Japan

[ad_1] House of Representatives member Mito Kakizawa intends to admit to vote-buying allegations in a mayoral election in Tokyo despite an initial denial, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday. Kakizawa, 52, was arrested on Dec. 28 on suspicion of offering to pay ¥200,000 each to nine people, including assembly members of Tokyo's Koto Ward, between February and March to help Yayoi Kimura to win the ward mayoral election. The […]

[ad_1] A 39-year-old man was arrested Saturday for pushing an unacquainted woman off the platform onto the rail tracks at Tokyo's JR Shinagawa Station, police said. The woman in her 60s was pushed from behind when waiting for a train at the major rail hub at around 1:30 p.m., the police said, adding that she was taken to hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. The man from Osaka Prefecture has admitted to […]

[ad_1] Alaska Airlines will ground its entire fleet of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft after a fuselage section in the rear part of the brand-new jet blew out shortly after takeoff.The airline is taking the "precautionary step” to temporarily ground the fleet of 65 planes until completion of full maintenance and inspection, Chief Executive Officer Ben Minicucci said in a statement. Flight 1282 was carrying 171 passengers and six crew […]

[ad_1] NEW YORK – Undisputed super bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue was named Ring Magazine's 2023 Fighter of the Year on Friday, becoming the first Japanese boxer to win the prestigious award. The man nicknamed "Monster" stopped two-belt world champion Marlon Tapales of the Philippines last month to become just the second boxer to unify two divisions, following American Terence Crawford. Inoue, whose record stands at 26-0 with 23 knockouts, […]

[ad_1] SYDNEY – Australia opener David Warner said he hoped to be remembered as an entertainer after retiring from cricket's longest format at his home ground in the wake of a third test victory over Pakistan on Saturday.The 37-year-old, who retires as Australia's fifth most prolific run-scorer of all time in tests, made 57 runs in his final innings to take his country to the brink of victory and a […]

[ad_1] From charities and companies to individuals, a nationwide effort to help people in areas near Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula, which was devastated in Monday’s magnitude 7.6 earthquake, is picking up steam.In one example, Toshiya Ikehata, 44, a resident of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture — among the worst-hit cities — has been providing meals since the disaster struck.Ikehata, who has been sleeping in his car after the quake rendered his house […]

[ad_1] Rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama could become the first professional basketball player to earn $1 billion on the court.The 7-foot 4-inch (224-centimeter) tall French phenom, who turned 20 on Thursday, was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the top pick in the 2023 National Basketball Association draft. The team signed him to a four-year, $55.2 million rookie contract, the largest possible deal under the U.S. league’s current labor agreement.The […]

[ad_1] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a “message of sympathy” to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida following the devastating earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture earlier this week that has left 100 people dead and more than 200 missing.The North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a short dispatch Saturday that Kim had “expressed his deep sympathy and condolences to the prime minister and, through him, to the […]

[ad_1] TAIPEI – Taiwan's Defense Ministry accused China on Saturday of threatening aviation safety and waging psychological warfare on the island's people with a recent spate of balloons spotted near or over the island, days before key Taiwanese elections.The potential for China to use balloons for spying became a global issue in February when the United States shot down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon. China said the […]