Japan

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Japan Is No Longer World's 3rd-Largest Economy

It's been overtaken by Germany and will likely slip behind India in 2026

(Newser) - Japan's economy is now the world's fourth-largest after it contracted in the last quarter of 2023 and fell behind Germany. The government reported the economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.4% in October to December, according to Cabinet Office data on real GDP released Thursday, though...

Killer Whales Trapped Under Sea Ice Make a Break for It

Orcas off coast of Japan, spotted huddled together and bobbing in the waters, appear to have escaped

(Newser) - As a nation held its breath, so, too, did a pod of killer whales trapped beneath the ice off of the northern shores of Japan, bobbing their heads up and down from a small gap in the ice to breathe. Now, officials say the dozen or so orcas appear to...

Ukrainian-Born Miss Japan Resigns Over Affair
Miss Japan Resigns Over Affair

Miss Japan Resigns Over Affair

Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino largely blamed for relationship with a married man

(Newser) - The first woman of European descent to be crowned Miss Japan has given up her title following a report that she had an affair with a married man. Shukan Bunshun reported last week on Ukrainian-born model Karolina Shiino's relationship with Takuma Maeda, a married doctor and influencer. The Miss...

This Nation Just Weighed In on Swift at the Super Bowl

DC's Japanese Embassy says star could technically get to Vegas 'comfortably' after her Tokyo concert

(Newser) - There's still no official word on whether Taylor Swift will be swooping into Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11 to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce play in the Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl—but Japanese officials are stepping in to assuage fears that the "Karma" singer won't be able...

Go for the Latte, Stay for This Guy
Go for the Latte,
Stay for This Guy

Go for the Latte, Stay for This Guy

Japan brings us the hottest new trend, the pig cafe

(Newser) - First there were cafes that allowed pets. Then came cat cafes, where lattes took second place to feline interaction. The latest craze in Japan: The pig cafe. "It was wonderful. Very relaxing and enjoyable," said Brad Loomis, a software engineer from Pullman, Washington, after visiting Tokyo's Mipig...

'After Several Tense Days,' Moon Lander Is Alive Again

Following a rough landing, Japan's SLIM finally draws enough solar power to function once more

(Newser) - A Japanese moon explorer is up and running Monday after several tense days without the sunlight it needs to generate power. Japan's first lunar mission hit its target in a precision touchdown on Jan. 20, but it landed the wrong way up , leaving its solar panels unable to see...

New Miss Japan Was Born in Ukraine



New Miss Japan
Is a Bit Different
Than Past Winners
in case you missed it

New Miss Japan Is a Bit Different Than Past Winners

Carolina Shiino was born in Ukraine to Ukrainian parents, moved to Japan at age 5

(Newser) - Carolina Shiino was crowned Miss Japan on Monday, but the headlines on her win are focused on the debate surrounding it. The 26-year-old model from Nagoya, who was born in Ukraine to Ukrainian parents and moved to Japan when she was 5, is the country's first naturalized citizen to...

Photo Explains Why Japan's Moon Lander Isn't Talking

It landed upside down, and its solar panels aren't getting juice from the sun

(Newser) - The good news is that Japan landed a spacecraft on the moon , making it only the fifth nation to accomplish the feat. The bad news is that the SLIM craft landed upside down, on its nose, reports Space.com . The glitch explains why mission controllers in Japan have been unable...

Man Behind Horrific Anime Studio Arson Sentenced to Death

Shinji Aoba's attack left 36 dead

(Newser) - A Japanese court sentenced a man to death after finding him guilty of murder and other crimes Thursday for carrying out a shocking arson attack on an anime studio in Kyoto, Japan, that killed 36 people, the AP reports. The Kyoto District Court said it found the defendant, Shinji Aoba,...

Japan&#39;s &#39;Moon Sniper&#39; Nears Its Target
A 5th Country Has
Landed on the Moon
UPDATED

A 5th Country Has Landed on the Moon

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' is sending back data but solar cells aren't working, JAXA says

(Newser) - This story has been updated with new developments. Japan has become the fifth country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon. The country's space agency, JAXA, says Smart Lander for Investigating Moon—SLIM—has landed on the moon and is sending back data, though its solar panel isn'...

