Jiji Press -- Mar 13
Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK)received some 20,600 complaints from viewers about its president, Katsuto Momii, between Jan. 25, when he assumed the post, and Wednesday, Momii said Thursday.
Of some 31,900 responses relating to Momii, about 5,900 expressed support for him, Momii said at a session of the House of Representatives Committee on Internal Affairs and Communications.
In regard to a request he made to NHK executives in which he urged them to submit resignation letters, Momii said the current two-year term of executives should be shortened to one year, comparable to board directors at private companies.
NHKの籾井会長は現在、法律で2年と定められているNHKの理事の任期を1年に半減すべきだという考えを示しました。 NHK・籾井会長：「NHKの役員の任期は2年。今、一般的な会社は全部1年だ。
Sources: Jiji Press, ANNnewsCH
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 12
Snow fell for the first time this season in parts of Tokyo and Yokohama on Jan. 12, with more expected as a low pressure system approaches the Pacific coast. (Asahi) Jan 12
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus is rolling out its highest-performance model since the LFA supercar to burnish its reputation among buyers of prestige luxury autos. (Japan Times) Jan 11
Monday marked Coming-of-Age Day, bringing with it the usual festivities that saw Japan's 20-year-olds celebrate their newfound adulthood - each in their own way. (Japan Times) 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)