News On Japan

Japan beats Australia in World Cup qualifier

Oct 13, 2021 (NHK) - In soccer, Japan's 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign got back on track at home when the Samurai Blue defeated Australia with some late drama.

Japan made a good start in the 8th minute when Tanaka Ao scored the opener.

Japan had struggled in previous matches and desperately sought to widen their lead.

But Australia leveled in the 70th minute. Ajdin Hrustic netted a stunning free kick after the referee originally called for a penalty kick.

The match remained tied until the 85th minute.

Asano Takuma fired on goal but when Australia's keeper failed to clear his defender deflected into the net for an own goal.

Japan now has 2 wins and 2 losses in Group B and is three points back of Australia which was handed its first loss.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A Japanese man suspected of serving as a key coordinator for a Cambodia-based fraud syndicate that allegedly caused losses totaling billions of yen was arrested by Japanese authorities after being deported from Thailand on June 16.

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck eastern Japan at around 7:46 p.m., with a maximum seismic intensity of lower 5 recorded in parts of Gunma and Saitama prefectures, though no injuries or major damage had been confirmed and there was no risk of a tsunami.

JR Ueno Station has unveiled "Ueno Canvas," a new 75-square-meter LED display featuring videos that highlight the area's cultural attractions, tourism destinations, and artistic heritage as part of a station renovation aimed at connecting people and the city through culture.

Japan's Fair Trade Commission has conducted on-site inspections of six major food manufacturers over suspicions they formed a cartel to coordinate ice cream prices, with authorities investigating whether the companies exchanged information and unfairly adjusted planned retail price increases in response to rising costs.

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.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A 37-year-old man previously arrested for allegedly attempting to set fire to a company and residence operated by a Pakistani national in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, has been rearrested on suspicion of setting a blaze that destroyed a mosque building used as an Islamic place of worship.

A man was found dead after a house fire destroyed a residence in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, early on June 16, after a police officer on patrol spotted smoke and flames rising from the property.

A stone-skipping tournament on the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture has drawn attention to 32-year-old Kosei Kigo of Nagoya, whose extraordinary dedication to the childhood pastime includes spending hours searching for the perfect stones, taking private coaching lessons, and competing against some of Japan's top athletes in pursuit of stone-skipping mastery.

More than 900 packs of the food linked to a food poisoning outbreak at a Costco store in Nagoya were sold over a two-day period, health authorities said.

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.

A court in Shiga Prefecture has sentenced a 29-year-old former sex industry employee to life imprisonment for the murder of a company president, the theft of his cash card, and the disposal of his body in Lake Biwa.

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.