After Japan Airlines Crash, a New President Takes Over

Mitsuko Tottori to become airline president in April as Yuji Akasaka moves to chairman role

(Newser) - Japan Airlines has named Mitsuko Tottori as its first woman president following a collision between one of its planes and a coast guard aircraft during Japanese New Year holidays that left five dead, per the AP . Tottori—currently senior managing executive officer of JAL and the first woman to climb...

Japan Earthquake Moved Coastline 820 Feet

7.6 magnitude quake caused significant uplift in some areas, pushing seafloor above water

(Newser) - The New Year's Day earthquake rocked Japan so significantly that the country's coastline shifted by as much as 820 feet, more than the length of two US football fields. The 7.6 magnitude January 1 quake caused significant uplift in some parts of the Noto Peninsula, Live Science...

A Crazy Number of Japanese People Under 50 Never Dated

A third of younger adults are opting out of the dating pool

(Newser) - Romantic love has lost its appeal to a growing number of younger adults in Japan, where a record number of people under 50 have shrugged off dating. A recent survey, according to the Japan Times , found that a third of Japanese people in their 20s through 40s have never dated,...

Japan Is No Longer the No. 1 Auto Exporter
Japan Is No Longer
the No. 1 Auto Exporter
the rundown

Japan Is No Longer the No. 1 Auto Exporter

China takes the title with its surging industry

(Newser) - Japan has long been the world's top exporter of automobiles, but that reign is now over. China has overtaken it for the No. 1 spot, and it's no blip—Beijing's lead is expected to "solidify" in 2024, reports the South China Morning Post . The Wall Street ...

Survivor Rescued 72 Hours After Japan Quakes

Death toll is now 94, with hundreds missing

(Newser) - A woman was pulled carefully from the rubble on Thursday, 72 hours after a series of powerful quakes started rattling Japan's western coast. The woman was taken to a hospital after she was found trapped under her destroyed home. Despite rescue efforts, the death toll Friday grew to at...

1985 Disaster Led to Safety Rules That Saved 379 People
379 Lives Were Saved in
Tokyo Crash by 1985 Disaster
the rundown

379 Lives Were Saved in Tokyo Crash by 1985 Disaster

Meanwhile, passengers describe 'chaos' inside Japan Airlines flight

(Newser) - The deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history was that of Japan Airlines flight 123, which crashed on August 12, 1985, after a faulty repair by Boeing. Five hundred and twenty of the 524 people aboard the plane died. Nearly four decades later, all 379 passengers and crew aboard a Japan...

In Japan, 'Race Against Time' for Quake Survivors

62 are dead, and tens of thousands of homes destroyed

(Newser) - The death toll in Japan after a series of strong earthquakes rose to 62 Wednesday, and rescue workers continued to work to free people feared to be trapped under the rubble, the AP reports. Dozens of others were injured, and some areas still had not seen water, power, or cell...

Nearly 400 Escape Burning Plane on Tokyo Runway

5 members of Japan's coast guard dead at Haneda airport

(Newser) - A passenger plane collided with a Japanese coast guard aircraft and burst into flames on the runway of Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Tuesday, officials said. NHK TV reported that all occupants of Japan Airlines flight JAL-516, believed to total 379 people, got out safely before the plane was entirely...

Japan Suffers a Series of Major Earthquakes
Japan Suffers a Series
of Major Earthquakes
UPDATED

Japan Suffers a Series of Major Earthquakes

At least 8 are dead, and more powerful quakes could come

(Newser) - At least eight people are dead after the series of powerful earthquakes that hit western Japan Monday, damaging buildings, vehicles, and boats. Officials were warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay away from their homes because of a risk of more strong quakes, the AP reports. Aftershocks continued...

Tokyo Taxi Driver Charged With Killing Pigeon

He could get up to a year in prison for driving into flock of birds at green light

(Newser) - A taxi driver in Tokyo ran afoul of the country's strict wildlife laws when he deliberately drove into a flock of pigeons, killing one, police say. The driver, 50-year-old Atsushi Ozawa, allegedly accelerated and drove into the flock last month after a traffic light turned green, the Mainichi reports....

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