Japan

[ad_1] Japanese lawmaker Mito Kakizawa was indicted Wednesday for violation of the election law, prosecutors said, following the former Liberal Democratic Party member's arrest over illegal campaign financing allegations related to a Tokyo ward election last April.The 52-year-old former senior vice justice minister and his four secretaries, who were also arrested on Dec. 28, initially denied that the money they offered ahead of the Koto Ward mayoral election was intended […]

[ad_1] Almost lost in the flood of storylines that emerged at the start of the ongoing Grand Sumo Tournament was news that Hidetoshi Tanaka — the former head of the International Sumo Federation (IFS) — passed away Saturday.Current IFS President Kazufumi Minami released a statement to national sumo federations on Jan. 16 announcing the death, adding, “Mr. Tanaka made great contributions to the development of amateur sumo, including establishment of […]

[ad_1] No. 2 maegashira Midorifuji toppled yokozuna-promotion-chasing Kirishima at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Wednesday, handing the ozeki his first defeat of the 15-day meet.Kirishima (3-1) was on the receiving end of an incessant attack from the deminutive Midorifuji (1-3), whose sharp opening drive had the ozeki backpedaling before Kirishima eventually looked to have grabbed hold of the agile rank-and-filer's arms.But Midorifuji did not give Kirishima any breathing […]

[ad_1] Nir Oz, Israel – Kfir Bibas, with his red hair and pink stuffed elephant, was less than nine months old when Hamas militants snatched him from his bed in an Israeli kibbutz on Oct. 7.The youngest hostage to be kidnapped by the Palestinian Islamist group was born on Jan. 18 and — if still alive — would be celebrating his first birthday this week.His family marked the occasion with […]

[ad_1] Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with the visiting foreign minister from North Korea for talks that could facilitate a trip to Pyongyang for the Russian leader and arms transfers to aid Moscow in its war on Ukraine.Putin held talks with Choe Son Hui on Tuesday during a visit to Moscow, the Tass news agency reported. Putin and Choe discussed bilateral relations as well as the situation on the […]

[ad_1] Wajima, Ishikawa Pref. – Pressing his gloved hands together and bowing his head, Seiji Yoshimura, helmeted and sporting a bright orange jacket over his jumpsuit, offers a silent prayer toward a crushed home from which he helped recover the body of an elderly woman. She was among the now 215 casualties of the giant earthquake that rocked the Noto Peninsula in central Japan at 4:10 p.m. on Jan. 1. […]

[ad_1] Japan welcomed 25 million tourists in 2023, the largest number since 2019, as a weak yen helped attract post-pandemic visitors in a boost to the nation’s fragile economy.The number of inbound tourists last year increased dramatically from 3.8 million in 2022, Japan’s National Tourism Organization reported Wednesday. December also marked the seventh consecutive month in which the number of foreign visitors exceeded 2 million, for the highest figure in […]

[ad_1] A U.S.-bound All Nippon Airways plane had to return to Tokyo after an intoxicated passenger allegedly bit a flight attendant mid-journey, the Japanese carrier said Wednesday.The passenger, reportedly a 55-year-old American man, sunk his teeth into the crew member's arm while "heavily drunk," leaving her mildly injured, an ANA spokesman said.The attack prompted pilots of the plane with 159 passengers on board to turn back over the Pacific to […]

[ad_1] Japan Airlines said Wednesday that Senior Managing Executive Officer Mitsuko Tottori will become the company's president effective April 1. Tottori, who joined JAL in 1985 as a cabin attendant and ascended to become the second woman to serve as a representative director at the airline, will become its first female president. The reshuffle comes as the airline seeks to recover from the pandemic-era downturn and as tourists flock back […]