Society

Japan gets 'all clear' to mine Mars' moon

May 18 (nypost.com) - Japan is ready to mine Mars' largest moon after successfully completing all of the compulsory "space contamination" paperwork.

Japanese space agency JAXA hopes to travel to the Mars moon, drill into it and then bring a piece of it back to Earth for investigation.

Mars actually has two small moons called Phobos and Deimos and their names mean fear and panic in Latin.

Phobos and Deimos are a lot smaller than our moon and are irregular shapes.

JAXA has its sights set on boring a hole into Phobos and has scheduled this to happen by 2024.

It has dubbed the mission MMX and it will involve a spacecraft with a robotic arm that will do the digging.

However, Earth laws state that humans exploring the solar system must abide by certain rules in order to protect space from human contamination.

JAXA had to apply to the world's Committee on Space Research's Planetary Protection Panel, which recently granted permission.

A team of international scientists make up the panel and are tasked with enforcing the United Nations' Outer Space Treaty of 1967.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

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

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

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

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

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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Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

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Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

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Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.