Japan

TOKYO, June 30 (Xinhua) -- An elementary school in Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa on Thursday held a memorial service to remember the lives lost when a U.S. military jet crashed into the school 63 years ago killing 18 people.

The accident-prone F-100 warplane took off from Kadena Air Base before crashing into the residential neighborhood of Ishikawa and careening into Miyamori Elementary School in what is now Uruma City, on June 30, 1959.

TOKYO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) continues to have the highest support rate in the run-up to the July 10 upper house election, a local news survey showed Tuesday.

Of those polled, 28.3 percent said they will vote for the LDP, a 1 point increase from the previous poll conducted between June 18 and June 19, Kyodo News said of its nationwide telephone poll conducted from Sunday through Tuesday.

TOKYO (AP) — People in Tokyo are sweating it out as the government warns of possible power shortages and urges greater efforts to conserve energy while Japan endures unseasonably hot temperatures.

Weather officials announced the earliest end to the annual summer rainy season since the Japan Meteorological Agency began keeping records in 1951. The rains usually temper the summer heat, often well into July.

TOKYO, Jun 24 (NNN-NHK) – An unknown liquid was released in a train today, in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, close to Tokyo, local media quoted investigators as saying.

While the investigators said the liquid smelled similar to vinegar and didn’t appear to look dangerous, two teenage girls who were near the liquid complained of pains and were taken to the hospital.

According to local reports, at around 6:15 a.m. local time today, firefighters received an emergency call alerting them to the incident on the train.

TOKYO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa on Thursday repeated its call on the Japanese government to scrap plans to relocate a U.S. military base within the prefecture.

Governor Denny Tamaki made the remarks in a "peace declaration" at a ceremony observing the 77th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, a bloody World War II ground battle that saw more than 200,000 lives lost on the island.

TOKYO (AP) — Organizers of last year’s COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics were expected to place the final cost of the Games at 1.42 trillion yen, about twice what was forecast when the IOC awarded them in 2013.

Tokyo Olympic officials, meeting Tuesday before the body dissolves at the end of the month, were to detail final numbers, which were increased by the pandemic, but were in record range long before that.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian markets were mostly lower Monday in cautious trading, while the price of bitcoin remained near $20,000.

Shares fell in most Asian markets but rose in Hong Kong and India as worries over inflation and risks of a global recession from central bank efforts to bring it under control appeared to outweigh Wall Street’s mostly positive close on Friday. U.S. futures were higher and oil prices also gained.

TOKYO, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Japan concluded its 150-day regular parliamentary session Wednesday, with the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida deciding amid political and party headwinds an upper house election will be held on July 10.

Official campaigning ahead of the election will kick off on June 22, government officials said, with the focus of the election race likely to be centered around soaring prices and measures for economic growth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares fell across the board Tuesday after Wall Street tumbled into a bear market, indicating that major U.S. benchmarks and individual stocks have fallen 20% or more from a recent high for a sustained period of time.

Benchmarks fell in Japan, Australia, South Korea and China. The Japanese yen’s continuing slide against the dollar paused.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan on Friday eased its borders for foreign tourists and began accepting visa applications, but only for those on guided package tours who are willing to follow mask-wearing and other antivirus measures as the country cautiously tries to balance business and infection worries.

Friday is the first day to start procedures needed for the entry and arrivals are not expected until late June at the earliest, even though airport immigration and quarantine offices stood by for any possible arrivals.