Senior Japanese official rejects U.S. demands to ease beef import terms
January 18, 2006Japan's agriculture minister on Wednesday rejected U.S.
U.S. sailor arrested for trespassing in Japanese junior high school
January 18, 2006Japanese police arrested a U.S. sailor who was found trespassing in a junior high school early Wednesday, a police official said.
Strong earthquake hits off northern Japan coast; no tsunami alert
January 18, 2006A strong earthquake with a preliminiary magnitude of 5.7 struck off the coast of northeast Japan on Wednesday evening, the Meteorological Agency said.
Japan says it will continue whaling despite international protest
January 18, 2006Japan will continue its whale-hunting program despite mounting international protest, a fisheries official said Wednesday.
Prosecutors begin to analyze over 100,000 e-mails on Livedoor executives' computers
January 18, 2006Prosecutors have begun analyzing over 100,000 e-mails on the personal computers of Livedoor President Takafumi Horie and other executives to see if they include evidence of their alleged illegal takeovers of companies, sources at law enforcement authorities said Wednesday.
Convicted killer Miyazaki says 'voices in head' worsen after death sentence upheld
January 18, 2006Convicted serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki, who faces execution for murdering four young girls in the 1980s, met with a psychologist on Wednesday, the day after the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty against him, saying his auditory hallucinations has worsened since the ruling.
Members of theft ring suspected of 200 break-ins face fresh charges
January 18, 2006KUMAGAYA, Saitama -- Four Chinese members of a theft ring suspected of committing about 200 burglaries in northern areas of Saitama Prefecture and in Gunma Prefecture face fresh charges of theft, police said.
Local Tokyo ward carries out destructive tests on shaky condo
January 18, 2006Officials in Tokyo's Ota-ku chipped away pillars and beams in a condominium building constructed using falsified earthquake resistance data on Wednesday, checking on the amount of steel reinforcement in pillars.
LDP legislator Matsumoto set to resign over vote-buying scandal
January 18, 2006Ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) legislator Kazumi Matsumoto is set to resign over a vote-buying scandal involving his campaign office in the September 2004 general election.
Hokkaido Univ. postgraduate student accused of trying to rape woman
January 18, 2006HAKODATE, Hokkaido -- A student at prestigious Hokkaido University's postgraduate school has been arrested for attempting to rape a woman, police said.
World's first 'maglev' elevator ready by 2008: Japanese company
January 18, 2006The world's first elevators controlled by magnetic levitation will debut as early as 2008, a Tokyo-based company said Tuesday.
Man nabbed for licking little girls' tongues
January 18, 2006YOKOHAMA -- A man who licked the tongues of more than 30 young girls after making them open their mouths, telling them he was checking for tooth decay, has been arrested, police said.
TV Tokyo cited for making 'noddy' appear dodgy
January 18, 2006TV Tokyo acted unethically when it made the subject of a documentary appear to be preying on gullible old people, according to BRC, the industry's watchdog.
Livedoor group doctored audit papers in stock-swap deal
January 18, 2006The Livedoor group deleted comments on audit working papers that pointed out the illegality of the group's acquisition of a company in a stock-swap deal, sources close to the group have disclosed.
Former Livedoor exec reveals recipe for cooked books
January 18, 2006The Livedoor group falsified an affiliate's account in 2004 to make it look as if the business were profitable even though it was deeply in the red, a former executive has told prosecutors.
Japanese official denies report of attack in Iraq
January 18, 2006A Japanese government official on Wednesday denied a claim posted on the Internet stating that insurgents had attacked Japanese soldiers in southern Iraq.
Huser president Ojima accused of lying in sworn Diet testimony
January 18, 2006Susumu Ojima, president of the scandal-tainted condominium builder Huser Management Ltd.
Ishii turns back on Rakuten Golden Eagles
January 18, 2006SENDAI -- Former New York Mets pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii has decided not to join the Rakuten Golden Eagles, Rakuten officials said Wednesday.