Kyodo -- May 23
The Nuclear Regulation Authority accepted on Wednesday an assessment that a reactor at the Tsuruga plant in western Japan is sitting above an active fault, making it increasingly difficult for the facility to resume operation.
It is the first time Japan's regulatory authorities have acknowledged an existing reactor is located above a fault feared to move in the future, according to an NRA official. The judgment may leave plant operator Japan Atomic Power Co. with no option but to scrap the No. 2 reactor.
"We have received a report from a panel of experts that said there is an active fault...I think there is a need to accept the conclusion sincerely," NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said at a meeting attended by other commissioners to discuss the panel's conclusion.
Source: Kyodo
Jan 14
A magnitude-6.7 earthquake hit northern Japan at about 12:25 p.m. on Thursday, registering a lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Hokkaido and Aomori Prefecture. There was no tsunami as a result of the quake. (the-japan-news.com) Jan 14
The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) has decided to design new map symbols that are easier for foreigners to understand in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. (the-japan-news.com) Jan 14
From electronic kimonos to sensors that know what your pet is feeling, the Japan's Wearable Device and Technology Expo promises to reveal some of this year's most creative - and oddest - technological innovations. (dailymail.co.uk) Jan 13
Japanese pop group SMAP is on the verge of breaking up after more than 20 years, sources at the band's agency said Wednesday, in a move that would send shockwaves through the Japanese entertainment industry given the band's popularity at home and elsewhere in Asia. (Kyodo) Jan 13
Twelve skiers who were stranded on mountains in Nagano and Fukushima prefectures have all been brought to safety.
(NHK) Jan 13
Police in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a couple on suspicion of abandoning responsibility for Fujimoto's 3-year-old daughter, whose body was found with burn marks on her face. Police believe the girl's death may have been the result of recurring domestic abuse. (Japan Today) Jan 13
A Japanese high court on Tuesday acquitted a man charged with raping a teenage girl in southwestern Japan in 2012, overturning a lower court ruling that gave him a four-year prison term. (Japan Today) Jan 12
Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 31-year-old man who ran a prostitution ring featuring underage school girls, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 12). (Tokyo Reporter) Jan 12
Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a door-to-door salesman for allegedly fondling the body of a girl in Akishima City, reports Nippon News Network (Jan. 12). (Tokyo Reporter) Jan 12
The passing of music legend David Bowie shocked his numerous fans around the world - including a Sapporo man who attempted to kill himself in public. (Japan Times) Jan 12
An announcer of public broadcaster NHK was arrested Sunday for allegedly possessing so-called "dangerous drugs" in violation of the law governing medicinal chemicals, the health ministry's drug control division said Monday.
(Japan Today) Jan 11
Actress Keiko Kitagawa and singer Daigo have registered their marriage, the couple announced Monday in their respective personal blogs. (Japan Times) Jan 11
Young men and women have celebrated their "Coming of Age" day in a disaster-hit city in northeastern Japan. (NHK) Jan 11
Police in Yokohama on Sunday arrested a 93-year-old man on suspicion of strangling his 93-year-old wife to death in the nursing facility where they both lived. (Japan Today) Jan 11
A fire broke out at a love hotel in the Kabukicho red-light district on Saturday, two days after a blaze at another inn in the area left one woman dead, reports NHK (Jan. 9). (Tokyo Reporter)