News On Japan

Japan's GPS satellite launch successful

Jun 01, 2017 (NHK) - The launch of a rocket carrying a satellite that's part of Japan's version of a global positioning system was a success.

The H-2A rocket lifted off Thursday morning from Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan. It carried Michibiki No.2, which is part of a 4-satellite system. The satellite was put into orbit at the scheduled time.

The system's first satellite was sent into space 7 years ago. Two others will be launched later this year. Each will orbit Japan for 8 hours a day so that at least one satellite will be flying over the country at all times.

GPS, owned by the US, has a margin of error of about 10 meters. When Michibiki and GPS are working in tandem, that margin will be reduced to just a few centimeters.

Source: ANNnewsCH

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Prime Minister Sanae Takachi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced new agreements on supply chain resilience and space cooperation following a summit meeting in Italy on June 15th, as the two countries pledged closer coordination on economic security and international affairs ahead of the G7 Summit.

A parent bear and two cubs were spotted near an interchange in Kyoto Prefecture, just a few minutes' drive from a nursery school, in one of many bear sightings reported across Japan in recent days.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako watched Japan's opening FIFA World Cup match against the Netherlands together with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, highlighting the close ties between the Japanese Imperial Family and the Dutch Royal Family.

Police in Kyoto Prefecture are investigating a hit-and-run after a vehicle crashed into the Maizuru office of Liberal Democratic Party Lower House member Taro Honda late on June 13 before the driver fled the scene.

A fire broke out at a Buddhist temple in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on June 13th, sending flames soaring from the building and causing temporary alarm in a nearby residential neighborhood before being largely extinguished about two hours later.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Police in Osaka have arrested 41 men and women in a fraud case involving more than 600 million yen in suspected losses, uncovering what investigators believe was a scheme in which real influencer accounts were bought and used to impersonate their original owners and solicit followers into costly side-business programs.

The number of foreign residents living in Japan surpassed 4 million for the first time by the end of 2025, reaching a record high and underscoring the increasingly important role foreign workers play in supporting the country's labor-short industries.

The Hokkaido Community Chest, which operates Japan's annual Red Feather Community Chest fundraising campaign, has revealed that approximately 180 million yen in donated funds are unaccounted for, with a senior official suspected of misappropriating the money over several years.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, who are visiting the Netherlands, took a stroll around the grounds of the Dutch royal family's residence where they are staying, revisiting places connected to a previous visit two decades ago.

A 23-year-old Syrian man died after drowning in the Itadori River in Seki, Gifu Prefecture, on June 14th while enjoying a river outing with friends.

Police in Kyoto Prefecture are investigating a hit-and-run after a vehicle crashed into the Maizuru office of Liberal Democratic Party Lower House member Taro Honda late on June 13 before the driver fled the scene.

A fire broke out at a Buddhist temple in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on June 13th, sending flames soaring from the building and causing temporary alarm in a nearby residential neighborhood before being largely extinguished about two hours later.

Four people have been arrested on suspicion of defrauding a man in his 20s out of 870,000 yen by disguising a rental room in Osaka as a bar and luring customers through a matchmaking app.