that killed 36 people, the AP reports. The Kyoto District Court said it found the defendant, Shinji Aoba,...

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' Nears Its Target
A 5th Country Has
Landed on the Moon
UPDATED

A 5th Country Has Landed on the Moon

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' is sending back data but solar cells aren't working, JAXA says

(Newser) - This story has been updated with new developments. Japan has become the fifth country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon. The country's space agency, JAXA, says Smart Lander for Investigating Moon—SLIM—has landed on the moon and is sending back data, though its solar panel isn'...

After Japan Airlines Crash, a New President Takes Over

Mitsuko Tottori to become airline president in April as Yuji Akasaka moves to chairman role

(Newser) - Japan Airlines has named Mitsuko Tottori as its first woman president following a collision between one of its planes and a coast guard aircraft during Japanese New Year holidays that left five dead, per the AP . Tottori—currently senior managing executive officer of JAL and the first woman to climb...

Japan Earthquake Moved Coastline 820 Feet

7.6 magnitude quake caused significant uplift in some areas, pushing seafloor above water

(Newser) - The New Year's Day earthquake rocked Japan so significantly that the country's coastline shifted by as much as 820 feet, more than the length of two US football fields. The 7.6 magnitude January 1 quake caused significant uplift in some parts of the Noto Peninsula, Live Science...

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