Society

N.Korea may possess nuclear weapons for war use

Sep 11 (NHK) - Japan's defense minister says North Korea has sufficient capabilities to be recognized as a nuclear power.

During an appearance on an NHK TV program on Sunday, Itsunori Onodera said the North's 6th nuclear test on September 3rd may have been of a hydrogen bomb with an estimated explosive yield of 160 kilotons of TNT. He said that would prove the country's technology is steadily improving.

He called the North's current capability a major threat, and said what it wants to acquire next is an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Onodera said that if the North's ultimate goal is to make a nuclear warhead that can reach the mainland United States, its next step could be a test launch of an ICBM.

He said Japan's Self-Defense Forces have been on the alert around the clock, as the missile is likely to be launched over Japan.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

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Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

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From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

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Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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