Universal to close Spider-Man ride in Japan
In the latest development in the ongoing drama over the theme park rights to Marvel characters, Universal Studios Japan announced today that it will close its Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride permanently on January 22, 2024. A former co-winner of our Theme Park Insider Award as the world's best attraction and a current top-five pick on our Best Attractions list, Spidey has been thrill fans in Osaka since January 23, 2004.
With Universal losing the Marvel rights in Japan, that clears the way for the Avengers and other Marvel characters to make their debut at the Tokyo Disney Resort. They won't be part of the big Fantasy Springs expansion that is expected to open in early 2024 at Tokyo DisneySea, but it's hard to see Disney waiting much longer to bring Marvel to Tokyo in some form, whether that be by building an Avengers Campus or through at least some form of attraction retheme. ...continue reading

NHK - Jun 04
Japan, the United States and South Korea have agreed to upgrade their security relationship to enable real-time monitoring of missiles launched by North Korea. The countries will activate the new data-sharing mechanism by the end of the year.

NHK - Jun 03
Heavy rain continued from Friday through Saturday morning, bringing record rainfall to several parts of Japan. The Meteorological Agency is calling on people to remain on the alert for landslides and swollen rivers.

Japan Today - Jun 03
Police in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, have arrested a 24-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man on suspicion of abandoning a newborn baby girl whose partially burned body was found along the coastline last month.

Japan Today - Jun 03
A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Friday in Tokyo to mark the start of construction for a new train line connecting Tokyo Station and the capital's Haneda airport that will begin service before March 2032.

Daily Sun - Jun 03
A private photo of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, taken at his official residence, was leaked by a magazine on Friday, with critics arguing the action was inappropriate and generated security issues at what they consider a public facility, reports Kyodo News.

NHK - Jun 03
Sales of Suica and Pasmo IC cards, which are used to pay for train fares and other payments in Japan, will be temporarily suspended from Thursday of next week due to a global semiconductor shortage.

NOJ - Jun 02
Japan's House of Councillors pass a law Wednesday extending the deadline for collecting expressway tolls, which had been until 2065, by 50 years to 2115, TV Asahi reports.

NHK - Jun 02
Weather officials say that Japan had the warmest spring in 125 years this year, characterized by early blooms on cherry trees, and summer-like temperatures on certain days in May.

NHK - Jun 02
The latest novel by Japanese author Murakami Haruki has racked up the country's highest sales for any category of book in the past six months.

NHK - Jun 02
Twenty-year-old shogi sensation Fujii Sota has become the youngest player to win the Meijin title, the oldest of the eight major titles in the Japanese board game.

DW News - Jun 02
The Japanese government on Thursday announced specific measures to curb falling birth rates by boosting financial support for households with children.

NHK - Jun 01
A lawyer for three people who were charged with helping former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan has told NHK they were acquitted by a Turkish court in a retrial.

NHK - Jun 01
Japan's leading university and the Financial Services Agency have started working on a project to prevent future financial crises.

nextshark.com - Jun 01
A Japanese convenience store chain will start offering edible spoons in June that customers can use to eat ice cream.

newsonjapan.com - Jun 01
Japan is home to a wide variety of sports, from football and baseball to horse racing and sumo wrestling, and so there are few better places to wager on via online sports betting platforms.

Japan Today - May 31
Japan on Wednesday passed a law allowing nuclear reactors to operate beyond 60 years, as it tries to reinvigorate the sector to meet energy challenges and climate targets.