News On Japan

Japanese man detained in Myanmar said to be journalist

Aug 01 (NHK) - A Japanese man in his 20s has been detained by security forces in Myanmar, where the military has been in power since a coup in 2021. Sources say the detained man is a journalist who was covering a demonstration.

The Japanese embassy in Myanmar said security officials in the largest city of Yangon took a Japanese national into custody on Saturday at a rally against the military. The embassy said police are questioning him.

The embassy quoted police as saying the man was filming the rally.

Multiple sources say he is believed to be journalist Kubota Toru. He is said to have entered Myanmar in mid-July to make a documentary. ...continue reading

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Transportation of a 150-meter railway rail—the longest in the world—manufactured at a steelworks in Kitakyushu City, began on April 18th. The rail will be delivered to Hokkaido over the course of about four days for use in the Hokkaido Shinkansen extension project.

The Japan Society for the Study of Obesity has issued a warning about the health risks of excessive thinness and poor nutrition among women, positioning what it calls 'women's underweight and malnutrition syndrome' as a newly recognized health condition.

Once a familiar and comforting presence on urban streets, Japan's cherished ramen stalls are quietly fading away as stricter regulations, an aging workforce, and evolving consumer preferences make their survival increasingly difficult.

A bear attacking a live deer outside a hotel in Kamikawa, Hokkaido, has shocked onlookers and prompted heightened alert from local authorities.

Strong winds battered wide areas of Japan on April 15th, disrupting air travel, toppling trees in central Tokyo, and fueling a fire that burned down homes in Toyama.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Politics NEWS

Recently, many Japanese people have been complaining about Japanese politicians, saying they treat Chinese people better than Japanese citizens. Today, I want to talk about this issue. To my Chinese friends—this is not a complaint about you. I’m complaining about our government. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

Prime Minister Ishiba met with top executives from companies affected by U.S. tariff measures, including the president of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and emphasized the government’s commitment to negotiations and domestic support measures.

The Ground Self-Defense Force is preparing to conduct Japan’s first-ever domestic live-fire test of an anti-ship missile this June, with a site in Hokkaido under consideration for the landmark drill.

U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced frustration over the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, stating that Japan has no obligation to defend the United States, and hinted at the possibility of demanding increased defense spending during trade negotiations with Tokyo.

As fears of a global economic downturn grow due to tariff policies under the Trump administration, discussions within Japan’s ruling coalition have intensified over emergency economic measures, including a temporary cut to the consumption tax and uniform cash handouts.

A bill to introduce a proactive cyber defense system, allowing preemptive measures against cyberattacks, was passed by the Lower House on April 8th with majority support from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, and others.

The Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) has suspended the training of new Ranger personnel across most units for the remainder of the current fiscal year, JNN has learned. This is the first long-term nationwide suspension of such training since the program began, marking an unprecedented development.

Japan's national budget for the new fiscal year is now set to pass within the current fiscal term, following an unusual set of deliberations in the Diet on March 28th.